How to become a Digital Marketing Consultant in India – [Updated: 2024]

What is Digital Marketing?

Ever wondered how the daily GIFs, stickers, memes we send for communicating with each other; podcasts and latest reels we tune in to; the latest YouTube videos we wait for, came into existence? They are products of digital marketing.

Digital marketing is the way of promoting brands to connect with potential customers with the help of the internet and other forms of digital communication. Unlike traditional marketing, digital marketing is open for a wide spectrum of the audience by engaging with search engine techniques.

Today, no matter how small or big, localised or international, home-grown or industrialised the brand is, whether it falls in the B2B or B2C category, every brand needs a digital presence to connect with its customer. After all, don’t we all simply head to check the brand’s Google reviews or Instagram handles to check if they truly deliver what the present? Thus, digital marketing is an indispensable tool today, and the industry is in dire need of specialists who are adept at treading through its changing nuances and demands.

Digital Marketing as a Career Option

With an up-gradation in lifestyle and provision of better education opportunities, every person has become career-driven and aspire to be successful. This has increased the need of getting a job or becoming an entrepreneur. A digital marketing consultant is required for the progress of any kind of venture for attracting a wide customer pool. Due to rapid advancement in technology and the introduction of AI, the job availability for humans is likely to go down in near future. But, it’s unlikely in the field of digital marketing. A digital marketing consultant requires critical and logical thinking which can be performed only by a human brain. It is a versatile field that is constantly evolving and maintaining its pace with growing technology.

Types of Job Roles

1. Social media expertise
2. Analytics expertise
3. Email marketing specialization
4. Search engine optimization (SEO)
5. Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
6. Brainstorming innovative growth strategies
7. Conversion rate optimization
8. Digital marketing managing/consultation
9. E-Commerce
10. Web designing and development
11. Copywriting and editing

Eligibility

It is not important to have a special degree in the domain of digital marketing, but it helps in enhancing one’s knowledge and increases employability chances. Short-term diplomas and special certification programs authorized by the government and private institutions are beneficial too. A digital marketing aspirant should possess the following skills-

1. Efficient communication and written skills- are highly necessary for understanding and catering to the customer’s needs. Healthy communication leads to more efficiency in work and builds up a healthy environment.
2. Presentation skills-  help in building up communication, delivering ideas and concepts effortlessly, and organizes the process of ideation to creation.
3.  Detailed orientation for satisfying the customers- being observant and detailed while presenting an idea helps in catching the potential loopholes and makes the concept solid.
4. Creativity- is the foundation of digital marketing. Job roles such as video and audio production, content creation, and designing require an active brain with overflowing creative ideas. It is required for market management, audience engagement, and problem-solving.
5. Professional working experience- a considerable duration of working experience gives the technical knowledge and the confidence to handle sticky situations. Hence, it is one of the basic preferences of a recruiter.
6. Efficiency in computer and computer networking skills- being tech-savvy builds up a strong resume and also opens the gates to many opportunities.
7. Well-built knowledge about the latest trends on the internet and technology- staying updated with the ongoing trends and budding technologies helps in coming up with innovative solutions for the problems.
8. Interpersonal skills- leadership, emotional intelligence, reliability, stress management, and negotiation skills are highly required too.

How to Start Your Digital Marketing Career?

Creating a personal brand and portfolio help in kick-starting the marketing venture. Try inculcating the latest trends into brand buildup and bringing a change in the marketing department. Advertising plays a big part. It helps in attracting a variety of audiences. Facebook groups aid in advertising and outreach. Taking a proper course for providing accreditation helps in building knowledge and confidence related to the field. Although a degree is not required, it can be a boost in the future. Stay updated with new features of social media and use them for the ultimate benefit. The process might take time for reaching a solid stage, but it is worth the process.

Pro Tips for Becoming a Successful Digital Marketing Consultant

1. Enroll in courses and constantly educate yourself
2. Stay up to date with technology and latest social media trends
3. Having one on one conversations with clients
4. Strategizing content by keeping target audience in mind
5. Social media curation according to Generation Z i.e., 6-24 age group (Instagram), Millennials i.e., 25-40 age group (Twitter), and Generation X i.e., 41-56 age group (Facebook)
6. Maintain team coordination and healthy work environment
7. Consistency in posting original content
8. Understanding SEO and algorithms for better content development
9. Keep yourself open to ideologies and new perspectives
10. Learn to positively take constructive feedback from customers and seniors alike
11. Constant upskilling is required in this field as it is ever-evolving
12. Stay up-to-date with the latest market trends 13. Comprehensively study the work being done by the brand’s existing competitors and their SMM strategies

Six Stages of Marketing to Keep In Mind-

Digital marketing entails the same degrees of ideation and competence in strategy development, brand positioning and image, and identifying the consumption patterns of one’s target audience or customer base, just like any other conventional means of marketing. It is more than just curating an ad campaign launched on a social media platform or a blog; it is a willingness to devise a mode of brand communication that efficiently helps the owner in connecting with potential consumers by capturing their curiosity about the brand or the product in a matter of milliseconds in today’s fast-paced and highly competitive business environment.

1. DISCOVERY- identifying and discovering the need by preparing a questionnaire
2. CONSULTATION- referring books, presentation, experts for researching the issue
3. STRATEGY- strategizing the flow from ideation to creation of the concept
4. CONTENT- planning the content for websites, blogs, videos, podcasts, and so on. Creating an editorial calendar.
5. BUILD- building visual friendly UI/UX design, graphic design and email design
6. RETAINER- consists of reviewing and planning sessions for upgrading and maintaining the websites, blogs, and podcasts.

Books and Study Materials-

Few books that every digital marketer and an aspiring digital marketing consultant should read-                                  

1. Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook- Gary Vaynerchuk
2. Youtility- Jay Baer
3. Epic Content Marketing- Joe Pulizzi
4. Web Analytic 2.0 – Avinash Kaushik
5. Permission Marketing – Seth Godin
6. The Art of SEO (3^rd edition) – Eric Enge
7. The New Rules of Marketing and PR – David Meerman Scott
8. [Bonus] Hug Your Haters – Jay Bear

Top Institutes in India

1. Expert Training Institute (ETI)
2. Indian Institute of Digital Education (IIDE)
3. Delhi School of Internet Marketing (DSIM)
4. Digital Technology Institute (DTI)

Some of the Top Recruiting Agencies in India

1. Filter Copy
2. Webchutney
3. Pinstorm
4. WatConsult
5. Intellemo
6. Gozoop
7. EveryMedia
8. Social Wavelength

Digital marketing is quickly emerging as a viable business vertical for most contemporary commercial entities with plenty of new prospects and drastic career advancement. Immediately begin becoming sufficiently skilled at leveraging insights to build robust campaigns if you wish to thrive as a part of the trendiest sector and develop with it in the ensuing years. A digital marketer’s average annual salary for an executive role range from INR 2,50,000 to INR 5,00,000. The average annual income for a managerial position lies somewhat between INR 8,00,000 and INR 10,00,000 in the Indian commercial sphere. Digital marketing is a fast-growing sector providing more job opportunities. The road to becoming a consultant is difficult but worth the process.