10 Essential Digital Marketing Competencies Not Covered in Traditional Education

The practical skills essential for growing a business online are often not covered in traditional educational settings. To truly thrive in the digital realm, proficiency in any of the following areas can pave the way for a rewarding freelance career or establish you as an indispensable asset to any marketing team.

My journey of running a web-based small business revealed that our success hinged on acquiring at least one of several core digital marketing skills. Moreover, having a basic grasp of all these skills was crucial for effectively selling our digital product—personal finance content.

Transitioning from a nursing background to marketing, I lacked formal education in digital advertising, social media marketing, and influencer marketing, which are key for driving traffic. Yet, I found a community eager to learn these skills, including those with marketing degrees who felt ill-equipped by their universities to handle real-world business challenges.

Critical areas such as Facebook ads, webinar funnels, and effective social media strategies are largely absent from academic curricula, or taught only in theory without practical application. Practical experience, such as managing a sizeable advertising budget, is rarely offered by educational institutions. However, businesses often rely on substantial ad spending for their survival.

This gap between formal education and practical business skills presents an opportunity for those who are self-taught, privately mentored, or enterprise-trained to offer services that are highly valuable to businesses at their own desired rates.

If you possess the ability to scale high-performing ad campaigns, create high-converting funnels, or consistently rank at the top of Google for significant search terms, your expertise becomes highly sought after. You become an indispensable member of any team.

Here are ten essential digital marketing skills—largely overlooked by academic institutions—that are vital for almost every modern business with an online presence.

1. Web Analytics: Understanding customer behavior on your website is crucial for making informed business decisions. Tools like Google Analytics and others can provide insights into visitor behavior and preferences, helping to optimize product offerings and website design.
2. Social Media Marketing: With the shift to engagement-based content distribution, understanding specific social platforms is key to successful marketing. Brands must establish a presence where their audience is and leverage that success across different platforms.
3. Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO): Advanced tracking tools can help businesses make sense of conversion data, but many lack the expertise to apply them effectively. CRO can significantly impact a brand’s bottom line.
4. Customer Relationship Management (CRM): CRM systems help track the entire customer journey, from lead acquisition to building long-term relationships. Knowledge of CRM tools can help organize every aspect of customer interaction.
5. Search Engine Optimization (SEO): SEO remains a complex and ever-evolving field. Keeping up with best practices is crucial for gaining high visibility on search engine results pages.
6. Email Marketing: Effective email marketing can build trust and foster customer relationships, leading to increased revenue.
7. Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Digital Advertising: Digital advertising is a primary method for reaching new customers. Mastery of SEM can lead to a stable and lucrative career.
8. Advanced Affiliate Marketing: Affiliate marketing can provide passive income and scalability. Expertise in this area can be highly rewarding.
9. E-commerce Store Management: Small businesses need guidance in setting up and optimizing their online stores to compete in the digital ecosystem.
10. Project Management, Freelance Support, and Outsourcing: As businesses grow, the need for effective project management and strategic outsourcing becomes critical.

For those entering the workforce or considering a career change, mastering any of these skills can set you up for success in the digital marketing landscape.