1. Social Media
According to a recent study, there are 4.2 billion active social media users worldwide. Of these, 4.15 billion are active users on mobile devices. These figures show a 13.2% increase in the number of global social users in just a year with no sign of slowing down.
The ability to understand and use social media effectively is a core and valued skill that every professional should have. Social media marketing goes beyond posting a tweet or Facebook update; it is about understanding the dynamic relationship between brands, influencers, and consumers. To put it simply, businesses need to reach out to customers in ways that will drive traffic to their website—or product—for potential conversion. It now also plays a key role in providing good customer service as many consumers take to social media to ask questions or make comments.
Educators who recognize social media’s influence should understand the intricacies of each platform from YouTube to TikTok marketing and its potential to maximize community engagement to provide graduates with valuable and applicable skills.
2. Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
Beyond social media, Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is one of the most influential disciplines that marketers have come to rely on. To put things in perspective, 81% of internet users search online for a product or service to buy, with Google accounting for 70% of that traffic.
Students with SEM experience can increase the visibility of a company’s website on a search engine (e.g., Google or Bing) primarily via paid advertising. By doing so, the business will attract valuable web traffic from the search engine results page.
By using SEM, students will be able to capture precious organic search traffic results. That’s why marketers, content managers, and webmasters spend a great deal of time optimizing websites, particularly for mobile and ad campaigns to ensure the highest conversion rates possible.
Most companies are in the business of selling products or services and want to outshine their competition to be easily found online. During the Covid-19 pandemic the number of customers going online to purchase led to a spike in e-commerce transactions. According to Statista, in June 2020 there were almost 22 billion visits to retail sites up from 16 billion in January. Plus this online behavior shows no signs of slowing down post-Covid.
This means that jobseekers with a working knowledge of search marketing will be very valuable to organizations to ensure they are searchable and visible.
3. Data Analytics
During Covid-19, many marketers reverted to mass communications to target customers rather than using data-driven precision marketing. This was a mistake. According to McKinsey, one consumer goods company predicted that demand for beauty products would increase as people came out of lockdown. By tracking re-openings and using data, they focused their media spend and saw a double-digit increase in sales.
The lesson? Data can provide your students with a wealth of information that – if used correctly – can result in effective marketing campaigns that drive conversions, sales, and revenue.
Peter Drucker, a leader in management education and often described as the founder of modern management, has this to say:
“If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.”
Data analytics essentially allow students to make educated and data-driven decisions to drive better business insights. Numbers define whether a campaign was successful and by what percentage. The key is knowing what data to collect and measure to improve the next campaign. Companies don’t want to waste valuable marketing dollars based on trends or gut instincts. It’s about maximizing each campaigns’ effectiveness and optimizing the return on investment.
Analytics go hand-in-hand with SEM so these skills work together to ensure a business understands what consumers want, and how to attract and retain their attention.
Direct your students to this ‘Life as an Analyst’ podcast to find out what data analysis is really about.
4. Content Marketing
Content comes in many forms – blog posts, videos, podcasts, infographics, even social media status updates.
Marketers may spend their time optimizing keywords and advertising campaigns, but content is still king. After all, a website or social media page is driven by its content and without it, customers have no way of understanding the benefits of a product or service.
Content is crucial in driving brand awareness and can establish brands or influencers as thought leaders. Therefore new hires need to understand the importance of creating not just content, but content that is relevant to keyword research and optimizing them in a strategy. With experience and knowledge in content marketing, students will have an valuable and employable skill that will set them up for a career in any industry.
5. Email Marketing
One of the best ways to obtain and retain leads is via a tried and tested method: email.
Email is one of the oldest forms of direct marketing and still packs a punch in customer acquisition and retention. From startups to multinational corporations, a great email marketing strategy helps launch successful campaigns.
An experienced digital marketer knows that each funnel stage has to be carefully planned. From the signup page—including its placement on a website—to the welcome email, every step needs to be optimized to attract users and build engagement.
People may change social media accounts or home addresses, but people aren’t prone to change their email addresses. That’s why professionals that understand the power of email marketing to connect directly with consumers are in high demand.
Educators should not see email as an old-fashioned tool but challenge students to rethink ways to use email in their roles – current and future.
I will try and implement it this year.
Juts make sure u do
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Also graphic designing
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Web designing can also help
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I want to add what you have said. Graphic designing can also be included in one of the skills that would make students employable. Also one can be doing more than one of the skills listed above .
I will try and implement it this year
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Juts make sure u do
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I will try my best
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Am into email marketing now, but am still learning
I’ll get there
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If you can’t measure it you can’t manage it. So grab this knowledge and opportunity that is being given for free and achieve something
Th
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So true social media has been a great way of making friends as well as money it is a great tool for affiliate marketers
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