As a new college graduate entering today’s job market, you probably encountered a paradox: many employers are “urgently” hiring but require 2-3 years of experience to even be considered. This creates a catch-22: you need experience to get a job, but you need a job to gain experience.
When it comes to marketing, there are key platforms that are essential to know and can help you navigate this dilemma. Mastering them can significantly boost your chances of landing that first job sooner than you might think.
1. Website & Content Management- Creating a foundation for site building & posting
Other than being aesthetically pleasing to look at, having a strong website offers numerous benefits for a company:
- Enhanced online presence
- Increased customer engagement
- More Lead Generation and Conversion
Knowing how to create a website that drives this success is essential. The content management system (CMS) WordPress powers 45.8% of all websites on the internet. That means 2 out of every 5 websites are built on WordPress, or nearly half of the websites in the world. Having experience with managing and publishing content on websites broadens your skillset tremendously.
WP Bakery, a page builder plugin, is widely used for posting blogs or articles, which is a major part of content marketing for a brand.
You can start your WordPress journey today by creating a free website. If you want to learn more about complex websites, take advantage of free WordPress courses to familiarize yourself with the tool.
2. Customer Relationship Management- Ties in marketing automation, customer retention, and analytics
Knowing how to use a CRM is essential for several reasons. It can schedule and post email and social media campaigns, allowing you to get tasks done faster. It monitors customer interactions and engagement levels that then tracks analytics that reveal how effective the current marketing efforts are. Plus, the CRM acts as a shared access point that allows team members to access and update customer information.
HubSpot is a customer relationship software tool that connects your marketing, sales and customer service hubs for seamless communication between your team members. HubSpot is also at the forefront of integrating AI into tools that help with content creation and website design. In the Marketing Hub, you can manage just about everything you will need for your company. I have been using HubSpot for a few months now, and I am still finding new tools that it offers!
In the Marketing Hub, you have the ability to manage:
- List management and contact activity
- Social media
- Analytics and URL tracking
- Email marketing and automation
- Content creation (using AI!)
- And more!
In just a few months, I’ve used HubSpot to pull data for analytics reports, create and schedule automated email newsletters, and assist with list management.
You can start learning these things now! HubSpot Academy offers free courses for people interested in marketing.
3. Marketing Analytics- Track and analyze your website performance
As important as it is to build a strong website that attracts leads and new customers, it is essential to track and evaluate the data and traffic your website is collecting.
Google Analytics allows for data from your website to be collected and analyzed to see how users are interacting with your site. Google Analytics is used by roughly 56.8% of all sites on the web. With Google Analytics recently transitioning to GA4, becoming skilled in GA4 can help you stand out from other candidates.
The information collected from the website can help you refine your marketing strategy, enhance your business’s online presence, and improve your digital marketing campaigns.
4. Email Marketing- Platform for automation, personalization and analytics
Email marketing is an essential part of digital marketing because it helps you connect directly with your audience. It’s a powerful way to encourage your recipients to take action, whether that is signing up for an event or downloading a resource. With well-designed calls-to-action (CTAs), you can make sure your message reaches those who will benefit from it most.
Constant Contact is a budget-friendly option for small businesses needing to send emails to a large volume of contacts. You can build lists of contacts, send automated email campaigns, and track the performance of these campaigns. One of my significant tasks in my role so far has been creating weekly email blasts for a customer that go out twice a week. The entire email is built using this platform, which is widely used for email marketing.
Within the platform, you can create emails from scratch with various tools that make them engaging. The design tools are user-friendly and allow marketers to create visually appealing emails without a background in design. After just a few short weeks, I had become proficient in building newsletters and managing email content in Constant Contact. Another crucial aspect of this tool is analytics and reporting— I used it to create analytics reports and track trends from different emails sent out.
5. Social Media Management- Drafting & Scheduling Content
Having a tool that you can use to draft and schedule social content in advance allows for better time management, strategic planning, analytics and performance monitoring, and for more consistent posting.
Buffer is a platform used to schedule content for social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter/X. This tool is incredibly user-friendly, easy to draft content in, and acts as a repository to store content or sites from other spaces.
Buffer has over 75,000 users, including individuals, small businesses, and large enterprises, with about 50% of the users being small businesses with fewer than 50 employees. Buffer is widely used because it is the most affordable option with a high number of features.
While full experience with these tools may come with time, you can still familiarize yourself with each platform beforehand.
Even if they don’t provide courses like HubSpot does, there are several blog posts and case studies that can make you more aware of how the tools operate. Embracing and mastering these essential platforms will not only equip you with valuable skills but also set you apart in the competitive landscape of digital marketing, paving the way for a successful career launch.