How Difficult is it to Learn Digital Marketing?

Are you curious about learning digital marketing but worried it might be too hard? Of course, the difficulty that comes with learning a new skill is somewhat subjective. The challenges of learning digital marketing depend on factors like how much you like to read and process new information, how much time you have to devote to study and practice, and how persistent you are.

No matter your current schedule or comfort level with Digital Marketing, here are some ideas to help make learning easier than you might think.

What is Digital Marketing?

Digital marketing uses online channels and tools to promote products and services. As the popularity of the internet continues to grow, digital marketing has become one of the most effective ways to publicize a business and help it succeed. Knowledge of digital marketing can be an asset to entrepreneurs and owners of businesses large and small, and many companies are hiring Digital Marketers to conduct research, build brand loyalty, and create community. Digital Marketers also analyze data collected from online marketing efforts to make a business more efficient and profitable.

Because it is based on data, digital marketing is highly targeted and measurable. With digital marketing, you can adapt and make changes in real-time to reflect your advertising. You can also create targeted ads to ensure products and services reach an interested audience.

Using analytics, you can quickly tell how many people see your ads, how they react, and what action they take. Measuring your success (and where you need to improve) can help overall strategy. Plus, digital marketing levels the playing field, allowing businesses of any size to compete for clicks. Additionally, there’s a low barrier to entry: you can start your paid digital marketing campaign for a minimum amount and build as the company grows.

Read more about what digital marketing is and why you should learn it.

What Can You Do with Digital Marketing?

Marketing has changed drastically since the advent of the internet. While early ways to promote a business included yellow page listings, print advertisements, and ads on buses and billboards, many marketing efforts have now moved online. With digital marketing, you can adapt and make changes in real-time to reflect your advertising. You can also create targeted ads to be sure your products and services reach an interested audience.

Digital marketing efforts are highly measurable. Using analytics, you can quickly tell how many people see your ads, how they react, and what action they take. Measuring your success (and where you need to improve) can help you develop your overall strategy. Plus, organic digital marketing levels the playing field, allowing businesses of any size to compete for clicks.

Additionally, there’s a low barrier to entry to advertise with digital marketing. You can start your paid digital marketing campaign for a minimum amount and build as your company grows. Digital marketing offers the unique chance to control where you spend those crucial advertising dollars.

What Are the Most Challenging Parts of Learning Digital Marketing?

Digital marketing is not necessarily hard to learn, but it does take time, effort, and persistence. If you’re unfamiliar with search engines, data analytics, or content management, you can expect to feel a bit overwhelmed at the beginning, especially if you are trying to learn digital marketing on your own. However, it is important to keep trying. This is where classes can be a real sanity saver.

One of the things about learning digital marketing that can be challenging is the amount of information you need to read and process. You need to become familiar with powerful tools like Google Analytics, SEMRush, and Moz, which will involve much reading and practice. Once you begin grasping digital marketing basics, it is also a good idea to read blogs and listen to podcasts to discover the latest developments in this ever-changing field.

Another challenge is learning the vocabulary of digital marketing like SERP, KPI, PPC, and CRO. Not only will you need to know the language of digital marketing, but marketing principles in general. Most people find that the best way to learn this information is by taking a class.

Another advantage of taking classes is that you will have an instructor who is already familiar with the field and can steer you in the right direction. It can be challenging to wade through the many YouTube videos on digital marketing and figure out the best way to do things when you are just starting. Having an expert help you saves a lot of time.

How Does Learning Digital Marketing Compare to Other Fields?

A comparable subject to digital marketing would be user experience/user interface design (UX/UI design). There are many areas of overlap between digital marketing and UX/UI design, such as collecting data on how users interact with websites, researching markets and competitors, and surveying users. Both Digital Marketers and UX/UI Designers focus on the users, creating the best experience possible for them. Both fields are data-driven and rely heavily on user psychology.

Another field comparable to digital marketing might be web development. Web Developers work with the code that builds websites and need to learn languages like CSS and HTML for front end development and JavaScript, Python, Ruby, and others for back end. Web Developers need to understand the best way to put websites together, which also concerns Digital Marketers. Some people move from digital marketing into web development, and the two fields are equally complex, with front end development being somewhat less challenging than back end.

Other Ways to Make Learning Digital Marketing Easier

One of the best ways to develop proficiency in digital marketing is through hands-on learning. You can start by creating a website and some social media accounts to practice your skills and learn new techniques by following tutorials, reading blogs, and listening to podcasts. Building a website and social media accounts for yourself (or a friend!) will allow you to test different features for yourself. The ability to implement a range of strategies and compare what works and what doesn’t will help you later when the stakes are higher. A web presence of your own gives you a chance to work on content marketing skills, explore paid and unpaid advertising, and figure out search engine optimization.

Creating social media accounts helps you to refine your skills for how they work in practice. You can start an Instagram account and begin creating content to see what resonates, what people respond to, and what flops. Creating a YouTube account will help you practice making videos. You’ll learn more about video marketing by actually recording and editing videos than you will by studying it in a book. Hands-on practice might feel difficult at first, but as you learn the ropes, it will become easier, and you will enjoy it more.

Build a Knowledge Foundation

Tools like Google Analytics, SEMRush, Moz Keyword Explorer, and HootSuite are the backbone of digital marketing. They collect the data you need to see if your digital marketing campaign is working, and they can help you fix things if it’s not. They can show you when you should publish your content and let you create a publishing schedule. Again, you can follow tutorials to learn how to use tools or sign up for a class to concentrate your efforts.

Focus on the Big Results

When first learning digital marketing, you should keep in mind that it can take a long time to see organic results. Focusing on critical skills like creating quality content can help you get better results quickly. You will learn how to choose the best keywords and build pages that attract and engage your target audience.

Learn How Links Work

Links are connections from one website to another. They are also referred to as backlinks, external links, or inbound links, and they are a signal to search engines that you have quality, trustworthy content. The more links you have on other websites, the more organic traffic you will generate, and the higher your page will rank.

Create and Maintain a Consistent Publishing Schedule

Use web analytics to find out when your target audience is most likely to be online so that you can publish your content when users will see it. Also, you will want keep on top of comments and replies on social media to respond to questions and curate your audience’s experience.

Start Your Own Project

Even if you take a certification course in digital marketing, creating a website and trying these techniques is the best way to learn. You can start a side hustle to earn a little extra cash or choose a passion project to educate the public. Whatever the focus of your website, it will give you valuable hands-on experience with digital marketing.

Learn Digital Marketing with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop’s digital marketing courses teach skills that can help you start a career in the industry. Classes are small, with expert instructors, and you can retake a course for free up to a year after you take it. Those ready to dive into the field can attend in-person classes at Noble Desktop’s New York City location or attend live online digital marketing courses from anywhere in the world.

Noble Desktop also offers more detailed courses for those looking to hone their skills on specific channels. Students can take individual classes on Facebook Marketing, Email Marketing, Social Media Content Marketing: Blogs & Twitter, and Video Marketing: TikTok & YouTube. Students can also study for a Digital Marketing Certificate and learn a comprehensive set of tools and skills for digital marketing. Another Noble Desktop resource that can help prepare for a career in digital marketing includes its digital marketing blog, which has detailed articles about social media marketing, SEO, and other essential tools for digital marketers. Students can also watch Noble’s seminar on The Pillars of Digital Marketing Success, which is available on YouTube.