Not Everyone is a Digital Marketer

Over the past few years, we’ve observed a rise of people calling themselves “digital marketers”. Very often, these are individuals who have grown up with the internet and all the various social media platforms, and who think that just knowing how to post online automatically equals the job of a marketer. The reality of what marketing involves couldn’t be more different and one sure thing is that nowadays NOT everyone is a digital marketer. For a small business, having to deal with these improvised digital marketers can represent a huge waste of time and money and it can compromise some of the short- and long-term results they could achieve. 

So if you’re looking for a digital marketer, how do you know who to trust and how to choose the right person? 

Let’s explore it together. 

Who’s a Digital Marketer?

When we talk about digital marketers, we are talking about people who have proven experience and the right skills to develop an overall digital marketing strategy and who can understand how all the different parts of marketing function together to create successful campaigns and growth. 

Of course, this is beyond just posting regularly and creating good-looking images or fancy reels, as these things just represent one tiny practical part of the execution of a marketing strategy. However, if there’s no strategy in the first place, the execution will be random and inefficient, misaligned with your goals and, eventually, more of a vanity exercise rather than something that contributes to the growth and success of your business. 

How to Choose a Good Digital Marketer

If you are looking for a freelance digital marketer, we recommend looking at their qualifications; do they have any specific certifications? Are they specialised in specific type of marketing eg. Paid Advertising or SEO? If they’re just starting out, do they have a university degree in marketing or business? And what about their experience working for companies in actual marketing positions? What results or case studies can they show? Basically, you want to make sure that you’re not hiring someone who has a feeling for the internet and who has no proven experience, or at least knowledge, about what marketing as a whole (not just social media) can do. 

A marketing agency might be a safer option for small businesses, and - contrary to belief - might be even more cost-effective. Yet, even when it comes to agencies, we invite you to do your due diligence and look at their qualifications, certifications, how long they’ve been in business, their proven results and case studies. Some agencies will even be happy to put you in contact with their past or current clients (we know we do!), so you can hear your peers’ direct experience. And if you’re choosing to work with a bigger agency that assigns you to a specific digital marketer within the organisation, don’t be afraid to ask about their credentials and why that person was chosen for you. 

We know it might be tempting to “just find someone”, or “go for the cheap option” or to trust those who shout the loudest online about their potential skills, but look at it this way; you wouldn't let an improvised surgeon who’s skilled at Operation (yes, the board game) operate on your brain, so why would you let someone who has never had any actual marketing experience or skills operate on your business? 

Plus, if we’re being reeeaaally picky, digital marketers are professionals who have experience with marketing across several digital channels, such as email, websites, PPC, SEO, etc - not just social media platforms! And their goals go beyond just posting, because they focus on targets around target audience growth, increasing brand awareness, driving traffic, generating leads, and ultimately boosting sales.

As you can imagine, this means you can expect quite a wide array of services from marketers, ranging from strategy, to creation, to data analysis, reporting and so much more, depending on their exact level of skills, expertise or focus, as well as years of experience.

So before just hiring someone, it’s also helpful to figure out what you want your marketing to achieve as this will determine the type of service you need. If you’re not sure where to start, a consultancy session with a marketing strategist (you can book one with us here) might be the best first step as they can help you understand how your goals and different marketing strategies can align.

The bells and whistles of a look-alike digital marketer can be tricky to spot, but hopefully this article will give you a starting point to see through the smoke and choose the right person for the job.  

We’re proud of the work and experience we have here at Saia Creative, so if you're looking for a marketing agency that gets you, brings you years of practical knowledge and is good at what they do, then reach out to learn more about working with us!