Make hay while digital sun shines

Gaurav Vohra

 

 

Digital marketing has developed over the years and has come to include platforms such as websites, e-mail, text messaging, apps and social networks. Online or digital advertising which is a key component of any digital marketing strategy, is expected to increase to Rs3,575 crore this March from Rs2,750 crore last year (out of the total ad revenue of Rs35,000 crore) according to the latest ‘Digital Advertising in India’ report by the IAMAI and IMRB. Of this, the report further points out ad spending on mobile devices was the fastest growing component annually growing at 46 per cent (Rs385 crore last March). The internet’s share in total advertising revenue is expected to double from eight per cent in 2013 to 16 per cent in 2018, says a CII and PwC report.

Further, the Indian e-commerce landscape has been expanding by the day reaching millions of users which substantiates the fact that the digital marketing industry has tremendous career prospects. According to PwC, the size of e-retail industry in India is poised to grow to $10 to 20 billion by 2017-2020. The Indian e-commerce market is set to grow the fastest within the Asia-Pacific Region at a CAGR of over 57 per cent between 2012-16. Besides, the growth of internet usage in India is inviting the attention of global brands and altering how Indian firms are marketing themselves.

In parallel, M&As around digital marketing are seen in the market. Last month, Cognizant acquired Cadient Group, a full-service digital marketing to further strengthen its digital marketing capabilities. And a few days ago, the third largest advertising agency in the world, Publicis, announced its acquisition of Sapient for $3.7 billion. Consumer companies are increasing their spend on digital marketing which has led to a spurt in M&As in this sector. Godrej Consumer Products Ltd which spent just four per cent of its total ad revenues on digital in 2013 has announced it is increasing its digital spends by 40 per cent. Consumer electronics companies, LG and Samsung, are reported to be spending about eight to ten per cent of their overall advertising budgets on digital.

In sectors like telecom, retail, FMCG, consumers leave behind a huge trail of data in digital channels. The evolving customer behaviour is compelling change for businesses today and it has become easier for organisations to analyse more business data than before with the help of cloud computing. Companies need analytics now as it helps in extracting meaningful insights and makes procedures more strategic to the business. The key to a successful digital marketing campaign lies in extracting value from big data to make the right decisions in real time. Analytics is applicable across sectors as well as in our daily lives. Be it the growing trend of fitness apps, hiring decisions or buying opinion, it plays a very important role.

Skill set

Digital marketing requires skills like analytics, mobile marketing, email marketing, content marketing, social media, client management service, etc. With companies engaging consumers via different digital channels for promotions and marketing, the demand for digital marketing professionals is on the rise. Some of the key positions in the field of digital marketing are Analytics Manager, Digital Marketing Manager, Search Manager, E-commerce Manager, Web Developer and Social Media Manager.

Opportunities

With the digitisation of marketing, companies are looking to hire marketing students who understand the new landscape. According to Manipal Global Education, about 1.5 lakh jobs are expected to be created in the digital marketing space by 2016. As many as 25,000 jobs were available this year at the fresher and experienced levels.

However, the lack of trained manpower with the knowledge of right tools and applications remains the big challenge. A survey by Online Marketing Institute (OMI) carried across 750 organisations that deploy digital marketing talent, revealed that a mere 39 per cent believe that their employees have stronger analytical skills than employees in other organisations. The results showed that 76 per cent of large enterprises believed that analytics is a key skill for digital marketing positions.

To add to the industry woes, conventional educational institutions are not equipped to train marketing students in digital. This is where online schools providing training in digital marketing and analytics have stepped in and are looking to fill the void.

Job profiles and role

The common job profiles associated with digital marketing are:

• Digital Account Manager
• Social Media Manager
• E-commerce Manager
• SEO Analysts
• Affiliate marketing specialists
• Email and SMS marketing specialists
• Content Marketing specialist
• PPC Manager

The job role for every designation is quite different. A Digital Account Manager will have to work on market research, build up links with clients, combine digital marketing with traditional marketing, monitor the success of marketing campaigns and develop new marketing strategies. 

SEO Analysts will mainly have to deal with the technical side of digital marketing i.e. find ways to increase the number of “hits”. They will work to improve the Google ranking of their website and ensure that the content uploaded in the website is up-to-date and correct and all the links and pictures are labelled and have description.

E-mail and SMS marketers will use e-mails and SMS to reach a huge audience easily.

Content marketing specialists attract and retain customers by creating relevant content. This content is then marketed on various social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc.

PPC is another tool in

the field of digital marketing where advertisers pay the publisher, mainly a website owner, when their ad is clicked.

— The writer is CEO, Jigsaw Academy

Courses and institutes

• Delhi School of Internet marketing
• IAMAI Mumbai
• NIIT
• Jigsaw Academy
• Digital Vidya
• IMRI Bangalore

Most of these courses are quite comprehensive and cover topics like:

• Introduction to Digital Marketing
• Search Engine Optimisation
• Pay Per Click or SEM
• E-mail Marketing
• Digital Display Marketing
• Mobile Marketing
• Social Media Marketing 1 & 2
• Website Analytics
• Planning Integrated Digital Marketing Campaigns
• Mixbound Marketing
• Content Marketing advanced
• Google Adwords/Google Analytics
• Social media Organic & Paid
• Online Reputation Management
• Split Testing & CRO

Also, there are more specialised courses like Search Engine Marketing, SEO marketing and Email marketing.

Salary

• Rs5 to 10 lakh with two to five years of experience
• Rs 12 to 20 lakh with five to 10 years of experience.