Digital marketers: specialists and generalists
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Transcript of Digital marketers: specialists and generalists
Digital Marketers: Specialists & Generalists Ofentse (Rapakgadi) Olunloyo
“Take a risk and keep testing, because
what works today [might not] work
tomorrow, but what worked yesterday
[might] work again.”
Amrita Sahasrabudhe
Complex &
Constant Change
Amrita hit the nail on the head there - digital
marketing is synonymous with complexity and
constant change. It is complex enough to keep
you on your toes and changes often enough to
keep you preoccupied with the latest updates
head to toe.
DIGITAL MARKETING
Rant alert:
I might be stepping on a few toes but I
think that digital marketing is NOT for
everyone. Let’s just say, not everyone who
is in the field is a professional. There are
simply too many impostors in the field but
that’s another article for another day.
Rant over!
ProfessionalsDigital marketing professionals come in
different forms and they are multi-
skilled all-rounders with a burning
passion for digital marketing. For the
sake of simplicity, let’s assume that
there are two categories of digital
marketing professionals.
DIGITAL MARKETING
Specialists vs. Generalists
The first category of professionals is
happy to specialise further into areas
such as search engine optimisation,
social media, paid search and content
management. Let’s call them the
specialists.
The second category of professionals
is the opposite of the specialists. Let’s
call them the generalists.
DIGITAL MARKETING
DIGITAL MARKETINGGENERALISTS
This article is about the
characteristics of the latter. So,
what makes these generalists
so special? let's find out:
The ability to juggle & connect
the dots
Most generalists have their hands full with
campaigns, analytics and/or reports for
search engine, social media, email and
content marketing. Their ability to multitask
makes them masters of juggling and
connecting the dots between search, social,
email, content etc. They will gladly connect
the dots between the cost per lead of that
Facebook lead generation campaign and
the spike in web traffic.
#1
The passion to learn & keep up to
date
#2Problem solving, troubleshooting, figuring
out new things and the ability to break and
fix things; these are important skills for
succeeding as generalist. Most generalists
like to be the first to learn about and try out
the latest updates, be it LinkedIn’s redesign
or WhatsApp’s new snap feature. They are
passionate about keeping up to date with
the latest trends, updates and more.
The passion to learn & keep up to
date
#2In this case, suffering from FOMO (fear of
missing out) keeps them on top of their
game. Generalists are also big on sharing
what they know and always have a
professional opinion.
Whether it is getting Google certification, taking a
course on Udemy or attending the IAB Digital Summit,
the cream of the crop of generalists take it up a notch
by putting their money and/or time where their
mouths are. They are highly driven top performers
and have a strong desire to know what’s happening in
the industry and identify or set trends. Their craft is
personal to them, that’s why they actively seek
opportunities for self-improvement by themselves,
for themselves.
DIGITAL MARKETING
EXTRAORDINAIRES
Adaptability & flexibility to change
#3We’ve already established that constant
change is the name of the digital marketing
game. This goes without saying, generalists
need to be flexible and adaptable to
change whether they like it or not. Like
Amrita Sahasrabudhe said "what works
today [might not] work tomorrow, but what
worked yesterday [might] work again".
Research and testing [or trial and error if
you will], take up a big chunk of generalist’s
time. That brings us to the fourth and final
point, generalists are analytical and creative
thinkers.
Analytically & creative thinking
#4Digital marketing is both an art-form and a
science, which is why generalists need a
balanced mix of analytical and creative
skills. They need to be able to tell stories
through creating creative copy, images,
videos etc. and be able to analyse metrics
objectively [in the same breath].
In digital marketing, numbers always tell a story and a
specialist or generalist should be happy to tell the story, be
it good or bad.
Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions
www.linkedin.com/in/ofentseolunloyo
www.olunloyo.com/ofentse
+27730605760