Introduction to foundations of digital marketing and e-commerce

This course explores how digital marketing and e-commerce create value for businesses and consumers.

Digital Marketing and E-Commerce

• E-commerce and digital marketing have revolutionized the way businesses operate.

• E-commerce is a broad term that refers to the buying and selling of goods and services online

  • E-commerce involves buying and selling goods and services online. It's not just about physical products; it includes digital products, services, and software.

  • E-commerce is cheap because it doesn’t have the cost of maintaining physical storefronts, allowing businesses to pass those savings on to consumers.

  • E-commerce has grown into a global, multi-billion dollar industry because it is generally more cheapter, convenient, and accessible than storefront sale

• Digital marketing helps businesses reach their target audience online through various channels like websites, search engines, email, and social media.

  • Digital marketing is cost-effective, has a broader reach, and offers more personalization compared to traditional marketing.

  • Digital channel is any communication method or platform a business can use to reach their target audience online

• Digital marketing and e-commerce roles are interconnected, with larger companies offering more specialized positions. Your strengths and interests can help shape your career path.

• This program introduces roles like digital marketing coordinator and e-commerce analyst, highlighting overlapping skills and responsibilities. Understanding how roles connect, from brand awareness to sales and inventory, is key.

Similar skills are required for roles in digital marketing and e-commerce. However, these skills are often applied in different ways. The following table gives you an idea of how job responsibilities might differ slightly between entry-level roles in digital marketing and e-commerce. 

Key takeaway

Many career counsellors recommend that you customize your resume for each job you apply for so that your experience and skills align as closely as possible with the job description. By the end of this program, you’ll be able to customize your resume based on the skills you learn for either digital marketing or e-commerce roles.

Jobs

• Digital marketing coordinator*

  • Coordinate marketing activities and initiatives 

  • Identify target audiences through research

  • Run campaigns

  • Monitor metrics to evaluate trends

• Marketing associate

  • Prepare reports on marketing and sales metrics

  • Collect and analyze customer behavior metrics, such as web traffic and search rankings 

  • Coordinate with marketing teams to generate digital advertising materials

  • Assist with ongoing marketing campaigns

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) specialist

  • Develop optimization strategies to improve search rankings

  • Implement keywords for SEO 

  • Monitor metrics to understand SEO performance

  • Update links for optimization of search rankings

• Search Engine Marketing (SEM) specialist

  • Identify customer personas to enable marketing to identified audiences

  • Perform research on keywords for SEO and Pay Per Click (PPC) ads

  • Monitor metrics to optimize paid search performance

  • Identify and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) for SEM

• Social media specialist

  • Develop, implement, and manage a social media marketing strategy

  • Collaborate with sales and marketing teams on social media campaigns

  • Create content to build customer connections and increase brand awareness 

  • Monitor metrics in social media campaigns for customer engagement and content optimization insights

• Email marketing specialist

  • Create email marketing campaigns to promote products or services

  • Create an archive of emails for lead generation

  • Purge non-deliverable and unsubscribed email addresses

  • Use metrics to monitor the performance of email campaigns 

Associate-level roles in e-commerce

• E-commerce analyst

  • Implement e-commerce strategies to support business goals

  • Set e-commerce goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) for key attributes like audience, acquisition, behavior, and conversions

  • Monitor and analyze e-commerce metrics 

  • Leverage e-commerce data for operational insights

• E-commerce specialist

  • Develop and run campaigns to increase digital sales as part of an overall digital marketing strategy

  • Optimize paid advertising campaigns using SEO and other tools

  • Manage an online marketing presence, including social media platforms

  • Monitor metrics for spikes in website traffic or sales

Advance to roles that further your growth

• Digital marketing manager

  • Plan and execute digital marketing, including SEO/SEM, email, social media, and display advertising campaigns

  • Measure and report performance and return on investment (ROI) for digital marketing 

  • Plan, execute, and evaluate A/B tests and experiments

  • Evaluate and improve the end-to-end customer experience across multiple channels and customer touchpoints

• Social media strategist

  • Manage and oversee social media content

  • Measure the success of social media campaigns

  • Monitor and analyze metrics to recommend effective content optimization solutions

  • Network with industry professionals and influencers using social media

• Account manager

  • Build and maintain client relationships

  • Ensure the timely and successful delivery of advertising solutions based on customer needs and objectives

  • Clearly communicate the progress of initiatives to internal and external stakeholders

  • Forecast and monitor key account metrics

• E-commerce product manager

  • Conduct market research

  • Develop a product strategy for an e-commerce business based on analytics 

  • Define website and mobile app functionality, and deliver an optimal user experience for both

  • Understand business objectives and coordinate efforts to increase sales

Key takeaways

Career progression is very individualized. Sometimes it can take less than a year to be ready to advance to the next level; often it can take a few years. Here are three signs that you could be ready to progress to the next level. 

1. You consistently meet or exceed job-related performance goals.

2. You’re assigned tasks associated with a higher-level role.

3. You recently asked for more work while performing your job.

Keep in mind that your career can advance at a speed that is right for you. Always be ready and open to new opportunities by demonstrating a positive attitude and a growth mindset in whatever role you’re in!