Digital Marketing: Advice When Changing Your Career Focus

I’m often asked for career advice from students, colleagues and sometimes even complete strangers on the street seeking a career in digital marketing (OK, that last part about strangers on the street might be a stretch).

I decided to write this post after a conversation this morning with a really bright woman seeking a change in her career path. She’s been in the same job for a number of years and feels like there’s more out there for her, particularly in the digital marketing space.

The advice I gave her is similar to what I’ve told many other people who want to move into digital marketing. Here’s a breakdown of the steps you should take if you’re thinking about making a change in your professional life. Of course, you can also apply these steps to personal life changes, too.

Leverage Prior Experience and Skills

If you’ve spent time developing a set of skills in a given area (human resources, traditional marketing, PR, corporate communications, sales, etc.), don’t simply cast them aside and think you’ve got to start all over again. Leverage the time and effort you’ve put into building those skills and apply them to the digital marketing space. Your prior knowledge and where you’ve been and done are what makes you valuable and unique. Use that to your advantage by making it the foundation of where you’re going.

Forget About Your Age

So you’re 35. Big deal. That’s an advantage, not a hindrance. Digital marketing (and other) organizations want people who can solve problems, people who are “taxi-tested tough” with the experience necessary to get things done. As a leader, I want to surround myself with people who will worry for me and deliver results. Age has no bearing on any of that. I’ve seen kids out of college as well as 75-year-olds who blew me away with their energy, skills and some kick-ass deliverables.

Think Long-Term

It’s a different world out there, with the US economy and the rest of the world in what sometimes feels like a free-fall. The days of short term thinking are behind us. This economic crisis will continue for many years to come and this is all the more reason you need to leverage your prior experience and skills to build new value for yourself as part of a long-term plan in digital marketing. The road map to success you create for yourself today has to prepare you for a cross-country journey, not a 200 mile trip to Aunt Mae’s in Connecticut.

photo credit: Jesus Vivas

Get Your Inventory Together

It’s about where you’ve been, where you are today and where you want to go tomorrow. So get a pad and pen, your iPad, or whatever you use to create and make a couple of lists. The first one should hold all of the things you’d like to do in the digital marketing space. I’m not talking “Take a trip to Madagasgar”. You should list all of the things you’d like to be doing going forward. It can be as simple as a job title or a few words related to a specific role you think would be a good fit for you.

The second list is a personal skills inventory. Take some time to list all of the skills you have that make you different. Continue adding to both lists over a period of 2-3 weeks. Then, order both lists, moving the things you’re most passionate about doing and the skills that best define who you are, to the top.

Get to Work

There you go. It’s a good start, but there’s definitely more to do. Check back soon for my next post on this topic and meanwhile, make sure you sign-up for my free newsletter. It’ll help you stay informed and competitive in the digital marketing space.

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below – I’m happy to take general questions. If you need more personalized help, don’t hesitate to drop me a note. I’m ready to jump in and help you adjust your course (or chart a new one) for success!

Tagged as: business, career changes, career paths, careers advice, Digital Marketing, human resources, leverage, marketing, road maps, sound advice, traditional marketing