How to Become a Digital Analyst

A Digital Analyst collects and interprets digital marketing data for a company or organization. Digital Analysts play a crucial role within an organization due to their background in both digital marketing strategies and data analytics, which they use to track and monitor the digital experience of customers and the performance of marketing campaigns across online platforms. While many Digital Analysts enter the field with a bachelor’s degree, you can also learn digital marketing and data analytics in online and live certificate programs or targeted bootcamps. 

What is a Digital Analyst?

A Digital Analyst collects and analyzes digital marketing data to aid a business in optimizing their digital performance and sales. Digital Analysts, also sometimes called Digital Marketing Analysts, are tasked with gathering and analyzing all manner of data from an organization’s various channels across websites, social media, applications, emails, and advertisements as it relates to who uses what digital asset and how, along with information about market saturation, trends, performance, and sales. Digital Analysts must analyze and make sense of this data to write reports, create dashboards, and generate presentations that communicate vital insights about an organization’s current digital performance and effectiveness, make predictions about future outcomes, and build strategies for more effective and competitive performance.

Many companies employ full-time and part-time Digital Analysts and it is also a career that one can do as a freelancer. Whether working singularly or with other Digital Analysts, this job has a unique role in analyzing a company’s data and preparing easy-to-understand reports for stakeholders and those from other departments and will need to communicate and work well with others in marketing, sales, and finance departments. Often, Digital Analysts will need to prepare reports daily, weekly, and/or monthly to communicate key insights into the customer’s digital experience and the effectiveness of the business’s current and future digital marketing strategies. As such, Digital Analysts need to have excellent communication and presentation skills, along with their ability to analyze detailed datasets and make predictions based on this information. 

Job Requirements

Key requirements for becoming a Digital Analyst are typically a bachelor’s degree in marketing, business, statistics, computer science, or a related field as well as several years of professional experience. Not only do employers want to see a solid educational foundation for this role but they also want to see that you have experience working with data and marketing in a business environment. Often, this will include proven experience using data analytics and visualization programs and services such as Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, Tableau, Power BI, and SQL. In addition, employers are often looking to see your knowledge of and experience with digital marketing and technologies, like knowledge of marketing strategies, advertising analytics, social media analytics, and SEO strategies. 

For this type of job, you will also need to have excellent communication skills. Employers are looking for someone who not only understands raw data but can translate that data into digestible and easy-to-understand insights for those in other departments and non-experts to understand, as well. Because of this, Digital Analysts need excellent written and visual communication skills as well as skills of creativity and problem-solving. A Digital Analyst will often work as part of both large and small teams, so interpersonal skills and the ability to collaborate well with others and adapt to different environments are also key to this job. 

Job Responsibilities

• Use tools like Google Analytics and Adobe Analytics to collect data and monitor the customer’s digital experience and the performance of the organization’s digital channels
• Use data visualization programs including Excel, Tableau, and Power BI to track data and generate graphs, dashboards, and presentations 
• Collaborate frequently with team members and those in other departments to assess data collection needs 
• Communicate data insights in daily, weekly, and/or monthly reports that are understandable to non-experts within the organization
• Contribute insights to strategies for raising brand awareness, growing digital audience, and optimizing how products or services are marketed or implemented 
• Research and identify marketing trends to remain competitive across digital marketing campaigns 

Skills

There are a variety of skills that Digital Analysts will need to use on a daily or weekly basis to achieve success. All of these take time to learn and some of them require becoming familiar with both paid and free services and software. Keep in mind that if you work for a larger organization, they will likely pay any subscription fees for particular services, but if you work freelance you might bear the burden of the full cost for these products. In addition, certain organizations might have proprietary in-house software or programs that you will need to become familiar with as part of the job. 

Google Analytics and Adobe Analytics

Your job might require you to use one or more data analytics services to track, monitor, and create reports about the organization’s digital channels. Google Analytics is a free service offered by Google that is used by many in digital marketing to gain insight into the customer’s digital experience of websites and applications and how one’s digital products are performing. Adobe Analytics offers a similar ability to track and monitor the customer’s digital experience across different platforms and allows users of this service to generate customized reports based on their own needs. Unlike Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics is a subscription service with different price points based on access to different features. 

Tableau and Power BI

Most Digital Analysts will need to be familiar with data visualization software Tableau and Microsoft Power BI. Both of these interactive products are considered business intelligence (BI) tools. Tableau and Power BI will help Digital Analysts model their organization’s data using graphs, charts, maps, dashboards, and presentations and make it easier to share key insights with their colleagues. These are different subscription services with variable price points for access to different features. 

Digital Marketing Strategies

Along with analytics and data visualization tools, Digital Analysts need to have an understanding of digital marketing and advertising. This is one of the main skills that sets a Digital Analyst apart from a general Data Analyst. Digital Analysts need to know marketing strategies and contemporary trends across different social media platforms (such as TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, and so on), email, and blogs, have a handle on effective SEO strategies, and need to have familiarity with pay-per-click advertising and the different ways to advertise on different websites and platforms.

Strong Communication Skills

Employers look for a Digital Analyst with strong communication skills in both written and visual media forms. Digital Analysts need to be able to talk to non-experts and communicate important insights they have gleaned from the data they are collecting. Communication skills are put to the test as one of the main daily, weekly, and monthly tasks for a Digital Analyst is creating reports to update managers and those in other departments about the customer’s digital experience and current market trends as well as to make projections and propose strategies for future marketing campaigns. 

Why Do Businesses Need Digital Analysts?

Digital Analysts have an important role to play at a company or organization. Due to a Digital Analyst’s familiarity with raw data, they might be the only person or one of the few people within the company who can understand complex data analytics. One of the key roles of the Digital Analyst is to collect digital data and then translate it for those in other departments to aid a company’s marketing campaigns and online promotional strategies. Thus, Digital Analysts will often directly contribute to digital sales and marketing strategies and make sure that the organization they work for stays on trend and up-to-date with the most competitive digital marketing strategies. 

Where Do Digital Analysts Usually Work?

You can find Digital Analysts in most sectors of the economy, including working for companies that specialize in retail, healthcare, education, and non-profit work. Any industry that relies on using the internet to communicate, raise awareness of their brand, and conduct sales will need a Digital Analyst to do marketing and data analysis work. It is common for Digital Analysts to find jobs with legacy retail and communication brands (those that had or have a foothold in their markets before the digital revolution) and also those companies and organizations that started in the digital space only. 

Most Digital Analysts will work for a company or organization, as a singular Digital Analyst or as part of a team of Digital and Marketing Analysts. Larger companies will have different departments for marketing, finance, and so on, and Digital Analysts will need to be able to speak to those in these other departments and communicate their findings as well as collaborate on strategies to enhance the organization’s performance and competitive nature. Digital Analysts can also work remotely and take on project-based jobs as freelancers, so there can be more flexibility in how many hours one works and where one works. Freelance Digital Analysts often work for multiple clients and on projects such as aiding a specific marketing campaign, assessing the client’s SEO strategies, or managing their digital advertising on a specific platform.

Digital Analyst Salary and Job Outlook

Digital Analysts are currently in demand in many different sectors due to their knowledge of both marketing and advertising strategy and their ability to read and analyze complex data. According to Glassdoor, the median salary for a Digital Analyst in the United States is about $72,000 and many Digital Analysts can expect to earn more in bonuses and commissions. While entry-level positions may start with a lower salary, one can expect their salary to grow as they gain more experience and knowledge of the field. The Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that many sectors rely on data and analytics. They project that jobs using, creating, and analyzing data will grow faster than the average job growth rate in the United States. This means that Digital Analyst jobs should continue to be in demand as companies desire to grow their audience and sales on digital platforms. 

How Long Does it Take to Become a Digital Analyst?

Becoming a Digital Analyst often requires having a bachelor’s degree in marketing, business, statistics, or another related field and having proven experience working in business and data analysis for several years. Due to this, it can take four-to-six years to become a Digital Analyst, when considering the years of college or university education. Some smaller to mid-range organizations might not require a formal degree if you have relevant experience working with data and web analytics. Even this route will require you to show years of experience and a robust portfolio showing proven outcomes to get hired. 

Digital Analyst vs. Data Analyst

A Digital Analyst is a type of specialized Data Analyst. The main difference to remember between these similar-sounding careers is that Digital Analysts need to know about digital marketing and advertising while Data Analysts have more of an education in programming and coding. 

At the most basic level, a Data Analyst collects and interprets data, often to answer a question, solve a problem, or create more actionable outcomes for a certain business or organization. Like Digital Analysts, Data Analysts use similar tools of data visualization to create reports, dashboards, and charts to communicate their important findings in a more easy-to-understand way. Data Analysts are more likely to need to know how to code and program using R or Python and often have an educational background in computer science, mathematics, statistics, or even engineering. 

By contrast, Digital Analysts are frequently also known as Digital Marketing Analysts and will need to have a combined knowledge of data analytics and digital marketing strategies. Digital Analysts often have a background and education in marketing, advertising, and business and sometimes have a background in statistics, mathematics, and computer science which helps when learning to collect and analyze large datasets. Most Digital Analysts do not need to know programming languages though both Digital and Data Analysts often learn SQL, Structured Query Language, a language specific to sorting and finding data in large databases.

Learn the Skills to Become a Digital Analyst at Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop offers a variety of certificate programs and shorter, skills-based bootcamps to get you started on the pathway to becoming a Digital Analyst. To learn comprehensive digital marketing skills over a short period of time, consider pursuing Noble’s Digital Marketing Certificate program which can be taken in person in New York City or live online. During this program, you will learn the basic tenets of digital marketing across different platforms, including all major social media platforms, blogs, and email, as well as what you need to know about search engine optimization (SEO), how to track and analyze key performance data utilizing data analytics, and how to implement paid advertising. During this program, you will receive expert one-on-one mentoring as you work on real projects to improve your digital marketing skills. 

Additionally, Noble Desktop offers a complete Data Analytics Certificate program, which can be taken part-time or full-time, either live in New York City or remotely online from any location. This comprehensive, project-based certificate program teaches how to analyze and visualize data and includes units covering Excel, SQL, Python, and Tableau. The Data Analytics Certificate is a great option for someone who either needs training on how to interpret data as a Digital Analyst or someone looking to transition into more data analysis work. Similar to the Digital Marketing Certificate, you will receive expert instruction and mentoring during this course. 

If you are looking to learn specific skillsets quickly, consider taking a bootcamp. Bootcamps are a great option for those needing to upskill or quickly learn about a more specialized topic. Consider taking any of Noble’s marketing-related bootcamps, like those offered for individual social media platforms (TikTok Marketing, Instagram Marketing, Facebook Marketing, LinkedIn Marketing, and Social Media Marketing: Blogs and Twitter) and skills such as Content Marketing, Email Marketing, and Search Engine Optimization. 

Noble also offers a bootcamp to learn the basics of three important tools you will need for data analytics as a Digital Analyst, Microsoft Excel, SQL, and Tableau, in their Data Analytics Technologies Bootcamp. If you need to learn how to utilize just one or two of these tools, you can also take a bootcamp for each individually: Excel for Data Analytics, SQL Bookcamp, and Tableau Bootcamp. 

Key Takeaways

• A Digital Analyst collects and interprets data on the digital user experience and digital marketing strategies for businesses and organizations
• The work of a Digital Analyst includes tracking and monitoring digital performance data and sales across websites and applications, communicating key data insights to other departments and non-experts, and working to optimize a business’s marketing strategies
• Digital Analysts need to learn how to use various programs and services like Google Analytics, Tableau, and Power BI and have great communication skills and a knowledge of digital marketing strategies
• Digital Analysts usually work on teams for larger companies but can work freelance on a contract basis
• Data-related jobs are in-demand and the average median salary for a Digital Analyst in the U.S. is currently $72,000, not including tips, commissions, and bonuses
• Digital Analysts often have a bachelor’s degree and can supplement this with targeted instruction on specific skills or experience working in digital marketing
• You can receive comprehensive training to become a Digital Analyst in person or live online in Noble Desktop’s Digital Marketing Certificate program or receive more targeted instruction in a variety of Noble Desktop bootcamps on everything from Google Analytics and Tableau to marketing strategies for different social media platforms