College and graduate students have plenty of career options these days. Even among the students who are aiming for an IT career, there are dozens of ways they can go. How can the digital marketing field attract more of them? That’s the question on the minds of managers, academic program directors in IT departments, and owners of small businesses who have a need for these young people who are still in the decision phase of career planning.
The good news is that plenty of college-age up and coming professionals already possess a bit of basic digital marketing skills, so the question becomes how to enhance what they already know and get them into jobs where they can sharpen those talents and learn what it’s really like to earn a living by doing high-level SEO, pay-per-click, e-mail marketing, social media marketing, website design, targeted content marketing, and more. The best strategy for bringing people into the field uses a combination of techniques, including the below.
Know What Social Platforms Students Use Most
Anyone hoping to draw new talent into the digital marketing field should understand the social platforms where future prospects spend their time. This changes from time to time, but by identifying the top three or four platforms, it’s easier to get messaging in front of interested individuals. One of the oldest sales concepts is at work here, which is to find customers, go where they go, and do what they do.
Explain How to Finance an Education in the Field
Would-be professionals often worry about how to pay for tuition, board, fees, and other costs associated with earning a degree. It’s essential to communicate to working adults that they can easily research ways to consolidate education loans they already have. That way, if they want to go back and finish a college degree, get a new one, or dive into a master’s program, they’ll know how to handle their current obligations through consolidation. For those who are unsure how the consolidation process works and need more information, it’s best for them to do a bit of online research in order to understand all their options and select a lender and a program that best suits their needs. What are the most important things that borrowers need to know when it comes to financing these obligations?
For starters, they must understand that by combining several student loans into one, their lives become simpler, and in most cases, they can take advantage of lower interest rates, more lenient terms, and longer repayment periods. That’s because the typical working adult has a better credit rating than they did when they first applied for financing. Another point potential borrowers need to know is that it’s entirely possible to obtain additional school loans while still paying on older ones. Many people wrongly assume that they can’t go back and get another degree or certificate until all their education debt is paid off.
Cover the Main Social Sectors
Use your connections with non-profits, social agencies, charitable organizations, foundations, and faith-based entities to meet and get to know people who might be a good fit for jobs in the sales/marketing area with an emphasis on digitized techniques. The fact is that every sector needs this kind of talent, so don’t leave any area untouched.
Don’t Neglect Volunteer Programs
There are two ways to leverage the power of volunteering. First, work to make volunteer opportunities available in the field for young people or mid-career adults who want to gain some experience without obligation or pressure that goes with a paid job. Second, include volunteer programs in your outreach for prospective candidates. Students, especially those studying sales and promotion, often volunteer their time at local non-profits.
Spark Interest on Digital Channels
Use at least a half-dozen different digital channels to get the word out about the benefits of taking a job in the digital marketing sector. That means talking up the issue on alternate media channels, at online events, and leveraging the power of search apps to let large numbers of people know how vibrant, interesting, and well-paying these jobs are. By researching effective digital channels, you’ll be able to identify, locate, and interact with high-quality prospects.
Reach Out to Universities
Include university programs in your efforts. It’s good business to create programs and offer the plans to large schools as suggestions of what kinds of courses they could teach. Another tactic is to work with college programs that are already established and make presentations in front of ready-made audiences. By making contact at the university level, you tap into a massive demographic that includes large numbers of pupils who are at a crossroads in their career-decision process.
Explain the Goals of Digital Marketing
The truth is that many IT-savvy folks don’t understand the nuts and bolts of digital marketing. Those basics include goals, which include getting closer to potential clients through participation and dialogue, learning how to grow sales, knowing how to enhance an online brand’s reputation, and adding value. By being clear about the discipline’s goals, future professionals will go into their studies and new jobs with a solid foundation of core knowledge.
Compare the Digital Marketing Field to Other Professions
Offer comparisons to other fields, particularly those in IT and related subjects. When people see the key differences between various choices, they are better able to decisively choose the path that’s right for them. This approach is about educating interested candidates and letting them know how our profession differs and what it has to offer. Remember to tread softly when engaging others on these topics by offering advice rather than doing a hard sell.
Put It All Together
The easy part of attracting new talent to digital marketing is communicating to prospective candidates about what’s available, how the career can be rewarding in so many ways, and providing them with opportunities for interning or volunteering in the field. The hard part is beating the competition from other industries, all of whom want the best and brightest technical minds for themselves. But, by being proactive and constantly working to showcase the amazing diversity of digital marketing as a career, it’s possible to attract the very best talent.
Author Bio
Zara Arakelyan is a content writer and digital marketing expert to the extreme with a knack for social media marketing strategy and implementation. In addition to writing, she is the initiator and consultant of various student related programs, such as educational tuition fees, college fundings, etc.
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