Did you know that by 2030, more than 230 million jobs in Africa will require digital skills, according to the International Finance Corporation? With the various technological developments occurring in today’s digital age, this will naturally have an impact on the way that African businesses operate and in turn, professionals will need to have the right digital skills to keep up.
More than that, it is these digital skills that will give professionals a competitive advantage while ensuring success. Let’s unpack how digital learning can lead to the success of a marketer by being equipped with the necessary skills to excel in these digital times.
Why the need for digital skills?
The world as we know it has been heavily transformed due to technology, and for marketers, this shift towards tech has greatly influenced the customer journey and how consumers make purchasing decisions. Remember the days when good old marketing and advertising was done via print, radio and television channels? Well, that is a thing of the past as the way that content is being consumed has significantly changed due to technological advancements.
Nowadays, marketers need to go where their target audience is – online. If marketers want to truly connect with their target audience today, they will require the necessary skills to effectively help them increase engagement, boost brand awareness, generate leads and move customers along the sales funnel. Achieving this is easier said than done, but it can be done by acquiring digital skills such as email marketing, SEO and SEM, social media marketing, and more.
To add onto connecting with your target audience, marketers are increasingly seeing the need to utilise social selling as a skill. Because you will find your customers online – particularly social media – marketers find themselves needing to have a complete understanding of social media platforms and how their customers exist and engage on each platform, and in turn, how to use social selling to engage with them. This digital skill can really set marketers apart because of how social selling is about leveraging your social networks to attract potential customers, build credibility and foster relationships.
Being empowered with skills for maximum potential
With ‘digital transformation’ being quite the buzzword in the marketing world as of late, businesses should think beyond just transforming their operations and processes; invest in transforming your marketers by empowering them with skills that will assist them in reaching their highest potential.
As mentioned by the World Economic Forum, it is important for Africa to be digitally connected and skilled in order to succeed and prosper. The same can be said for marketers needing to succeed in today’s digital world, and there is a great advantage in marketer’s taking the time to get empowered with the skills that will help them reach their maximum potential.
Having a credible digital marketing certification in your marketing toolbox will provide you with skills you need to navigate the digital world, stay ahead of your competition and gain a better understanding of your online audience. Moreover, with digital marketing being the future, marketers need to choose the right digital skills that will assist them in meeting their goals.
Gain new knowledge to be a modern marketer
“Knowledge is power” goes the age old saying, and it still rings true for the modern world today – especially if you are a marketer.
There is no doubt that digital has completely changed the way in which we work and operate today, and this is all the more reason for marketers to invest in gaining new knowledge to become a modern marketer. It really isn’t a case of simply knowing your way around simple work tools like Microsoft Office and the Google Suite, or having a basic understanding of how social media works. These days, marketers really do need to be highly skilled and armed with knowledge that can be used across a number of channels.
From campaign or content creation to measuring and tracking the right metrics, these are just some of the skills required for the modern marketer to succeed; luckily, there are digital learning platforms that can provide such skills for marketers looking to upskill themselves.
Get certified with Meltwater Academy
Whether you are well-versed in the digital marketing world or a marketer simply looking to upgrade your digital skill set, a marketing course or certification can provide you with the latest knowledge needed to help you take your marketing career to the next level.
As big believers in the power of education, Meltwater launched its very own digital learning platform called Meltwater Academy, where all marketing professionals have access to acquiring the skills needed to succeed in today’s digital age. With modern marketers needing to master a variety of different disciplines and technology platforms, the provision of a digital learning platform can help marketers to stay on top of the skills and technologies required to use in their roles. Moreover, Meltwater believes that formal training and certification can be the best way to address this skills gap while empowering professionals with the necessary skills needed to succeed – free of charge too.
