Getting into Digital MarketingSimone Castello - @simonecas

Digital Marketing Jobs

• Copywriter/s• Creative director• Web designer/developer• Social media• SEO/linkbuilding/analytics• PPC/advertising• Digital manager (strategy)• Localisation executive

EmploymentOR

Self-employment (freelance)

Qualifications: choose a relevant degree and/or train through the Chartered Institute of Marketing or other well-respected industry training scheme.

What can I do now? Start a blog and/or experiment with social media.

• Reach new customers & build loyalty to a brand

• Gain feedback on products • Show company’s personality • Establish authority • Improve search engine rankings (SEO)• Complement traditional marketing • Useful for customer service

Social Media for

business

Facebook originated in 2004 as a social network for recreational use. It has now been embraced by B2C businesses trying to ignite and boost engagement through giveaways, competitions and interactive discussions with prizes to incentivise participation. Stats:• 829 million daily active users on average in June 2014• 654 million mobile daily active users on average in June 2014• 1.32 billion monthly active users as of 30 June 2014•1.07 billion mobile monthly active users as of June 30, 2014• Approximately 81.7% of daily active users are outside US and Canada.

• Create a Business Page • Promote events• Promote sales, promotions and offers • Get feedback• Ask questions

Twitter has been since 2007, has 271 million monthly active users and isavailable in over 35 languages. It’s defined as a micro-blogging platform because of its text restriction to up to 140 characters. Some stats:• 500 million tweets are sent per day• 78% of Twitter active users are on mobile• 77% of accounts are outside the U.S.• At Twitter HQ, employees consume 1,440 hard boiled eggs weekly and drink 585 gallons of coffee per week.

• Create a Twitter profile • Follow business influencers,

celebrities and reporters• Build up your following by

offering/retweeting linksto good content

• Broadcast news, photos andvideos

• Use it for customer service

YouTube is the second largest search engine after Google. Launched in 2005, it currently boasts over 1 billion unique users each month. Online videos have moved from entertainment to education, including “How To” videos. It is used by mass media agencies to showcase TV adverts - a one-off, 30-second TV ad does not provide the same viral potential.

Some stats:• Over 6 billion hours of video are watched each month• 100 hours of video are uploaded every minute.

• Create a series of videos• Upload your videos and

embed them on yourwebsite

• Use keywords to categorise each video andplace a link to your website

• Spread your videos throughother Social Media channels

Launched in 2003, LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network online. It is a great platform for finding people, recruiting staff and discussing industry topics/trends. Some stats:• Over 313 million members in over 200 countries, available in 23 languages• 67% of LinkedIn members are located outside the U.S.• Over 39 million students and college graduates -its fastest-growing demographic• Over 3 million firms have Company Pages• Members are sharing insights and knowledge in over 2.1 million groups• In the second quarter of 2014, mobile accounted for 45% of unique visitors

• Create a company profile best for B2B

• Join groups and become involved in discussions

• Connect with specialist employers

• Ask and answer questions • Give and ask for

recommendations• Ask for introductions

Pinterest is a photo-sharing platform that allows users to create theme boards - each photo can be linked to a website/blog. Launched in 2010 as an invitation-only network, it is still free and now open to all, with a popular mobile version - think iPad and smartphones. With over 11 million users worldwide and a high percentage of female users (80%), this has been the fastest growing social network of them all. Not surprisingly - image searches are very popular online.

• Source or create stunningphotos that show off yourproduct/service

• Set up an account and groupphotos in theme boards• Link photos to a website or blog• Re-pin other users’ photos (thevisual equivalent of a retweet)• Gather existing users and ask them to post pictures• Launch a contest and inviteusers to post their best shots about your product/organisation

“Web logs or blogs as they are commonly known, are personal online diaries” [...]

“Nardi et al. (2004), as cited by Jansen et al. (2009), found five reasons why people choose to blog:• documenting their lives• providing commentary and opinions• expressing deeply held emotions• articulating ideas through writing• forming and maintaining communities.” [...]

Other reasons: psychological issues (self-esteem), getting feedback, DIY publishing platform, business (marketing).

Source: Chris Fill, Marketing Communications

Blogging

Think about what you want to blog about: pets, a hobby, personal views, an online diary, etc. If you want to build a readership, it’s best to stick to one subject. If you have too many ideas or interests for one blog, consider starting two (or more!). You can use your own photos or do a search for Creative Commons photos.

A blog isa great learning tool to build confidence with digital platforms and might provide you with a content portfolio (photos, articles and even videos) or even a product testing platform. Recommended platforms: Blogger and Wordpress.