10 TIPS ON HOW TO START YOUR DIGITAL MARKETING CAREER LIKE A PRO

If you’re looking to break into the digital marketing industry, there’s no better time than now. According to research, the digital economy is growing at triple the pace of U.S. GDP with employees working in the digital economy earning on average $114,275 a year, more than 72% of workers in the US, and over 80% in Africa.

I have compiled my top tips for aspiring digital marketers who wish to kick-start their digital marketing career today.

1. Eagerness to learn

The digital marketing industry is both fast-growing and incredibly competitive. It’s easy for businesses to differentiate between candidates who have the willingness to learn, and who are along for the ride. This industry requires passion and a desire to succeed. Things change every day in the industry.

2. Stay Updated

You need to keep on top of industry news by following major digital marketing sites and influential people on social media. As the major players such as Google, Facebook, and Twitter regularly tweak their paid advertising platforms and algorithms, you’re in for a wild ride if you don’t keep on top of the latest changes. But, I fell in love with Linkedin which strongly recommends you keep up to, it's going to give you a push to connect with business-minded people in your industry or the industry you are targeting.

Here are some recommendations on websites to get started -

SEO – Moz, Distilled, SEOGadget, Search Engine Land

PPC – PPC Hero, Search Engine Land

Social Media – Social Media Examiner, Social Media Today

Content – Hubspot

3. Networking

Surround yourself with people more talented than yourself  (LinkedIn if well used, can be a great tool for that). The people you meet will be your ongoing support network when you run into problems, as well as help to open doors to opportunities you might not have otherwise found.

You can also attend industry meetups and conferences in your area to nurture relationships with other digital marketers and enhance your skillset through in-depth workshops and presentations.

4. Personal Projects

Try out your own ideas and don’t just treat industry leaders’ opinions as gospel. Everything isn’t always black and white in the digital marketing industry, you will need to try the best practice you find and what can actually get results for your business.

Every digital marketer should have personal projects to test out theories, try their hand at multiple disciplines (SEO, PPC, Social Media, Content Marketing etc.) and be able to take accountability for the success or failure of a project.

5) Learn the terminology

Digital marketers need to be comfortable with acronyms such as PPC, SEM, and SEO. They are all very different terms with a misunderstanding of them being a clear sign that you have a beginner’s skill set and need further training. The ability to analyze digital marketing campaigns and understand what elements worked or not is dependent on your ability to understand industry jargon.

6) Build your personal brand

Fancy yourself as a digital marketing hotshot but you have no visible online presence? If you want to show to an employer that you can build their company’s visibility then you need to show that you can firstly build your own personal brand.

A strong online presence could potentially be the deciding factor between two candidates who have applied for the same position.

7) T-Shaped Marketer

As a term commonly used by Rand Fishkin of Moz, it refers to having a basic understanding of multiple marketing disciplines but specializing in one or two particular skills.

It’s not uncommon for companies to find candidates with a broad digital marketing skillset to be a valuable asset as there’s a considerable cross over between the different channels. It will also make you better equipped for choosing a more specific path of focus that you can specialize in.

8) Get Nerdy

Digital marketing can often be perceived to be quite glamorous, but truth be told it’s often more technical and data-driven than we would care to admit. You won’t be developing websites from scratch but you will be communicating your marketing strategy to a team of developers or designers who have a responsibility for incorporating your recommendations.

Basic knowledge of HTML and graphic design would help to make you stand out among the less technically minded candidates. Don't worry if you don't have them, you can still be in the industry and learn on the go.

9) Metrics are King

Do you know your CPC from your CPA? If you want to set yourself apart in an interview, talk about the return on ad spent for a campaign you’ve run yourself. It’s easy to talk about an exciting creative concept you’ve helped to develop but the fact remains…money talks.

You really need to understand how each marketing channel has performed and what the key learnings have been.

10) Certification

If you really want to stand out from your peers in the industry, completing a certified digital marketing course will help. One of the issues facing the digital marketing industry is that there are no barriers to entry, meaning that anyone with a loose grasp of industry terminology can potentially get a position in a company.

As this industry matures, recruiters are becoming savvier about what differentiates a candidate that can talk the talk, but maybe will be a costly mistake for the company.

There are a lot of affordable means to get certify out there, Google, Coursera, Udemy, etc.

Franck Ahui

Digital Marketer

DON'T BECOME A TRANSLATOR UNTIL YOU READ THIS

DON'T BECOME A TRANSLATOR UNTIL YOU READ THIS.

From Develop With Franck

I am a French native speaker and since I had passion for English, I decided to sacrifice everything to move to an English country to learn the language and even live there. After acquiring my proficiency in English language, I was pushed to interpret for events and conferences and letter on translate administrative documents. Gradually the passion grew in m, I got certified for that skills I had acquired. 3 years down the line here what I have learnt in this field, which is from experience a must known before your become a good translator.

1) Translate The Spirit of the Text

The holy grail in translation is not to translate words but instead ideas, in Translation Theory terms, we translate the spirit of the text and not it’s form. Once you have grasped this very basic and yet essential concept you will notice that translation becomes a whole lot more manageable. This concept also works for interpretation where it can really help to capture the ideas being communicated, and packaging it up in your own words in the target language rather than trying to interpret word for word because you will definitely meet a word or two you are not familiar with. This concept will go a long way in helping you navigate your way through the translation waters once you have a grasp on it.

2) Be Concise

The number two tip we have for you is to be concise. There is no need rumbling on with superfluous words in order to show that you have an A-grade level of mastery in vocabulary. Try to keep it as simple as possible while making sure you respect the ideas and meaning the Writer was trying to convey, remember this wise saying, simple always gets the job done!

3) Mastery of First Language

If you want to become a Translator, you need to have a perfect command of your first language, which is usually your mother tongue, mine being French, and have an excellent knowledge and strong command of at least one other language. To be among the crème de la crème of the profession, we would even recommend you start learning a third language if you haven’t done so already. This will broaden your mind and sharpen your thinking skills and it provides you with more options and opportunities when it comes to employment.

4) Flawless Grammar

Your grammar needs to be flawless in your language A and excellent in your language B. If it can be equally good in your language C, all the better but practically speaking, most Translators are slightly weaker in their language C since this is usually the last language they learned at a more advanced age. In order to master your grammar, you need to be an avid reader. Read whatever you can get your hands on since a Translator needs to be knowledgeable in various fields. Reading is no longer restricted to books, we live in the twenty first century and chances are, you are a millennial and are already conversant with computers. Get connected, read wide but be sure to make a difference between the verbal chaff and the wheat, there is a lot miseducation out there on the internet.

5) Specialization is Key

The next tip we have for you is to try and specialize. This may seem like the total antithesis of the previous paragraph but the fact is, and you will soon notice, that there are several other Translators who work with the same language pair as you do. In such cases, what makes the difference is the specialization. At this point you might be thinking, hold on, that disqualifies me for certain jobs but trust us, you are most likely to get more jobs in your field when you specialize than if you do it all because LSCs are currently hiring experts in specific fields. You might want to become a legal translation expert or maybe a medical one, this gives confidence to employers that you are best suited for a specific job and not just a Jack of all trades and master of none.

6) Ability to do Research

If you want to become a Translator you should be able to carry out research work. Remember scouring the internet at school during your final year project work and thinking “Yay” it’s all over when you were done? Well, guess again, there’s more of that ahead. You literally have to spend hours searching for translations for terms you may not be familiar with like acronyms, etc. You will need to build multilingual glossaries and translation memories (TMs) from scratch, that’s if you are not lucky enough to be hired by an already established company with its own TMs and glossaries. This might seem like a daunting task but some people already have an affinity towards research, this is part of what we call the flair for translation and this might be a make or break factor in the decision to become a Translator. We at F. Choice Consulting  absolutely love to do our research work and so should you.

7) Ability to Work Under Pressure

A Translator should be able to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines. As a matter of fact, this is the Translator’s modus operandi, we almost always work under the pressure of time constraints, clients almost always give tight deadlines and your whole craft depends on being able to hand in high quality results within the short timeframes. Translators have many ways of soaking up this pressure, some share the work amongst colleagues making sure they use the same TMs to maintain a certain level of consistency across sections. This method helps speed up the work a great deal but keep in mind that each person will have to get a slice of the pie when it is baked.

8) Don’t Rely Blindly on Machine Translation

One of the most tempting things to do when you are a young, naïve and up and coming Translator is to plug the whole source text ( ST) into Google Translate and send the output to the client without checking it, thinking machines are better translators. This is the biggest mistake you could ever make in your short-lived career. Never give a Google Translate target text (TT) to a client without having it proofread, or proofreading it yourself first, if the target language (TL) is your language A! One thing you quickly have to understand is that no matter how far we’ve come in terms of progress in Artificial Intelligence (AI), we have still not reached the point where machines can better translate a text than humans and without human input. To put it simply, words might have nuanced meanings depending on the context in which they are used and though machines have come a long way, they have not yet mastered the tiny differences in meanings that only a human can detect. This is why Translators can assist themselves with Machine Translation (MT) or Computer Assisted Technology (CAT) tools but can never be replaced by them… at least, not yet.

9) Use CAT tools

We highly recommend you use CAT ( Computer Assist Translation) tools rather than using the Stone Age way of translating off the top of you head. True, it meant that Translators were very knowledgeable back in the days and it is in no way a validation of mediocrity in the industry, but CAT tools help you do the work faster, more consistently and also efficiently. Investing in CAT tools might seem steep upfront but trust us, they are well worth the investment and besides, there are some free open source CAT tools like Omega T which will get a decent job done. We highly recommend investing in SDL Trados Studio, SDL is one of the market leaders with respect to CAT tools, you can check out how they placed on the 2019 MarketFlex Report. The second is deepl.com/translator. This is our preferred CAT tool at F. Choice Consulting.

10) Make Hay while the Sun Shines

The final tip we have for you is an old adage but certainly not overrated; make hay while the sun shines. Unless you work for an established LSC or you are a salaried worker in the translation department of a company, in which case job security may not be guaranteed either and so the adage still applies to you, translation is the kind of tricky profession where when you start, you probably don’t have the connections to keep the contracts coming in regularly. There can be long periods of drought before your next lucrative contract and so you must learn to manage your money well. If you don’t, there could be periods where you might begin to question if you are in the right profession but God takes care of all His children and after the storm, the sun shall surely come out again. Remember, a word to the wise is enough.

So there you have it, F. Choice Consulting 10 tips for burgeoning Translators. At this point you’ve probably got a solid idea of what it takes to become a Professional Translator and might be trying to decide if the profession is for you. Well, know this, translation can be one of the most gratifying professions if you have the flair coupled with the skills, the knowledge and the experience. The third factor that you don’t often learn at school, the knowledge, is very critical in determining if you survive the first few years in the profession. Well, you have just received the knowledge in a nutshell, the experience is on you to go out and carve for yourself, no one can teach you that. So in conclusion, you now possess all the prerequisite information to possibly become a seasoned Translator, use it wisely and may the force be with you.

 

Franck Ahui:  Trainer | Health & Wellness Consultant | Business Developer | Digital Marketer | Blogger | Co-Founder at F.Choice Consulting and DevelopWithFranck

[4 Reasons to Use Animations in Marketing]

4 Reasons to Use Animations in Marketing

1) Animations help tell a story
No matter if it’s a short 30-second clip or a full-length feature movie, everyone loves a good story. Animations can help bring your concepts and ideas to life. When it comes to telling a story, you want to create a video that your audience can relate too. Compelling stories should convey your message and help grab your audience’s attention.

2) They are easy to understand and professional. 

The great thing about making an animated video is displaying clear information in a simple manner. You don’t have to pile loads of information and statistics to get your points across, and message heard. If your video includes several detailed graphs and charts, you can guide your audience through them with a voice over.

3) Animated videos appeal to all. 
Animated videos tend to be simple. They don’t have a real age, nationality, race or beliefs, unlike real actors. You may think that animated videos are designed just for kids. In fact, adults love the imagination, creativity and human aspect surrounding video animation.

4) Animation doesn't cap creativity. 
Sky's the limit. ...Anything that may seem impossible in real life should be possible in animation!

Get started with F. Choice Consulting!
Call or WhatsApp 00233546885299
Your creation our passion


About the Author: Franck Ahui is digital marketing strategist, an Entrepreneur, Business developer, photographer and a content creator who is interested in all things SEO and design-related.

HOW TO TRANSITION FROM MANAGER TO LEADER

[HOW TO TRANSITION FROM MANAGER TO LEADER]

4 Essential Steps for an Easier Leadership Transition
Managers and leaders may sound the same but there are big differences in the roles they play and the people who perform them.

While managers do often lead a team, a leader such as a C-suite professional, has larger responsibilities that go well beyond tasks with predefined goals.

Management is a big responsibility, and a good manager can be the backbone of a business. But if you’re that manager you may have goals beyond your team.

If you’re a small business and growing you may be functioning as a manager, but now that you’re growing you have to start thinking beyond managing your team.

So how does someone move from management to CEO? Strong leadership.

Leadership is a huge topic because of the complexity that goes into being a great leader. Coaching small business owners into being strong leaders takes time, experience, and persistence because of the unseen obstacles that prevent us from really achieving what we want.

Leadership, when moving beyond managing your team, means managing the whole business. Where will you all be in 1 year? What about 5 years? What goals should the entire business have that incorporate the needs of all employees while growing and improving the business?

Discovering the answers to broad questions like these requires a few essential elements:

1- LEARN TO BE A LEADER
You won’t magically know how to lead a company, so it’s time to start reading, watching, and learning. Podcasts, books, and seminars on leadership are plentiful.

Learning to be a leader means education, so look for something you know you can commit to and start loving what you learn.

Some people prefer podcasts so they can listen in their car. Some prefer books for learning while others need personal contact for the information to set in.

Whatever you choose, don’t make it a task instead of an opportunity or you’ll resent the role you’re getting into before you even get there.

Don’t be afraid to invest in a coach for yourself because the right one knows how to work with your mindset to remove any limiting beliefs and self-sabotage in addition to helping guide you about the tactical changes you will need to make to become a great leader.

Personally, when I coach my clients, small business owners rely on over years of experience for what I teach, but how I do it is customized to fit the person I am working with.

2-DEFINE YOUR ROLE
Defining your role as leader means setting expectations. What exactly will be the difference when you’re a CEO and not a general manager?

Write down your new list of additional or altered responsibilities so you have a clear understanding of what it is you’re going to be doing. Within this, you should make sure to list off all those who you will be delegating various responsibilities to as well as any changes you’ll need to manage those people performing your old duties.

You’ll never be able to measure your success as a leader if you don’t define what that is to yourself!

Get in touch with me if you’re having issues defining your role as leader and I’ll help you settle on not just what you need to do, but how you need to do it.

3-PREPARE TO FAIL
Being thick-skinned isn’t as easy as it sounds. The additional demand on you as a leader may not seem like a big deal at first but over time the pressure can mount and eventually it can develop into a big problem.

Not every item on your agenda will be great and not every point in your plan for your business will come to fruition, so knowing in advance that failure is an option will save your sanity on those dark days.

Leaders may exude confidence in public but that confidence that’s meant to inspire the rest of the company is not always an accurate reflection of the person’s true state of mind.

Remember that failure almost always precedes success and treating those failures as learning experiences will arm you with confidence from having faced your fear of failure and kept on trying.

4-START LEADING
Talking about transitioning from management into a leadership role can be an endless conversation.

Don’t get stuck in your planning phase and remember steps 1 – 3: learn, set your goals, and don’t be afraid to fail!

If you have any issues with any of these steps and want professional leadership coaching please get in touch with me. I have helped many people just like you take that big step from management to leader

Get in Touch
Book a Free Consultation

00233546885299

developWithFranck@gmail.com

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