What are the most important things to avoid when starting a career in digital marketing?

In digital marketing, keep your scope wide. It’s tempting to dive deep into one area like SEO or social media, but you’ll benefit more from learning a bit of everything at first. This gives you a solid foundation and helps you see how all parts of digital marketing work together. I’ve found that being versatile and well-rounded is really helpful for long-term success in this field. Avoid relying solely on intuition; decisions should be data-driven. Shun early specialization; a broad skill set is invaluable. Stay adaptable to industry changes and emerging trends.

Be as curious as possible and don’t pigeonhole yourself into one channel within digital. When you take the time to understand the full funnel and how digital plays a role in business outcomes you’ll drive more value for the enterprise. This space is a continuous learning area and it’s important to learn to do the work - so ask for the work and do the hard things. Step up and do stretch assignments and ask a lot of questions. Your goal should be to get exposure on as many areas as possible and understand how they work in conjunction to drive business outcomes.

When starting a marketing career, there are frequent mistakes to keep in mind and avoid at all costs: 1. Not thoroughly understanding the target audience - This lack of knowledge makes it difficult to market to the right customers; 2. Setting and forgetting - When you are a beginner, you are indeed very focused to get the job done. But the job isn't over once you launch a campaign. You need to learn to always come back and optimize; 3. Getting distracted by automation - Yes, AI can be helpful and a real time saver, but make sure to optimize all the information that you generate, otherwise your audience will definitely notice the lack of personalization.

Avoid resting on your laurels when it comes to digital marketing, especially when you're working with brands that target Gen Z and Gen Alpha. Their habits are changing all the time and you have to constantly be learning. I download all the new social apps, even if I know they may tank. I start an account. I spend time on them. I form an opinion. If you're working in marketing in any capacity, you have to put yourself in the consumer's shoes.

Overspecialization can hinder you early on. Try everything, be curious. Just because you started in social media or search or programmatic, it doesn’t mean you can’t extend your tentacles outwards and learn strategy, planning, content, etc… Don’t be afraid of lateral moves in something different. They’re not “holding back” a timeline- they may be propelling you towards something greater. Everything you’ve learned enriches your perspective and allows you to make new connections.

- Digital marketing is an ever-evolving domain. Technological advancements and innovations across the globe, are changing the dynamics of the digital industry at a very fast pace. - Hence unlike other domains wherein with a fundamental skill-set or qualification, one can survive in the domain for several years, in the digital domain, one needs to keep-up with the latest trends and learn new skills through online courses, participation in events & webinars and reading books. - Otherwise one is likely to struggle while working on the digital strategy or media plan for one's own brand or for any client brand. - Through the gained knowledge, one can confidently drive conversations around the brand's digital future with the key stakeholders.

Some people hate this advice, but do some work for free! Do a project with your friends. Help out a small business. Put together a pro-bono project for a non-profit. It's great to get paid, obviously. But you need the work to get you there – use your labor as an asset.

I'd call all of this - building your professional brand. This concept mostly covers all of a professional's activities. In today's world, building a personal brand isn't about showing off, but an organic process of developing your career, professional experience, and skills. I'd draw an analogy here with the academic community, where writing articles, collaborating on projects, and preparing various case studies is an integral and even standard part of career development. So why not do the same in business?!

I often get asked the following by those early in their career: - Should I take the first job offered? - Should I wait for my dream job? If you're lucky, you'll get offered the dream job. But sometimes, and only after spending some time in the role/company, you'll realize that what you "thought" was a dream job doesn't quite pan out as much. Similar to life, take that calculated risk and try as many different orgs, industries, channels, teams, etc as possible. Esp early in your career. If you don't, you may never realize how much better things can be for yourself vs. your status quo.

You should always be experimenting and tweaking to boost performance. The digital landscape is very competitive. You need constant testing and optimization to stay ahead. Treat it as an ongoing process, not a one-time effort. Test different versions of copy, visuals, offers, etc. to see what resonates most with your audience. Use A/B testing tools to try variations and identify what works best. Analyze metrics like clicks, conversions, dwell time to guide optimizations. Adjust campaigns rapidly based on data and feedback. Don't stick with failing approaches. Refine keyword targeting, placement, bidding to improve search performance. Personalize content and messaging to fit different customer segments.

Marketing is a constant optimization. The testing period should end at some point, but optimization should always be there. Users are unpredictable, as well as competitors and algorithm updates. Therefore, the marketing professional's responsibility is to keep up and optimize when needed (I find it needed at least once a week if you do digital actually).

As they say, always be testing. I started my career in digital marketing when there was no schooling, barely any information on the web on how to do it, and almost no fancy tools to make the job easier. The way I learned was from good ol' experimentation. The more testing you do, the more you learn. Find trends in the data and double down on what worked, while continuing to tweak what didn't work as well. One distinction to make here is, don't look at the data as the be-all and end-all. Use data as a "metal detector" that allows you to comb the sand on a beach. As you find interesting trends in the data that alert you, be curious and continue to dig into WHY you got the results you got, whether good or bad, and learn from it!

Best practices provide a helpful starting point but remember that testing is key. When platforms release new features and tips, by all means, have a go. But don't assume a one-size-fits-all approach will work across all campaigns. Over 6 years I've learned that best practices are there to be explored and optimised, not blindly implemented. Every business differs in targets, goals, costs, audiences. So carefully test any new recommended practices before changing strategies across all clients. There's no cookie-cutter in marketing. While it pays to keep up with platforms' guidance, your role is tailored to each client's unique needs. If something works for one, it may not for another. Let testing, not assumptions, guide your client strategy.

Following best practices means a proven SOP you can implement. But where do you find the right SOPs? From the people who have actively and are still actively achieving the result you want. Almost every person I know who is legit leaves a pattern of success. That is a "best practice", whether they have documented it or not. I'll often turn a podcast episode into a SOP that I can follow. You could even have ChatGPT extract the exact steps they did and make a SOP out of it. Wouldn't you agree this is the most powerful way to find "best practices"?

Follow search engine optimization (SEO) guidelines. This helps your website and content be found by search engines like Google. Violating SEO guidelines can get your site penalized or banned from search results. Respect pay-per-click (PPC) policies set by platforms like Google Ads. Breaking PPC rules can get your ads disapproved or account suspended. Abide by email marketing laws and regulations. Sending unsolicited or non-compliant emails can lead to blacklisting. Be mindful of social media network rules. Violating etiquette or posting prohibited content can get you banned. Obtain proper consent and permissions. Things like email lists, user data, images require appropriate consent.

Embrace flexibility and you'll stay competitive. Keep learning new skills, tools, and strategies. Never stop educating yourself on the latest trends. Be open to trying new approaches, even if they feel unfamiliar. Don't cling to outdated methods. Adapt quickly when something isn't working. Pivot strategies to align with audience needs. Update your knowledge of platforms like social media and SEO regularly. Algorithm changes can disrupt tactics. Listen to feedback from audiences and colleagues. Let it guide your adjustments. View failures as learning opportunities, not defeats. Analyze why something didn't work. Recognize that change is constant in digital marketing. Flexibility and adaptation are key to success.

Starting a digital marketing voyage without a flexible and adaptable mindset is like sailing a rigid boat in stormy seas. The digital waves are ever-changing with new platforms, trends, and audience behaviors emerging at the blink of an eye. Being rigid can make your strategies fall flat, missing the mark with audiences or even getting lost in the digital noise. On the other hand, being adaptable means you can ride the waves of change, tweak your sails as per the trending winds, and keep your campaigns cruising smoothly. It’s about being open to learning, ready to tweak, and quick to pivot.

It's tempting to stick to your original plan, but doing so is going to hold you back. As you go on your journey, be sure to analyze outcomes, adapt your approach, and don't be shy about switching things up.

Much of the generated advice in this article is broadly applicable to any job, not just digital marketing. One shortcoming in digital marketing to avoid is getting caught in the attribution trap. Unique to digital marketing is the ability to attribute ROI to all the campaigns we run. However, attribution is getting murkier and murkier due to each platform trying to claim credit and third party cookies going away. It’s important to learn how to gauge success through how the audience and customers respond to your campaigns and to learn to connect the dots to brand sentiment and business growth.

Don't forget that you still need engaging and relevant content. Too often, I see new employees executing a plan without appreciating that their content is irrelevant. If you are not speaking to the customers' problems or needs, it's all for naught.

Some underrated rules I would give to my 24-year-old self: 1) Be kind and humble. Even when everyone else seems like a shark, kindness will pay you back tenfold in the long term. 2) Stay "zen." Patience is a must in marketing. 3) Avoid using words like 'cool,' 'fresh,' 'amazing,' or 'top' unless they are supported by data or until you are the CMO 4) Build real, solid, and trustworthy connections. Avoid social climbers and individuals who define themselves as sharks, lions, or wolves. Spare your time to visit the zoo on the weekend. 5) You must fail at some point. Failure it's an essential part of the journey. Without it, you'll never truly understand the sweet taste of bouncing back.