Digital space is exciting; you get to tell your stories and reach to mass public within no time. You can feel heard and understood, with just one meaningful story in your social media account! This space is only becoming more fascinating with the inclusion of various technological advancements like AI. The question is, are you equipped enough to make use of this space and use it to boost your career graph?
If not, and if you do not know where to start, then we have you covered. We are giving you a list of 7 digital skills that can boost your career and keep you updated. This article should definitely get you started,
Analytics & Insight
There is an ample amount of data available to you, especially in this digital age. The important point is do you have the necessary skills to make sense of the raw data available to you? Are you able to see through the data and derive a pattern out of it, which can help you make the right decisions? Companies are always on the lookout for people who have the analytical skills that can turn massive amounts of data into meaningful business insights.
Steps you can take
- Enroll for an online certification course on data science
- Talk to the industry experts around you
- Ask for a role in the company that is focused on business intelligence
Community Management
You need to know the habitat you are operating in so that you have a symbiotic relationship with the other members of your habitat. This essentially means that you need to know how to become an active and essential member of your business community; it is important because then you will have someone to share your ideas with. You need this community to enlarge your own thought process and see things from another angle. A lot of businesses need people who are good at community management; no wonder, community management comes right at the top in the list of 7 digital skills that can boost your career.
Steps you can take
- Read about your industry, business, partners, competitors and your customers
- Take up the responsibility of a community manager in your company for a few years
- Get acquainted with the technical tools that can help you in managing different stakeholders of your company (you can join an online course for it)
- Join established business communities like BNI, LinkedIn, etc.
Storytelling
There is no place for ‘just content’ anymore in this world that is bombarded with new content every day! What you need is storytelling which can help you connect with your employees and your customers. You need to know the how, when, and where, of your storytelling. This is an art and you can inculcate this art with dedication and practice; it is an important digital skill to learn in 2024!
Steps you can take
- Listen to the best storytellers within your industry; you can find them online
- Follow the account of known Instagram influencers; they are able to make a sales pitch by narrating a story about themselves (and the brand they are promoting)
- Check out the marketing campaigns of the successful brands; one of my favourites is McDonald’s #RaiseYourArches campaign (go check it out!)
Technology and AI Knowhow
If you think that you do not need to know about technology in general because you do not operate in the tech sector, then you cannot be more wrong! You can belong to any sector and any community, you will need to acquaint yourself with the technical tools that help in running a business better. There are many utility apps and software online that can help you increase your productivity; you can get great deals on utility software and apps online. Artificial intelligence is a new technology and everyone seems to be talking about it; get to know AI (go beyond just ChatGPT!). Trust me it is one of the easiest tech skills to learn!
Steps you can take
- Read and learn about the latest developments in the tech sector and AI in particular
- You can take up a course on AI to understand the nuances of it
- Use ChatGPT and other apps like it
- Make a list of tech tools being used in your line of work and use it (like Vimeo for video making, wondershare for other media content creation, etc.)
Project Management & Team Collaboration
This is a generic skill that you need to possess to excel in your professional career. Any brand has functional teams that plan and execute a digital campaign and then there is a core team that overlooks the management of the entire campaign. You need to be able to communicate effectively with your team so that the team executes the campaign effortlessly. You can be in any role in any company you will need to inculcate these two skills to progress ahead in your career; yes, it comes with experience, but then you can also inculcate it by practice. By far, it is one of the 7 digital skills that can boost your career.
Steps you can take
- Choose a mentor who is good at team collaboration & project management and learn from him/her
- Get a professional certificate on currently trending project management (like agile management, etc.) and opt for such roles early in your career
- Read books like “Be Fast or Be Gone”, “Project Management for Non-Project Managers”, etc.
Befriend Social Media Platforms
It is important to have an account across different social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, X, Pinterest, Reddit, LinkedIn, Telegram, etc.) and acquaint yourself with the whole mechanism of different platforms. While operating these accounts, you need to build a mindset of a marketer and not of a consumer. Know how different marketers use these platforms to engage with their audience and potential customers.
Steps you can take
- Read about the working of different social media platforms in detail (you can find a lot of meaningful content online around this subject)
- Take up a digital marketing course online
- Jump in and try it out yourself; there is nothing better than first-hand knowledge
- Subscribe to publications talking about social media platforms (like Social Media Examiner)
- Have a discussion around this topic with your colleagues, your mentors, and within your business community
Pick on Digital Trends
Getting a hang of digital trends is the key to success in business, in today’s world. In every sector, you need to pick on trends that are appealing to your customers and you need to design your products and your marketing campaign around that trend. The thing with the trend is that it engrosses the mass public all at once (and in a very short span of time) and it also fades away very easily within no time; if you are not proactive enough, you will miss the opportunity of using a trend in your favor. If you are someone who is good with picking a digital trend then your company will value you immensely; this is one of the most important ones in the list of 7 digital skills that can boost your career.
Steps you can take
- Subscribe to publications talking about trends
- Follow the social media channels of the people talking about digital trends
- Do not limit your vision just to your industry because any trend can be useful for your industry
- Watch your competitors closely and copy fast & better
Conclusion
A new trend can get overwhelming if you do not know how to use it in your favour. The best approach is to just go at it with full energy and make the most out of it; and this article should help you just do that!