In just a short span of (nearly) five months, I’ve learned tons of lessons working in the digital marketing industry. And, no, it’s not just the skills and jargon I’m talking about here, but people and life in general.
As someone with zero background in digital marketing, never in a million years have I imagined myself being in the field. So, one might ask: What made you decide to work for a job you know nothing about?
Well, as someone who’s always down for challenges and has a predilection for learning new stuff, I told myself, “Why the heck not?”
Before I’ve pursued and fully committed myself to content writing, I’ve worked in different areas – from selling pharmaceutical products to doctors and taking on HR-related tasks to teaching Koreans the English lingo and experiencing life as a junior psychologist (yes, apparently that’s a thing).
It was then after submitting my final resignation that I realized that I wanted to give freelance writing a shot. I’ve always loved writing, after all.
Despite not having any experience, I was pretty confident someone in Upwork (a super popular freelancing website) would hire me in no time. There I was, creating my profile, posting my resume, some of my sample articles, and my scores from the site’s grammar and writing exams for potential employers to see.
Of course, I had to make a lot of effort reaching out to them as well. I got help from email design software, which helped me design a beautiful and responsive email. Luck was definitely by my side when I got an email a few days later from one of the companies that was looking for a contractual writer. By the time my contract ended, it dawned on me that I was meant to write for a living.
I’ve written content of different types for businesses of different industries – whether it’s to entertain the readers, lift them up with feel-good posts, or promote products and services. Sure, tackling stuff that’s beyond my ken might get tough at times, but it’s actually a great learning experience, and that’s why I continue to do it.
Anyways, enough about my career journey story before I bore you to death! You’re here because you’re curious to know about the side of digital marketing not many people really talk about. You’re here because you want to discover what working in digital marketing has taught me about life.
Let’s get to it!
- Set Realistic Goals
While this one’s probably a no-brainer, I feel like it’s worth mentioning. As with any profession, you need to set realistic goals and expectations for what you wish to achieve.
Do you think you’ll be able to gain 10 new clients in just a week? If so, how do you go about it? Do you think it’s possible for your client to increase their sales through the power of pay-per-click ads alone, or will you need more than that?
Remember, if your goals are too unattainable, you’ll never reach them despite all your hard work. This can be a valuable life lesson, as having an unrealistic goal can set you up for failure.
- Be Passionate with What You Do
As cliche as it sounds, you gotta be 100% passionate if you’re working in the digital marketing world. You need to show your potential and existing clients how much you’re willing to help them reach their goals. That way, they will trust you to be their partner not just now, but in the future, too.
So, how can you apply this to your own life? Well, passion ignites your soul, and with an ignited soul, you motivate yourself to become the person you aspire to be. Regardless of your age or skills, you can achieve your dreams as long as you stay passionate.
- It Takes Patience to See Results
If there’s one thing SEO experts can teach you about life, it’s that with patience comes results and rewards.
Why? Apparently, for a well-optimized website to make it to the top ranks of Google and other search engines, it would take at least six months or so. Success doesn’t happen overnight.
No matter what marketing strategies are being implemented, patience is required. The same goes for your daily life. Just because you may not notice the outcome you were expecting doesn’t mean that you’ll never see it eventually. It may not always be easy, but it will always be worth the wait.
- There’s No Such Thing as a Shortcut
In digital marketing, there’s this thing called Black Hat SEO, a set of practices that helps websites rank high as quickly as possible. The problem is, these tactics are considered unethical, and once Google catches a site that applies any of them, it will get penalties.
Moral of the story? There are no shortcuts to real success. If anything, shortcuts can only lead to disappointments, not faster success.
Whatever your goals are, be it financially or health-related, the key to long-term success is to take all the necessary steps to progress steadily instead of skipping them and taking the easy way out.
- Simplicity Is Everything
Going overboard is a big no-no for those in the digital marketing industry. Complexity confuses people. Instead of attracting customers, a web page filled with images and animated videos, or one that has complicated navigation, will only drive them away.
On the other hand, keeping a web design simple and organized can get more visitors to stick around, as does running a campaign that sends a message that’s easy to read and understand. Imagine if you land on an online store that has ads almost everywhere to the point that you can no longer find the browse section. You’ll certainly head your way to another website ASAP, preferably one that’s clutter-free.
By focusing on simplicity, you get to live a more fulfilling life. You easily become content with what you have, who you have, and what the world has to offer. Living with less helps you discover the things and people who matter most to you.
- Every Day Is a New Challenge
Like everything else, digital marketing comes with numerous challenges.
Creating engaging content, generating qualified leads, managing client relationships effectively, getting one’s local business recognized online, and staying current with Google’s algorithms are among the most common challenges often faced by digital marketing agencies.
However, these drawbacks always have solutions, and it’s up to the team members to figure out what these solutions are. What’s actually great about challenges is that they push people to get creative and go the extra mile, and even allowing them to recognize certain skills they never thought they possessed.
The thing is, while challenges and problems are inevitable, they’re essential parts of our lives. They give you rewarding experiences, teach you new things, and help you become stronger, wiser, and more resilient. In other words, they mold you into the best version of yourself.
Bear in mind that the greatest growth in life, as well as the most valuable lessons you’ll learn, will come from those times that you’re faced with major difficulties where you’re so close to giving up.
Final Thoughts
There’s so much more to digital marketing than building and optimizing websites, running ads, and reaching out to people in social media. Personal growth is another area, for sure.