Digital marketing job trends in the new normal

Digital marketing jobs have been in high demand for the past decade. As businesses shift their presence online, an increasing number of key positions have emerged in the field across a broad range of disciplines. Some of these jobs in digital marketing include customer relationship management (CRM), social media management, and search marketing.

The dotcom boom and smartphones both transformed the marketing landscape. Now, COVID-19 is doing the same. More businesses are adapting their operating models into the online space and more consumers (who are either staying safe at home in lockdown or avoiding crowded areas) are shopping online, creating the perfect storm for digital marketing demand to skyrocket. We look at the key digital roles that have emerged amid COVID-19, and what it takes to succeed in these positions.

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Social commerce is set to boom

Consumers have become much more comfortable with shopping online — largely because during the global pandemic, there has been no alternative. These past few months have altered consumer behaviour permanently, as more shoppers become comfortable with buying from digital merchants. Social media juggernauts have responded in turn by rapidly rolling out new shopping products, such as Facebook Shops, to capitalise on this trend and help businesses sell online.

This will radically transform the digital marketing jobs description for social media managers and digital marketing agencies going forward. Marketers in this area will also need to make the mindset shift from community management and engagement, to play a bigger role in the broader eCommerce journey. 

Interactive, on-demand content development

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies have been floating around for some years now, but the pandemic truly accelerated widescale adoption in this space. For example, the Museum of Contemporary Art shifted its entire multi-million dollar Biennale of Sydney art festival online, creating a virtual exhibition with 360-degree experiences.

We know content is king. And in a post-COVID-19 world, it is interactive content that is predicted to prevail. Over the coming months, this arena will continue to evolve, even with businesses reopening their doors. Digital marketers looking to create value in interactive content should therefore focus on integrating these elements as part of a brand’s broader offering. 

As more businesses experiment with VR and AR, marketers need to strategically invest in content with the end goal in mind — whether it’s brand awareness, a ‘try before you buy’ scenario, or a tool for conversion in the new normal.

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Marketing automation on the rise

Michael Page’s Australia Salary Guide revealed roles in marketing automation was one of the fastest-growing job functions in the sector. Faced with shrinking headcounts and pressure to better prepare business processes for future crises, COVID-19 is heralding an automation boom. Needless to say, roles in this space have skyrocketed. 

Agencies like the CDC and WHO have launched chatbots to deal with increased need for on-demand information. Meanwhile, retailers like IKEA have rolled out virtual stores online with the objective of collecting data and streamlining the digital sales processes, while also tailoring the shopping experience to individual users.

Automation specialists will be required to jump in and look at a brand’s customer journey and pinpoint areas that can be streamlined using machine learning. Digital marketing job seekers and candidates should first seek to gain an understanding of the different types of automation available today, including natural language processing or NLP. 

At the same time, it’s essential for digital marketers to stay focused on delivering value through linking automation to the broader customer journey. This could be through automating the virtual shopping journey to deliver tailored recommendations for increased conversions; or streamlining customer service processes to improve response times and consumer satisfaction.