1. Websites, Websites, and More Websites!

In today’s world businesses that don’t have a website are automatically put at a major disadvantage. In an increasingly technological world, consumers are always turning to the Internet to find where to go to eat, where to buy their clothes at, where to get their hair done, etc. Websites are the foundation of an online presence for businesses. No matter what industry you are in your firm will most likely need to develop a website. A skill that could make any applicant stand out, no matter what job you are applying for, is knowing how to optimize a website for SEO. A job applicant who knows many different tips and tricks will stand out more than just a job applicant with the basic skills for the job. Even if you are not directly working on your company’s website or marketing plan, being able to offer help or advice will make you a more well-rounded and appealing employee.

 

2. Google Trends

Let’s say you are a dentist and you want to know what time of the year is the most popular for toothaches, or even if there is a season trend in toothaches, how would you figure that out? Maybe, you are a baker and you want to know when consumers most want chocolate cake vs. vanilla cake, how would you determine that? No matter what profession you are in, there will undoubtedly be seasonal changes in the products you sell or services you offer. Even if there isn’t a seasonal trend, there might be a weekly trend where your products are more sought after on certain days rather than others. The answer to how you solve the mystery is Google Trends! If you were able to understand Google Trends and be able to read the valuable information it can give you, you could potentially alter your promotions or offers to fit with the most popular times for your business’ products/services. It is not only important for marketing people to be able to understand Google Trends, everyone in the company should know about predicted changes in a firm’s sales (aka popularity), because revenue affects all people and all departments.

 

3. Online Listening

Have you ever wished that you could be a fly on the wall during someone else’s private conversations? Well, with the Internet nothing is really private and so you really could become that fly. Employees who know how to engage in online listening make themselves exponentially more valuable to the company. Someone who is able to browse forums, review sites, and online communities to gauge consumers’ opinions on their company is going to come back with some amazing insights. Online listening can be useful for the finance department if it wants to try to predict if sales are going to start decreasing, it can be useful for engineers who want to know what they need to improve on their products, it can be useful for the operations department to help them determine what inventory level to maintain. If consumers are online discussing a major flaw of your product, and no one knows to be looking out for that, your company could run into some major issues!

 

4. Emails

Everyone sends emails. Everyone gets emails. Everyone deletes emails. Someone who knows how to send an effective email will ultimately get better results. I don’t care if we’re talking about a promotional email for a retail store, a professional email asking for a campaign donation, or a simple email to a colleague, each case requires someone who is able to craft an email that will ultimately get opened and not deleted on the spot. Part of a digital marketing class is learning about effective emails. An employee who has the skills to craft successful emails will definitely stand out. Not only will they have their emails opened more regularly, but they will probably also create better connections with clients and create more conversions (digital marketing term for a sale).

 

5. Social Media

Last but not least, the one that is so relevant to all of our lives that we don’t even think about it as digital marketing. However, social media ultimately is the way in which we all market ourselves. Companies have begun to utilize social media to promote their businesses, products, and services. Someone with the skills to build and run a social media platform can majorly impact the trajectory of a business’ success. Lawyers use social media, doctors use social media, chefs use social media; it is not just the marketing department that uses social media. Social media can be a way to connect with clients, provide customer service, or offer insights into a business’ industry, all of which can be done by anyone in the company. When it comes down to it, a basic understanding of how to use social media is critical nowadays.

 

Ella Knudsen is a Management and Human Resources major at the Wisconsin School of Business. She is also pursuing a Criminal Justice certificate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and hopes to attend law school after graduating.