The short answer is yes only if you understand what digital in marketing means for the business, what it means for yourself and not just for the job. The mistake we make when applying for or being in marketing jobs is that we tend to get fixated with certain buzz words on a Job Description (JD) and even on a designation. This results in us forgetting what the purpose of marketing is and where digital falls in that domain.
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This article is written by Sean Loke - Senior Consultant, Digital & Technology. He has 8 years of both public and private experience in technology, hospitality and marketing. He also led cross functional teams and also successfully individually pitched to global, regional and local brands across corporate, institutional and consumer organisation. Not only that, he account managed staff of all levels from SMEs, Governments to MNCs.
To begin, digital can be defined as:
- A channel (Social media, mobile and the web combined)
- A way of working (A Digital nomad)
- A way of life (Living with devices that are non-analog in nature)
- A type of technology (That generates, stores and processes data)
- A way of thinking (Incorporating technology in making things more efficient)
By understanding what digital means in different contexts could highlight the difference between someone who is simply just stuck in the “cloud” (pun intended) and someone who truly can make a difference on the “ground”. The below are some top-line thoughts on how you can approach “Digital” in a role or when interviewing for jobs.
The Business Imperative of Digital in the Role
What is the purpose of digital?
Coming from a background in branding, I adhere to the belief that there is no such thing as a brand challenge, there exists only a business challenge. Using the same train of thought, we need to go back to first principles and understand why digital in the first place.
- What gap is it trying to solve?
- How does it integrate commercially into the business?
- How does it complement other parts of the business?
Digital is only as relevant when it is able to commercially integrate itself into the larger marketing strategy. Keep this in mind when you go into a conversation or into an interview. Link it back to the broader commercial objective then funnel it down.
From being in the Cloud to being on the Ground
Now since we got the larger “why” of digital answered, lets address the “what”.
It is one thing to know what digital means and it’s another to use the tools that creates and measure what it means to be digital.
- On top of jargons, a good marketing manager can also lead an online campaign and track it.
- Employers prefer managers who can roll up their sleeves to be responsive to live campaigns as well as also teaching/mentoring others to do the same as a campaign goes round the clock.
- Not knowing is no longer acceptable. We have online courses to learn what it means to be digital (Google Squared Online, Facebook Blueprint, Google Analytics or AWS Cloud Practitioner)
An appreciation of what your tools can or cannot do will help you decide upfront what you can or cannot build for the business.
Digital in Moderation
So “how” does being digital help me in my marketing career? The answer is to not be siloed into just doing digital.
- Be curious about other areas of marketing. Like the brand strategy, the customer journey, the on-ground consumer behavior, the print ads and so on. Leverage on the above to decide how digital could be applied not just in your campaigns but how it could be a value add to all other forms of marketing done so far.
- Generally, digital marketing managers often has to transit into an integrated marketing role before going up through the ranks. An understanding of the above will elevate and prime you to more strategic high-level advisory roles in the future.
In conclusion, the aspiration is to lead the marketing efforts in its totality and not just heading a channel. Ultimately the goal of marketing is not just about being differentiated, it is about being both differentiated and relevant. That often requires you to think marketing first and digital second.
