According to the government, the digital economy is growing at least ten times quicker than that of the traditional economy, creating a high number of job opportunities within the digital field.  With this in mind there is no better time to kick-start your digital marketing career. If you’ve been considering moving into a career in digital marketing then you should strike while the iron is hot and think about getting a new job in the New Year.  If getting a new job in digital marketing in the New Year is on your to-do list, then you should start preparing yourself right away to place yourself in the best position to secure a career in digital marketing.  Though there are plenty of digital marketing positions available, there is also a lot of competition from other applicants, so you need to make sure your application stands out from the crowd.

If you are completely new to digital marketing and have no experience or education in the field, you might be concerned how you can make your application stand out from the others.  To help you, we have put together a list of things that you can do to kick-start your career in digital marketing:

1. Network: start to link with other professionals in the business, communicating with people like this can really expand your knowledge, allowing you the opportunity to ask questions. Knowing people in the business can help you in many ways, most significantly, it may be the key to opening doors and securing a career.
2. Be eager to learn: digital marketing is a relatively new area, therefore you need to willing to be on a continual learning curve, to undertake your own research on things and potentially even complete courses. To gain a role in digital marketing, you must show this willingness to learn on your application.
3. Remain up-to-date: don’t think that just because you’ve already learnt something that you do not need to visit the subject again, things in digital marketing are ever-changing and developing.
4. Familiarize yourself with the terminology: when you start reading about digital marketing you will some across phrases, words and terms that you may not be familiar with, for example the acronym SEO, short for search engine optimization. Before you try to understand the subject it is a good idea to first make yourself aware of the kinds of phrases used and what they mean.
5. Develop a personal brand: digital marketing is all about creating a brand and a strong online presence, you will therefore need to show companies you apply to that you can do just that. The best way to do this is to develop your own personal brand and online presence
6. Gain web development knowledge: though web development won’t be a part of your role as a digital marketer, you might be required to work closely with web developers and will therefore benefit from gaining a basic understanding of HTML and graphic design.
7. Take a course: there are plenty of accredited online courses specializing in digital marketing, why not consider taking one. A course like this will look good on your resume, it will show a willingness to learn and a dedication to the field of digital marketing and most significantly, it will separate you from those candidates that have not gone out of their way to gain education in digital marketing.

The field of digital marketing is new and exciting, it is fast-paced and ever-changing and to have a successful career in this area you need to be creative, diverse, flexible and current in your knowledge and skills. Prove these skills in your application, secure your first role and kick-start your career in digital marketing.