An Overview of Digital Marketing

What is Digital Marketing?

Digital marketing, as the name implies, is using social media, emails, websites, mobile apps, etc.. to promote a company on the internet. Nowadays, as the popularity of internet engines rises, more companies are depending on digital marketing, and more internet services arise. Small to medium enterprises are heavily dependent on digital marketing, nearly 95% percent of companies use social media or other kinds of digital marketing methods (Manifest, 2019). More than that, an estimated $65.9 billion revenue was made from mobile ads alone, and people are heavily relying on smartphones, around 69% of media are acquired from their smartphones (Salman.Aslam.Mughal, 2021). All the numbers show us digital marketing is a rising new industry and more people are seeking to switch to digital ways of advertising. 

Sources retrieved from Deloitte

Another and the biggest advantage of employing digital marketing is saving money, more view count, and less cost is much more effective than traditional marketing. Instead of handing out pamphlets and advertising on big billboards, advertising on Google looks like a much cheaper option for small businesses. Moreover, digital marketing has evolved to be a very complete and easy way to advertise a business. You can easily access Google and Facebook ads and set up everything online, most importantly, activities and leads can be easily tracked on the website. 

For better and higher traffic on your ads, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the key to your searching volume. Better content recognized by Google or other search engines can pump up the traffic of your online ads by 2000%. Ranking and presenting your ads is decided by the search engine and mobile application you are using, however, SEO search and keywords are a digital marketer’s duty. Learning how to use SEO and ranking high on your Search engine is an important skill required for digital marketers.

Digital Marketing in Canada and Immigration Opportunities

Digital marketing is in high demand in the Canadian labor market. Studying digital marketing and being employed as a digital marketer can help you immigrate to Canada as a skilled worker. Digital marketing is listed 1123 and 0124 on NOC (National Occupation Classification), which is qualified for the in-demand occupation list for MPNP (Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program). As long as digital marketers have work experience in Manitoba and reside in Manitoba when the application is submitted, they can immigrate to Canada as skilled workers. MPNP also allows international students who graduated from out-of-province colleges and universities to apply. 

Moreover, digital marketers also have a chance to immigrate through BCPNP programs. Digital marketers’ NOC is qualified for skill 0AB level, and they can immigrate as skilled workers. There are two streams of BCPNP skilled workers, applicants need to either acquire a certificate, degree, diploma from a Canadian post-secondary institution and accepted a job offer, or have at least two years of work experience in the field. In conclusion, digital marketing is a rising in-demand occupation, and more and more chances are open for digital marketers to move to Canada.

What are some common digital marketing platforms: 

Instagram:

You must’ve heard or used Instagram, but you may not know that this is a major ads platform for digital marketers. Ads shown on Instagram are usually carefully curated and checked by their system. Audiences on Instagram are usually more prone to younger populations, celebrities, and influencers. There are a few ways to promote your services such as promoting through an influencer or celebrity, or you can simply get your company on Instagram ads.  Moreover, Instagram is a platform that is more visual-focused, most users post pictures or videos with a very short caption, so industries like restaurants, fashion, beauty, etc are more common on Instagram. 

Facebook:

Facebook is currently the biggest social media platform in the world, nearly 2.5 billion users are still active. The audience of Facebook is much more comprehensive than any other platform, from all kinds of businesses to individual accounts to celebrities even politicians.  Digital marketing on Facebook is a big part of the entire internet industry. Forms of Facebook marketing are various as well, such as bloggers can post ads or advertise in videos, people can advertise targeting certain groups, or official accounts can post ads directly through Facebook ads, etc. Building a great presentable Facebook page is the first step in your digital marketing career.

Google Ads:

Digital marketing like Google Ads is more like a b2b, eCommerce focused business, when your target is directly the customer who searches the product or services you are providing, Google Ads might be the most effective way to promote your company. Google is known as the largest search engine in the world, it provides all kinds of information in every language. Google ads come in various forms, a digital marketer could run search campaigns, advertising campaigns, video campaigns, app promotion campaigns, and shopping campaigns. 

Moreover, Google not only provides a search engine but also runs Google Maps, Google Mail, etc, all sorts of applications could be your desired digital marketing platforms. Google’s unique demographic search can be very useful to find targeting population for companies, it allows marketers to target users through their browsing histories, shopping behaviors, etc. To successfully present your website on the first page, SEO is very important for every online marketer. Google usually examines a website’s keywords, word count, and content and then competes with a similar website to rank them. Digital marketers are required to learn how to edit their keywords and content to rank higher on search engines.

Youtube:

Comparing to Facebook and Google’s various forms of delivering information, YouTube is simply a video platform, so advertising is rather easier to display. A more common way a digital marketer can advertise on YouTube is by inserting video ads at the beginning or the middle of a video. However, the premise of traffic and view count on YouTube is depending on how many subscribers this YouTuber has and how related your audience and their audiences are. Conveniently, YouTube uses the same Google engine to select the targeting audience. Another way to promote products or services is to sponsor or collaborate with a video maker to increase views or adding links to your website. 

Twitter:

Different from Instagram and Facebook, Twitter is more like an open space for audiences, information is more scattered and people communicate more casually on Twitter. When a digital marketer is choosing audiences on Twitter, should focus more on hashtags. On content, Twitter is more about news, services alerts, and links. Twitter might be slightly more complicated for digital marketers, but it tends to collect more opinionated posts and information on new events.

LinkedIn:

LinkedIn is recognized as a professional job recruiter and profile site, which for digital marketers is a very important way to build up a social network. And LinkedIn users are usually seen as more educated and have more purchasing power, which can be more efficient and less effort to target. LinkedIn also has a large platform for advertising especially for the education industry, for example, LinkedIn marketing has listed a variety of blogs and online classes. 

Social Media Management Tools (Hootsuite):

When a digital marketer is trying to schedule and organize media posts, Hootsuite can be a big helper. Social Media Management Tools are very useful when the digital marketer wants to post ads on holidays or peak days even converting time zones to meet the target population’s time. Also, a company should be consistent on their social media or online ads to be professional.

Customer Relationships Management (Hubspot):

After digital marketers post social media and communicate with customers, b2b commerce can be hard to organize. Hubspot is a platform used to track online ads, chats, and email responses.  It automatically uploads contact lists from digital marketing platforms, creates custom forms, and reports new customers. Also, when observing data and communicating on these systems, you are able to understand targeting clients and communicate with them more efficiently.

Content Management (WordPress):

Many may think a digital marketer needs to learn computer science skills to edit and post online materials, however, there are numerous website editing tools to help marketers manage content. For example, WordPress allows digital marketers to create and edit website visuals and texts in a very simple way. As a digital marketer, HTML, JAVAscript is not the main duty, but SEO ranking and content view counts are rather more important. 

How to Learn Digital Marketing:

Start your blog/ Social Media

Studying from your own experience might be the easiest way to learn digital marketing, it can be very difficult at first, but you’ll gain a lot of skills through the process. By writing your own blog or social media posts like Instagram or Facebook, you’ll employ various digital marketing tools like WordPress, Hootsuite, and SEO.  It may take more time than learning from others, but it can save some money and gain more experience as an individual marketer!

Take a Digital Marketing Course

Except for blogging the right way, taking a digital marketing course is the next best way to learn. There are many kinds of online or offline digital marketing courses to choose from, select what you’re interested in the most. The biggest benefit of taking a paid digital marketing course is learning from experienced marketers, and avoiding rookie mistakes from the beginning and so much more time-efficient! Usually, at the end of the course, you’ll be able to get a certificate or diploma, which will be a big plus on your resume. 

Watch YouTube videos and Read online Articles

YouTube is now the biggest video platform online, it allows individuals to post all sorts of videos and channels. Simply search digital marketing, there will be thousands of YouTubers talking about digital marketing. A successful YouTuber with a lot of views is also a successful digital marketer. Also, reading online articles like blogs or journals is another way to learn digital marketing. Many universities or official accounts post blogs and articles online to share their successful experience and courses. However, online materials are usually very limited and have no real-world experience. 

Follow Influencers on Social Media

Influencers and digital marketing experts are usually very active on social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter or Tiktok. They tend to post constantly in order to gain more views and followers. Following an influencer in your fields, you might learn their posting pattern and content or hashtags they use. Moreover, a lot of institutes and marketing professionals have social media accounts, directly studying their content can be very helpful for your future content. 

Create Career College Program:

In Create Career College, we offer Online marketing and Digital Marketing courses that aim to provide students with a solid foundation to grow their professional and academic careers in the new era of online and digital marketing and opening new doors to a wide variety of opportunities in the exciting field of marketing. This program combines practical hands-on coursework with the theoretical knowledge necessary to succeed in the digital marketing team. CCCcollege students will be taught general marketing and business concepts, developing practical and technical skill sets based on the current standards of the digital marketing industry. 

Online marketing is a complex and ever-changing field and rapidly expanding with the emergence of new trends, opportunities, and technologies. Students will not only be prepared to adapt to this field as it continues to grow and develop but will be able to specialize and develop their skill sets as they progress in their careers. 

Career opportunities upon graduation:

The graduates of the CCCcollege Online Marketing Diploma program could seek career opportunities in a variety of companies and organizations that want to provide products, services and connect with their clients and stakeholders through online and digital platforms. Some of these opportunities may include:

• Search engine optimization expert
• Social media marketing 
• Digital Marketer
• Digital content creator
• Content writer
• Online Ads manager

Learning Objective

Upon the completion of this program, students will be able to demonstrate reliable knowledge and skills such as:

• Describe the online and digital marketing environment and opportunities for various industries and businesses
• Develop a solid digital marketing strategic plan for organizations from start-ups to complex businesses
• Conduct thorough market research for products and services
• Identify the right platform for online advertising
• Create a suitable social media marketing plan following a market research
• Identify and develop online ads based on the business goals and target market
• Utilize online marketing technologies such as SEO, Ad campaigns, Google and Bing analytics
• Set up marketing platforms on popular platforms such as Google, Bing, and Facebook

Method of Instruction

Now we offer online programs or blended! CCCcollege Digital Marketing course is a combination of instructor-led lectures, supervised labs, guest speakers, case studies, presentations, online reading, and quiz participation.

Online delivery will utilize Canvas (Learning Management System) to host lectures, assign homework, start a discussion, and monitor attendance with the built-in “Attendance” function. The institution will host a 1-hour training session for the instructors. As well as a separate training session for students. For additional support, instructors and students can contact our IT staff for technical support. 

Courses

Introduction to Digital Marketing:

The Intro to Digital Marketing course introduces students to the essentials of marketing through a variety of digital and online platforms. Students will plan and discuss strategies that can help organizations be competitive in today’s online environment. Key areas in this course include web audit and web analysis, social media marketing, search engine optimization, e-mail marketing, and mobile marketing. 

COM100 Communication for Technology:

This course equips students with practical business communication techniques for various operational stages, such as planning, organizing, selecting, writing,  and presenting information in the Tech Industry. Students will be taught how to prepare routine memos, proposals, emails,  presentations, cover letters, and resumes, submit requests, and format proper replies. 

MKT205 Online Marketing Platforms:

This course will provide the essential knowledge and skills for students to understand two of the popular marketing platforms;  Google and Bing. Through this course, students will learn about how to start an advertising campaign on Google and Bing marketing platforms, their strengths and weaknesses, and the tools and mediums they offer.

MKT304 Social Media for Marketing:

Several popular social media platforms exist with billions of users worldwide. This course introduces the most popular social media platforms for marketing and discusses the features and strengths of each platform. Students will learn more about social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, and  Linkedin, and how these applications and platforms could be used to influence potential customers for businesses purposes. Students will explore the tools and tactics for advertising on social media platforms and will practice making effective ads for social media.

MKT300/401 Search Engine Optimization:

This course provides foundational knowledge for students to learn about Search Engine Optimization and the process of how to improve online exposure for websites. Throughout this course, students will learn how implementing SEO tactics across the pages of a business’ sites could improve the online visibility of the business in search engine result pages based on organic searches done by users, and practice implementing these skills. Moreover, students will use tools such as Google Analytics to collect data and measure the effectiveness of SEO tactics, as well as practicing the basics of the google ads network.

MKT403 Streaming Platforms in Advertising:

Streaming platforms play a huge role in online entertainment and provide a great opportunity for marketers. This course will introduce several popular streaming platforms such as YouTube,  Twitch, Vimeo, and others, and demonstrate to students how these platforms could be used in online marketing.  In this course, students explore each of these platforms and analyze user traffic, viewership, communications, and sharing options. In addition, students will work collaboratively in teams to conduct thorough research in identifying an appropriate streaming platform for online marketing, and prepare and present an online marketing plan designed for streaming platforms.

Capstone Project:

In this project, students are required to carry out a major marketing project under the supervision of an instructor assigned by the institution. Students will explore several marketing projects provided by actual businesses and organizations across a variety of industries. Under the guidance of a capstone course instructor, students will select a  project to work on, creating and developing a complete online marketing strategic plan.  

Throughout the duration of this course, students will apply the online marketing skills they have acquired in this program to conduct research, analyze the business, the product, and target market, and identify what online marketing platforms should be used to effectively promote the business and the product.

For more information, visit: https://ccccollege.com/

Jobs in Digital Marketing Industry:

Content Managers & Strategist

As the name implies, content creators are mainly in charge of making content that attracts potential customers. A good content maker will keep posting blogs, or videos, articles consistently on a company’s or individual’s social media platforms. Moreover, they will follow the trend and adjusting content in a more aesthetically pleasing way.  The role of a content strategist is to ensure the attract more new users and bring leads to the company. A Content Strategist needs to manage the content posting schedule, word count, and SEO data as well. Content Creators and Content Strategists are usually working together in the digital marketing department, sometimes one person can do both.

Ads Manager

Ads managers are usually professionals in search engine marketing (SEM). and they are required to run a company’s campaign and advertising. Like all the other professions in digital marketing, ads managers need to be familiar with SEO and all the social media platforms that the company is related to. They need to be careful at which search engine and social media platform to choose from. Researching is also important for ads managers, targeting related keywords and finding the best way to display ads on social media platforms.  A good ads manager will also manage the company’s advertising budget, ensuring that the company gets the best return out of ads. 

SEO Specialist

Generally speaking, an SEO specialist’s job is to set up a company’s website that people are easy to find when they search for related terms. SEO specialists are required to have experience on how to set keywords and track online searching data. Usually, SEO specialist needs to be familiar with Google Analytics and Google Search Console, they should focus on creating content that meets SEO requirement.

Social Media Manager

In Canada, Social Media Managers are usually called digital marketing specialists or digital marketing coordinators, or directors. However, these jobs share similar titles may have different job properties. Social Media Manager may work closely with website designers, influencers, or any kind of content creators. Sharing and promoting content is the most important job for a social media manager. Being a social media manager, utilizing social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube are essential for the job,  but the workload is more than just checking posts. 

Job Duties and Environment:

In general, all digital marketers need to analyze digital data and set keywords for content. So, SEO skills and analytical skills are required for all digital marketers. Social media platforms and search engines are a big part of digital marketers’ jobs, including tracking social media view count, comments, and search engine leads. Moreover, another daily duty for digital marketers is customer relationships management, for instance, answering customers’ questions and promoting your services. Monitoring customer behaviors and discovering potential users might be required from the company as well. 

Online marketers usually work in various industries since all the information is depending on the internet now. Some freelance, individual marketers are self-employed, could easily work from home. Some digital marketers are influencers, which are flexible and choose their own working environment or working with companies. Smaller businesses are more dependent on digital marketers, a good digital marketer could save a company. Some digital marketers may work in big, multinational firms. In conclusion, digital marketers have the potential to work in almost every industry and choose from various working atmospheres.

Is Digital Marketing a high pay job?

It is really hard to say how much a digital marketer makes. From data on Indeed, a digital marketer’s average base salary is $51,641 per year in Vancouver, BC. An entry-level digital marketer could earn from $18 to 30$ hourly. 

References:

Manifest, T. (2019, March 21). 95% of small businesses will increase their digital marketing spending in 2019, according to new… Medium. Retrieved September 15, 2021, from https://medium.com/@the_manifest/95-of-small-businesses-will-increase-their-digital-marketing-spending-in-2019-according-to-new-a0714b4013c6.

Salman.Aslam.Mughal. (2021, August 6). 160+ Digital Marketing Statistics of 2021: Trend, data, and Fun Facts. 160+ Digital Marketing Statistics of 2021: Trend, Data, and Fun Facts. Retrieved September 15, 2021, from https://www.omnicoreagency.com/digital-marketing-statistics/.