Are you looking for a guide on how to find a mentor for digital marketing? Are you struggling to learn digital marketing all by yourself?
If your answer is yes, then the tips you are about to read should interest you.
You may have a business and plan to learn digital marketing to know how it works. There’s nothing wrong if you choose to learn digital marketing to help your business too.
Some people may want to build a career in digital marketing, a reason they’re seeking a mentor to guide them.
Whatever category you belong to, know that finding the right mentor to learn digital marketing will benefit you.
Now, let’s dive in and share tips to help you make the right decision.
Why You Should Find A Mentor For Digital Marketing
Before we dive into the details of how you can locate a digital marketing mentor for you, let’s discuss the reasons you need a mentor.
So, why do you even need a mentor to learn digital marketing? Continue reading as I explain the reasons.
1: Digital marketing is complex:
Digital marketing is complex. That’s the fact.
Now, please, don’t get me wrong. I am not trying to scare you or urge you to give up your aspiration to learn digital marketing. If I could learn and become an expert in it, I am confident you can also do the same (with proper guidance, time, and dedication).
So, I don’t mean to scare you. I just want you to prepare your mind for what is to come as you embark on this journey.
The reason digital marketing is complex is that there is so much you need to learn, understand and do.
You must learn how to research keywords, draft compelling content, optimize web pages, and use various digital channels for the promotion of a product or service.
When I mentioned digital channels, here is what I meant;
- Website
- SEO
- Social media
- Video Marketing
- Pay-per-click advertising
The list goes on and on. And what’s more, you must know how to use these channels effectively to drive traffic, sales, ranking, and brand awareness.
Above all, your digital marketing campaign must yield positive results.
Mind you; a marketing campaign isn’t successful whenever you complete the task. It is successful when positive results start popping up.
The marketing campaign’s goal could be to create brand awareness and boost organic traffic, ranking, or sales. It could be all of them too.
So, as a digital marketer, you are expected to achieve the targeted goals. You are also expected to know how to use the various channels effectively.
You are expected to know the various types of SEO (On-page, Off-page and Technical SEO), including how to conduct SEM (Paid Search) and deliver high ROI.
Alright, enough! I know the entire process sounds confusing already. But the truth is that’s reality stirring at you right there.
So, know that you have so much to learn in digital marketing.
Now, here’s the thing. If you decide to start the marketing journey on your own, you may hit rock bottom. The complexity of digital marketing makes it confusing to beginners.
This confusion might cause many to lose motivation and abandon their dreams of becoming digital marketers, though it doesn’t have to happen this way.
You need a mentor!
If you have a digital marketing mentor, know you’ll have the guidance you need. The mentor will direct you on where to focus your attention at every given time.
For instance, after learning and understanding the various types of SEO (On-page, Off-page, and Technical SEO), your mentor may ask you to move to paid search or other areas of digital marketing. You may even receive detailed explanations on what each aspect entails.
2. A mentor can help you learn digital marketing faster:
Whether learning digital marketing or running a marketing campaign, time is one of the luxuries you won’t have.
However, if you have a mentor, you won’t waste time learning something that should take a few hours, for days. Anytime you get stuck while learning a concept, your mentor will come to your rescue.
Your mentor may explain complex processes and concepts in the simplest possible terms so that you can understand them perfectly well.
So, if you want to learn how digital marketing works and move with incredible speed, finding a mentor is an important step you have to take.
3: Opens more doors of opportunities for you:
One thing I like about digital marketing is that anyone can become a marketer without a certificate. You don’t need a certificate to offer this marketing service.
Getting a job after leaving school is one of the things many graduates would experience. The competition in the labor market is high and frustrating.
With a digital marketing skill, you can earn a living working from home, land a 9-5 job, or start your own company.
According to Statista‘s report, global digital ad spend is expected to reach $876 billion by 2026. What does this imply? It means the demand by companies for performance ads marketers would only continue to increase.
As ad platforms remain a tool for acquiring customers, companies will never stop seeking experienced digital marketing professionals who can plan, create and execute effective cross-platform campaigns.
A Pro Tip: If you’re a digital marketer, ensure you familiarize yourself with the various digital ad platforms.
One thing that sets our agency, BitChip Digital, apart is not just our knowledge and experience in deploying diverse digital ad platforms to generate more leads for our clients. We know how to turn $1 into $2 and even more.
How To Find A Mentor For Digital Marketing
The first question you should ask is, “who is a mentor?” A mentor can be a coach, tutor, guide, or counselor.
A digital marketing mentor is someone that has experience and knowledge in the field. With guidance from such a mentor, you can learn and improve digital marketing faster.
So, how can you find a digital marketing mentor? Let’s dive in quickly.
1: Know what you seek in a digital marketing mentor:
What do you seek in a mentor? Write them down before you start your search.
Having a clear picture of what you want in a mentor will help you make the best decision for your digital marketing career.
You may want to focus on things like, the mentor’s:
- Expertise
- Knowledge
- Empathy
- Years of experience
- Willingness to give honest feedback
- Passion for the skill you are hoping to grow
A Pro Tip: Find a mentor that is ready to invest time to help you grow. The person should be enthusiastic about your growth each step of the way.
2: Consider your company:
If your company has a digital marketing team, chances are one of the team members has what it takes to mentor you. Perhaps, the person could be a senior marketing team member with some experience.
You will enjoy the learning process if you can find a digital marketer within your company. Why? It would be cost-effective, and you can get help whenever you need it.
Now, here’s the thing. Finding a mentor within your company would be a great move. But there are specific challenges you might face.
First, your mentor may lose interest in mentoring you over time, and you can’t fault them for this. Why? Don’t forget they have their tasks to perform and could be feeling stressed already.
Your mentor may also not feel bothered about mentoring you some days. It could be due to stress or the fact that they’re wasting so much time on you, causing them to neglect their official assignment in the company.
Another challenge is that colleagues you’re hoping would be your mentor might not have enough experience to mentor you. Furthermore, some may feel more comfortable doing the job than assigning it to you.
Now, hear this. This tip isn’t for you if you don’t have a job now. You can check out the other tips on finding a mentor to take your digital marketing career to the next level.
3: Leverage the power of LinkedIn:
Many people have found their dream jobs, connected with top professionals, and stumbled on thought-provoking ideas on LinkedIn. But do you know you can find your mentor on this platform too?
Yes, you can! LinkedIn is home to thousands of digital marketers with many years of experience. And you can find a mentor here too.
Here’s my advice to you when using LinkedIn to search for mentors. Please, go straight to the point when requesting mentoring help from any professional on this platform.
Don’t beat around the bush. Let the person know you admire their work and would like to be mentored by them. It is as simple as that.
Now, here’s what you should expect.
But first, please, understand that the people you’re contacting have their schedules and may have to adjust them to accommodate you. So, be ready to compromise too.
Again, some potential mentors may already have so much on their plates. So they may turn down your request. And don’t feel hated when they do. Don’t see them as being too pompous.
If you were in their shoes and had the kind of schedules they have daily, you might do the same thing.
Finally, be ready for rejection, and don’t feel bad when rejected. Keep pushing until you find someone willing and highly interested in mentoring you.
A Handy Tip: Don’t be quick to pitch to potential mentors. Instead, follow, engage and interact with any of their posts to get noticed. When you engage potential mentors, you may succeed in building relationships. Additionally, such mentors may value you and probably accept your request to their mentee.
4: Visit mentorship platforms:
Several mentorship platforms where you can find a digital marketing mentor exist but understand that they’re not free.
Mentors on these platforms charge different rates. So, I would suggest you create a list of your choice of mentors from the mentorship platforms and compare their prices.
The exciting thing about these platforms is the fact that they include information about each mentor. The mentors usually post their past employers, experience, industry portfolio, and rates.
Now, please, if money is an issue for you, choose a mentor with a cheaper rate. You may also want to pay attention to the person’s expertise before making a choice.
My advice is, don’t hire an unqualified person to be your mentor. If you do, you might end up learning the wrong things. So, if you have to save more money to hire the best, please do so.
Here are some mentorship platforms you can visit:
- Pellon
- Clarity
- MentorCruise
- GrowthMentor
5: Attend professional networking events:
Professional networking events are an excellent place to look for mentors. Such events offer participants opportunities to connect, interact and learn from people in their fields.
So, attend as many networking events as possible to broaden your chances of finding a mentor. The approach of the professionals at the event you think would be willing to mentor you.
6: Consider using social media:
Finding a mentor on social media for your industry of interest is a breeze. You can even use keywords and hashtags to locate mentors on social media.
Again, as I explained on LinkedIn, don’t pitch any mentor you find on social media platforms immediately. Follow them on the platform and be active.
You can comment on their posts and try to engage them. Don’t try to show that you know too much. Instead, you can ask questions or ask your potential mentors to explain specific terms that they used in their posts.
Once you succeed in engaging and you have been noticed by the person whose mentorship help you seek, then you can send in your pitch.
Examples of social media platforms you can find a mentor:
- GitHub
- Facebook (Facebook Groups, most especially)
Will Finding A Digital Marketing Mentor Benefit Me As The Founder Of The Company?
Yes, it will. As the founder and owner of the business, the onus is on you to make the business succeed.
You don’t necessarily have to learn digital marketing with the hope of becoming an expert. Just get a good understanding of how things work.
Conclusion
At this point, how to find a mentor for digital marketing shouldn’t be a challenge for you anymore. I have taken the time to explain what you need to do and the platforms where you can find a great marketing mentor.
Examples of platforms you can find mentors are MentorCruise, GrowthMentor, Clarity, and Pella. You can also use social media platforms to find a mentor.
Furthermore, anyone can learn digital marketing and become a pro marketer over time with the help of a mentor. So, get a mentor to kick-start your online marketing journey and sail through easily.
Why Choose BitChip Digitals?
Digital marketing done without deploying a digital strategy might not deliver positive results. You may end up losing money at the end of the day.
BitChip Digital knows the nitty-gritty of digital marketing. Our professionals are well-trained, experienced, and ready to bend over to get the targeted results.
So, if you wish to win the digital game and stay ahead of your competitors, contact us right away. We take pride in helping businesses grow.