Digital Marketing: The Experience You Need Before the Experience

The digital marketing landscape moves fast. With new technologies, strategies, and trends emerging all the time, it can be hard for entry-level marketers to keep up. While technical skills are critical, seasoned professionals argue the so-called "soft skills" set standout candidates apart. We spoke to eight digital marketing experts about the overlooked abilities vital for beginner success.

Analysis, Testing & Innovation
Professional Research
Communication
IT Skills
Empathy & Authenticity
Final Thoughts

Analysis, Testing & Innovation: Measuring What Matters

Marketing campaigns live and die by the metrics. Are you driving traffic? Capturing leads? Increasing revenue? Proving campaign value requires tracking key performance indicators (KPIs).

"If you're not measuring your campaigns, you're not assigning value to your hard work," says Julie Scotland, owner of Migration Marketing Consulting.

Without metrics, stakeholders lose sight of progress. Produce data to showcase marketing wins, argue for more resources, and highlight personal accomplishments.

Testing also unlocks innovation. Run A/B experiments to learn about customers. "I think so often we want to feel like we know everything and can walk into a campaign or event with confidence that this will work," says Morgan Ersery, Assistant Director of Marketing for Open Campus at the New School. "But not knowing can sometimes be the key to unlocking fascinating insights about your customer. Experiment!"

Master These Skills:

Professional Research: Feed Your Curiosity

Technical expertise carries less weight without the soft skills that strategically apply know-how. Prime among them? An inclination for learning.

"Digital marketers solve problems every day," says Ersery. "What motivates your customers to care about your brand? Your product? Your content? If you don't have that natural curiosity about your audience or customer, it's going to make your job feel like a drag."

Cultivate curiosity through ongoing education. "I speak to many people who want to work in marketing but are concerned because they don't have a marketing degree," says marketing consultant Jacqueline DeMarco. "Well, I don't either! But I've learned that—by taking online courses, consulting other marketers, and keeping abreast on the latest news—you can be just as up to speed."

"A posture of learning is essential to every digital marketer," agrees freelance marketer Hannah Rosen. "The landscape is always evolving and changing with new tools, techniques, and trends, and the willingness to sift through and digest this information will give any digital marketer an edge."

Level Up:

Communication: Connecting Through Content

Communication is marketing's lifeblood. Entry-level pros interact with customers, collaborate with partners, and update stakeholders. Refining personal communication abilities helps manage these relationships.

"I've found that communication is at the top of my list for digital marketing skills," says Maryn Masumiya, Skillcrush's Head of Partnerships. "You'll be communicating across so many channels as a digital marketer."

Messaging also guides strategy. "Things go wrong all the time in digital marketing," warns Skillcrush Head of Content Marketing Kit Warchol. "Your job as a marketer (and communicator) is not to say 'Hey, this bad thing happened,' but 'Hey, this thing happened, and here’s what I’m going to do about it.'"

Get Talking:

IT Skills: Marketing Meets Tech

While not explicitly tech roles, digital marketers apply specialized software and hardware. When technical troubles arise, basic IT skills come in handy.

"It's shocking how often clients or managers have asked me to troubleshoot unrelated technical issues," says Oscar Mendoza, Digital Marketing Manager at Follow Your Heart. "Having the basic skills to handle tech requests means you'll shine."

Especially at startups where employees wear multiple hats, troubleshooting servers or repairing corrupted files between strategy sessions is a value-add.

Spreadsheets like Excel and Google Sheets are also marketplace musts. "As an entry-level marketer you’ll have an advantage if you can manufacture some Excel magic for your supervisor," says Rod Yabut, Interactive Marketing Manager at the University of Southern California. "You'll eventually be asked to measure ROI, rates, performance, etc. in everything you do."

Get Technical:

Empathy & Authenticity: Marketing that Matters

Digital experiences feel personal and direct. Savvy marketers embrace emotional intelligence (EQ) skills like empathy to make meaningful connections.

"In the digital space, we all wake up to overflowing inboxes and endless posts," says Masumiya. "If you’re able to cut through all of that noise to make a real connection with the person you’re trying to reach, the sky’s the limit."

Standing out also requires authenticity. "Your customers are humans, not toys," Warchol says. "The best brands (and marketers) are the ones that emphasize transparency and respect."

Connect Heart-to-Heart:

Final Thoughts: Blend Hard & Soft Skills

Technical expertise opens doors, but soft skills seal deals in digital marketing. Continuously build both through formal learning and informal exposure.

"The digital space tends to attract people who think they know it all," says Saskia Boogman, External Content Manager at Kampgrounds of America. "Trust me, you don’t. So be ready to learn by watching, researching and doing."

Strive to understand audiences, communicate clearly, demonstrate empathy, and stay authentic. Stand out by integrating technical abilities with "human" abilities for holistic digital marketing success.

By blending hard and soft skills, you position yourself at the leading edge - today and tomorrow.