Okay, hear me out.
You probably want to know more about digital marketing and how you can start but let me start first with this;
I recently read a book of The Almanack of Naval Ravikant and there’s this one particular topic that intrigued me called, Find a Position of Leverage.
Basically, there are 3 broad classes of leverage:
p/s: I’m not going into super details here, you can read more about it in the book and click the link above.
One form of leverage is labor— other humans working for you
Money is good as a form of leverage. Capital is a trickier form of leverage to use.
The final form of leverage is brand new—the most democratic form. It is: “products with no marginal cost of replication.”
This includes books, media, movies, and code.
Forget rich versus poor, white-collar versus blue. It’s now leveraged versus un-leveraged.
And this brings me to Digital Marketing skills.
I truly believe if you can become an expert or a specialist in any digital marketing skills, you can leverage that skills and basically create a path toward financial freedom.
Interesting huh? Oh let’s get to it!
Introduction: What is Digital Marketing and What Skills Are Needed?
Let’s face it, we’re living constantly in the digital world. We consume content, search for information, look for relationships, and research new recipes – all on the digital platform.
This is why digital marketing has become increasingly in demand. The importance of promoting one’s product or service amidst a crowded digital landscape has never been greater.
Digital Marketing basically refers to the promotion of products or services through digital channels such as search engines, websites, social media, email, mobile apps, and other digital media.
Skills needed in digital marketing include:
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Content Marketing
- Social Media Marketing
- Email Marketing
- Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising
- Mobile Marketing
- Web Analytics
- Web Design & Development
- Video and Visual Content Creation
- Data Analysis and Interpretation
- Strategic Planning and Execution
In addition to technical skills, soft skills such as strong communication, creativity, and collaboration are also important in digital marketing.
Understanding the Different Types of Digital Marketing Careers
There are various types of digital marketing jobs available, some of the common ones include:
| Types of Digital Marketing Jobs | Job Responsibilities | Suggested Tools |
| Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Specialist | Responsible for optimizing a company’s website to rank higher in search engine results. | 1. Ahrefs 2. Google Search Console 3. SEMRush |
| Content Marketing Manager | Responsible for creating, managing, and distributing content to attract and engage target audiences. | 1. Google Trend 2. Google Docs 3. Ubersuggest |
| Social Media Manager | Responsible for managing a company’s social media presence and creating strategies to build the brand’s online reputation. | 1. Buffer 2. Canva 3. Later |
| Email Marketing Specialist | Responsible for creating and executing email marketing campaigns to promote products or services and maintain customer relationships. | 1. Sender 2. Sendinblue 3. Mailerlite |
| Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Specialist | Responsible for tracking, analyzing, and reporting website data to help improve a company’s online marketing strategies. | 1. Google Ads 2. Meta Ads |
| Web Analytics Specialist | Responsible for tracking, analyzing and reporting website data to help improve a company’s online marketing strategies. | 1. Google Analytics 2. Hotjar |
| Digital Marketing Manager | Responsible for overseeing the development and execution of a company’s digital marketing strategy. | 1. Marketing Automation 2. AI Marketing Tools |
| E-Commerce Marketing Manager | Responsible for promoting a company’s products and services through various digital channels to drive online sales. | 1. Shopify 2. Klaviyo |
In terms of career paths, a digital marketer can start in a specialist role and advance to a management position.
They can also specialize in a specific area of digital marketing, such as SEO or PPC advertising, and become an expert in that field.
Additionally, digital marketers can cross over into related fields such as marketing analytics or UX design.
With the continued growth of the digital marketing industry, there are ample opportunities for career advancement and development.
My personal advice:
Spend the first 5 years of your career developing base knowledge and marketing foundation.
After that, you can choose which channel you want to become an expert in or you can advance to more leadership roles like me. This is called the T-Shaped Marketer framework.
FYI, when you’re in a leadership role – you’ll no longer be doing the things you do very well. Most portion of your time will be spent in a management role (managing people) instead of a functional one.
What Education & Training Do You Need to Become a Digital Marketer?
Do you need proper training or certification to become a successful digital marketer?
My short answer: YES. Here’s why:
I started learning about Digital Marketing course around 2016 and it’s been upgraded ever since. Before that, I was a Marketing Executive in an e-commerce start-up where basically I had to do, well everything. Sound familiar?
I’m not complaining though. I was lucky I have the opportunity to learn (and make many mistakes) along the way from uploading products into an e-commerce store and updating content on our Facebook page every day to closing sales via Whatsapp. Basically, I’ve learned how to build and run a commerce business from 0.
But after a while, I feel stuck and start looking at what else I can learn. Then opportunity arise when I saw a post about Digital Marketing Course by MaGIC Malaysia. Back then, only a handful of people knew about Digital Marketing, especially in Malaysia.
Something tells me if I didn’t do anything about it, I would regret it later. Luckily I pass the entry exam. Fuh…
The course took me about 6 months and it was a very memorable experience for me mainly because it was been held during Ramadan month. So I had to make a lot of sacrifices. After finishing up with work, I went to have an iftar at the near mosque and straight to the class. Overall, it was one of the best career moves I’ve made in my entire life.
And you should do it too. Trust me it would be totally worth it.
Not sure how to start, I’ve made a thread about it here:
One last thing:
If you want to explore new opportunities in marketing or are feeling stuck in your current role, give Drop Resume by MauKerja a try!
- Just upload your resume and let the AI match you with job openings.
- If there’s a match, the hiring manager will contact you directly.
- Check it out here: bit.ly/DropResumeArinah
I hope you find this article helpful.
My name is Arinah, based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia I’ve been involved in marketing and branding since 2013 at IMAN Media Group Sdn. Bhd.
Throughout the years, I have collected many tips and errors along the way. I also lead a multi-talented team and help turn a start-up company (5 figures a month) into a hyper-growth company (7 figures a month) in less than 5 years.
Now, I want to share this journey with you.
GREAT NEWS!
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p/s: Newsletter are written in Bahasa Melayu.
Hi, my name is Arinah. 