Breaking Down the Role of a Digital Marketing Strategist
As businesses continue to embrace digital marketing, the role of a digital marketing strategist becomes increasingly vital. This professional helps a company create and execute a successful online marketing strategy, which helps them grow their brand, reach new customers, and ultimately generate more revenue. But what exactly does a digital marketing strategist do? Let’s break down their role in detail.
Defining Digital Marketing Strategy
Before diving into the specifics of a digital marketing strategist’s duties, it’s essential to define digital marketing strategy. Such a plan goes beyond just posting a social media update or optimizing a website for search engines. Instead, digital marketing strategy refers to a comprehensive plan that outlines how a company will use digital channels to achieve its marketing objectives. The strategist crafts this plan with input from various stakeholders, including marketing teams, sales teams, and product owners.
Roles and Responsibilities of a Digital Marketing Strategist
Digital marketing strategists work in various capacities, from self-employment to corporate marketing departments. However, their roles often overlap and generally include:
1. Research and Analysis
A good digital marketing strategist must keep track of the latest industry trends, emerging technologies, and customer behavioral changes. They research and analyze industry data, both quantitative and qualitative, to determine the most effective strategies for a business to achieve its marketing goals. They also conduct competitor analysis, identifying strengths and weaknesses, and develop strategies to stay ahead of the competition.
2. Planning and Execution
Based on research findings, digital marketing strategists come up with an overall digital marketing plan that aligns with the company’s broader marketing objectives. This plan includes actionable steps to attract consumers, drive more leads, and increase conversions. The digital marketing strategist must be comfortable with deploying multiple tactics/channels, including social media advertising, email marketing, search engine optimization, and more, to achieve their marketing goals.
3. Monitoring and Optimization
A digital marketing strategist closely monitors the performance of marketing channels, tracks customer engagement, and measures the overall effectiveness of the digital marketing strategy. They use data to optimize results, creating more effective calls to action, messaging, and ad targeting.
Digital Marketing Strategist Key Industry Skills
So, what sort of skills do digital marketing strategists require to be effective in their role? Here are a few critical ones:
1. Analytical Skills
Digital marketing strategists should be able to interpret data and translate it into actionable insights. They must possess research and analytical skills that allow them to identify trends and patterns in data and use this to inform marketing decisions.
2. Creativity and Innovation
Digital marketing strategists should be imaginative, able to come up with ideas that are unique and cut through the clutter. With digital marketing so commonplace today, standing out requires a combination of creative and innovative thinking.
3. Communication and Collaboration
Effective digital marketing strategists should be able to communicate their ideas clearly and concisely, translating technical jargon into terms that all stakeholders can understand. Collaborative skills are also essential, as they involve pulling together different teams and expertise to develop a cohesive strategy.
Conclusion
The role of a digital marketing strategist is crucial in today’s business environment. By researching and analyzing industry data, crafting actionable plans and deploying tactics/channels and closely monitoring results, these professionals help businesses achieve marketing objectives and increase revenue. To remain competitive, it’s essential for businesses to have a seasoned digital marketing strategist on their team to guide them in the ever-changing digital landscape.
