Choosing Your Digital Marketer: 8 Qualities to Look For

Hiring a digital marketer is easy. But the hurdle is selecting the best out of the rest. The Internet is readily available today, making it possible for anyone to offer digital services. The availability of the internet makes admission requirements minimal to non-existent. Unfortunately, the minimal requirements make it nearly impossible to get the right digital marketer. Digital marketing is one of the dynamic and vibrant jobs since it has numerous fields and constantly evolves. 

You’ll notice there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to marketing. What works for one firm may not necessarily cut it for another. 

This one gets even more difficult for startups. For instance, they need marketing for brand visibility. But, they also need it for high-quality leads and to drive brand loyalty through digital engagement. 

Therefore, specializing in a marketing firm for startups will be the best fit for such a comprehensive marketing task.

Here are a few qualities that you need to look out for to help you select the right digital marketer. 

1. Specialization

Every business, like every digital marketer, is unique. You’ll notice different digital marketers are specialists in one or two areas. And they will always prefer to take up projects in their area of expertise.

So ensure you have clear goals on what you’re hoping to achieve with a digital marketer. This way, you’ll be on the right track to finding an ideal digital marketer. In addition, deciding to split their roles down could benefit you as an organization. 

Before deciding to work with one, ensure they thoroughly understand their profession. Choosing someone with minimal experience may negatively impact your brand. Moreover, it might be so expensive as you may need to train them using your resources. 

Work with experts in SEO and analytical skills if you’re looking to complete more complex tasks. You can decide to split them down into their goals, deliverables, and outcome. This is to avoid hiring a digital marketer with a basic understanding of SEO. 

2. Killer Data and Analytical Skills

Digital marketing is big on research and data. So any person working in this industry should be familiar with metrics and their interpretation. 

Digital marketing should ensure it constantly meets the company’s objectives. Therefore, a digital marketer needs to go above and beyond. It ensures the marketer discovers key performance indicators and measurements to show if they’re meeting objectives or not.

Besides, various elements influence marketing campaigns. Hence, resulting in a seemingly limitless amount of data. So it is significant to understand separate, distinct variables apart from identifying the keys to maximizing each marketing action.

3. Creativity

You’ll need more than essential technical abilities. Having the “spark” that develops memorable advertisements is crucial too.  

There is only one way to achieve digital marketing success. But, first, win your audience’s attention from the competitors. This is critical because customers have divided attention, especially in social media. 

So, a savvy digital marketer should think outside the box. They should develop innovative and unique ways of communication and problem-solving.

4. Size of Their Portfolio and a List from the Previous Clients

Every digital marketer prides on the work they do and their clientele base. Besides, they will publicize their partnerships for potential clients to see. 

Knowing the past clients isn’t necessary. But it is a bonus if you’re familiar with them. On the other hand, they’re probably still new if their past work or clientele aren’t discoverable.

But if you’re working on a tight budget, you should give them a try. However, don’t engage a digital marketer with minimal to zero experience if you’re looking for an industry expert. 

Also, you should understand one thing. SEO or content marketing services are challenging to display in a portfolio. So, a digital marketer specializing in content marketing may not display their work in a portfolio. But having a list of previous clients is a good indicator of their work experience. 

Note: Ensure you can see a well-organized portfolio of their work for services such as a website or graphic design. Always look for a service provider with a portfolio or experience that meets your needs.

5. Social Proof and a Solid Industry Reputation

Another quality that can provide valuable insights on a digital marketer is testimonials and prior client evaluations. Most savvy marketers recognize the value of sharing a social proof on their websites. 

Any digital marketer with no testimonials is a red flag since they may not have past clients. Besides, you may find out they don’t understand the digital marketing industry as you’d wish. 

Also, be keen on the ratings and reviews. Unlike good reviews and ratings, the negative ratings will shed light on areas a marketer struggles with. 

Moreover, Google is a perfect place to look for in-depth reviews about marketers from their past clients.

6. Team Player

Naturally, marketers are team players, and rarely will you find one working on their own. Therefore, regardless of the organization’s size, they need to have a cohesive work relationship. 

To effectively deliver on their objectives, they have to collaborate with the other departments in an organization. Coordination and collaboration are vital if the marketing department is relatively broad. First, they must coordinate with different audiovisual, SEO/SEM, and content marketing divisions.

7. Great Communication Skills of Digital Marketer

One of the unique goals for a digital marketer is to bridge the gap between the consumer and business. But, first, they need to understand a brand’s target audience for effective interaction.

In addition, the digital marketer is also responsible for keeping the brand’s tone consistent. And conveying clarity and honesty at all times. So often, brands suffer reputation downfall due to lack of communication. 

A strong marketer has excellent communication skills. They excel in sharing campaign results, explaining new strategies, or giving well-documented presentations. 

Being a good marketer boils down to your communication efficiency with clients and within your team. 

8. An Appealing Website

The Internet is quickly becoming more popular. And a website is the first gateway that defines how people feel about your brand. 

Most savvy digital marketers understand why a well-designed website is vital for their success. The design of their website should give you a clear understanding of their seriousness with digital marketing.

Naturally, people can only offer what they can afford. So you shouldn’t expect much from a marketer whose website is not done well. 

Do they specialize in development services or web design? Then the quality of their website content should meet the industry’s standards. 

The first step is to look at their website and obey your inner gut. If the digital marketer’s website appears low-quality, look for hiring a digital marketer with an eye for detail instead.

Conclusion on Hiring a Digital Marketer

Whether you’re a startup or a seasoned brand, you should think about hiring digital marketer. But selecting the right person for your digital marketing can be an uphill task. 

That’s understandable given the ever-increasing numbers of digital marketers due to internet availability. 

Digital marketing remains dynamic due to the ever-changing search engine algorithms and marketing methods. Therefore, you need to be careful when choosing your digital marketer to achieve your business goals. Before deciding on the right digital marketer, ensure you understand the top qualities of an effective marketer. 

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