Marketing professionals know that things rarely ever stay the same. Whether you’re a PR practitioner, community manager, or SEO guru, change is the engine that drives the digital marketing industry.
Being a professional in the digital marketing world can be likened to the movie 50 First Dates. Every day you learn new things; even master them, and the next day you may find that what you learned suddenly doesn’t mean anything anymore. It’s as if you never learned those things in the first place. However, you’re not necessarily forgetting what you learned, but rather platforms, best practices and technology are just changing before your eyes and forcing you to adapt.
Anyone who subscribes to any of the major social media or marketing websites like Mashable, Social Media Today, HubSpot, etc. can tell you that browsing new stories every morning can be daunting. Headlines like “Facebook introduces new Edge Rank..,” “Twitter implements new security measures…” and “Google Panda Update: How it will effect your SEO tactics…” are an almost daily occurrence. Just when you thought your great new social media or keyword research strategy was ready to go live, something changed, forcing you to get back to work and rethink your next move. I’m not saying this always happens, but it is something we all have to be aware of.
Digital Marketing Survival Guide
As a professional in the digital marketing space, one of the unlisted bullet points of your job description is staying ahead of the curve by adapting, evolving, and growing with the constant change. I like to call this “rolling with the punches.” With the help of a great team beside you, change can be met with open arms. After all, you’re all in it together. Here are a few tips to help prevent change from derailing your ongoing campaigns:
- Stay Organized There are few things quite as important as organization. This is the foundation of success. If you can’t find what you’re working on or looking for, you will have a hard time staying up-to-date with the changing landscape of digital marketing.
- Subscribe I mentioned a few popular websites above. These and others are some of the most highly regarded industry resources. Subscribe to them via email, Google Alerts, or an RSS reader. (Google Reader is going to cease to exist on July 1, but here are a few alternatives.)
- Be Ready to Adapt A lot of changes are unpopular when first rolled out (i.e. Facebook timeline). Be ready to adapt your brand’s image and messaging as necessary, but remember to do what’s best for your client or brand.
- Be Open Soak in as much knowledge as possible. Take advantage of free webinars, Twitter chats and Google+ Hangouts. The digital space is a progressive meeting place where people share tons of information. Remember, good info can come from anywhere.
- Don’t Be Afraid To Fail Play on the strengths of your brand or client, and try something new. There are always going to be major influencers and trendsetters (i.e. Oreo’s Super Bowl tweet), but focus on what sets your brand apart from the competition.
Running an integrated marketing campaign is like maintaining a machine with many moving parts. When you throw in the fact that the parts are constantly becoming outdated and in need of replacement, it makes an already difficult task a little bit more challenging. That’s what most, if not all, digital marketing professionals will tell you they love most about their job – being challenged by making waves and getting results in a space that is always changing.
How do you keep up with the digital world? Share your comments with us below, Tweet @lotus823 or connect with us on Facebook.