There is no doubt that a digital marketing executive in Singapore could help turn around the fortunes of your company as well as future proof it. Microsoft founder, Billionaire, and philanthropist, Bill Gates once said that if your business is not on the internet, then you are not in business. However, the digital media marketing is not for the faint-hearted; it is frustrating when strategies do not go as planned or yield the desired results.
Besides, learning the essentials of digital marketing yourself would take months, and you still would not have covered all there is about digital marketing. Do not go into all this trouble, hire a digital marketing executive, they are not only cheaper in the long run, but they know their stuff. Singaporean companies with digital marketing executives have seen increased sales as well as brand recognition and interaction.
Today, Singaporeans rely on the internet for information, interaction, shopping and so much more. This makes the modern business environment to rely on digital marketers to get their messages across to the consumer. You can hire an in-house digital marketing executive in Singapore, or a freelancer depending on your financial capability. The process of hiring them is not different, and you could use the tips we have compiled for you in this article.
What A Digital Marketing Executive Does
Unlike typical marketers who are always out pitching new clients and appraising existing ones, digital marketers might seem to be lagging on the job because they hardly spend any physical time with clients. However, their role is equally demanding, and sometimes they may be busier than the conventional marketers interacting with clients on a face-to-face basis.
Here are some of the things they get up to on a daily basis.
Data Analysis
The modern business world revolves around big data, which most companies do not know how to use to their advantage. A competent digital marketing executive needs to have exceptional data analysis skills to piece together the data and deduce the metrics that will increase the company’s online presence. When properly analysed, the data could help your company increase profits, brand engagement, and give you a better understanding of your customers’ needs.
Creating Social Media Ads
Social media is the ultimate marketing tool, and over time, the platforms have become an invaluable source of client information. However, it takes more than likes and comments on a post to get people interested in what you are selling. Social media ads are the best way to get the message across and a digital marketing executive creates them to pull in new customers and clients. The digital marketing executive will analyse social media data and chose the best networks to post the ads for better engagement with the opportunity cost in mind.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is more involving than sending out a couple of emails with product information to prospects and existing clients. Most companies lack a proper email marketing campaign and research has shown that emailing marketing have better conversions than any other type of digital marketing. Collecting emails is not easy but digital marketers know how to optimize a site to collect emails, and additional information from consumers then craft a strategy for a robust email marketing campaign.
Social Media Marketing
This takes up most of the digital marketing executive’s time, and it is highly complex. The marketer has to optimize the strategy for every platform, and this calls for them to know the tools that will help in automation. In an ever-changing industry, digital marketers tend to go all out, but the best know which ones to ignore. After identifying the best platform, creating SEO content is the next biggest task.
Search Engine Marketing
Other than social media platforms, search engine results pages (SERPs) are the next best way to get organic traffic to your website and blog. This means that your site has to rank high on SERPs in your niche. A digital marketing executive ensures this by optimizing the content on your blog and website to be in line with ranking factors and algorithms of different search engines. They will also know how you use Google AdWords for PPC as part of search engine marketing.
These are the top five duties of a digital marketing executive in Singapore. Other responsibilities include content marketing, mobile marketing, viral and visual marketing. There are more duties that digital marketers do to boost your brand’s online presence, and that is why you are better placed with hiring trained and skilled digital marketing executive in Singapore rather than doing the job yourself.
The Preferred Qualities of a Digital Marketing Executive
The modern business environment combines time-tested industrial excellence and continually advancing technology. More so, the digital media keeps evolving and with it, the strategies and strengths that determine the success of strategies and campaigns. When looking to hire the best digital marketing executive in Singapore, consider the following skills.
Digital Literacy
Most people of working age today did not grow up in the current digital era, and many have gone to school or taught themselves how to navigate through the digital space with ease. However, there are many moving parts to the digital space and the best candidate ought to have as much information and technical experience as possible. Whether they are digital natives or picked up the skills much later in life, they need to be self-motivated to keep up with the digital marketing trends.
A Clear Understanding of The Metrics
Digital marketing relies heavily on big data and the candidate ought to know how to use the data to identify the metrics that will be useful to the company. However, do not expect them to start rattling numbers during interviews. They might not have the analytics you might want on hand but at the very least they ought to know the marketing metrics that drive the Singaporean clients to make buying decisions, both offline and online.
High-stakes Decision Making
Digital marketing is continually changing, and the ability to change tack when necessary is an invaluable trait. Pivoting is crucial in the implementation of digital marketing campaign strategies. Assess the candidate’s ability to make high-stakes decisions, as well as quickly and creatively finding solutions to problems. This needs that you issue a challenge to assess their decision-making skills and ability to find solutions during the interviewing process quickly.
Idea Conceptualisation
A digital marketer ought to have a knack for acting on creative ideas and vision. The executive should have the ability to look at the big picture and effectively communicate ideas to the creative department and the account team. This requires that they be a team player who can handle professional criticism.
Use of Online Tools
With digital marketing making the industry more complex, there are tools designed to help. They are, however, as useful as the person using them. This makes it crucial to hire a digital marketing executive who knows how to use tools such as Hootsuite, Mail Chimp, Aweber, among others. These tools help marketers be more efficient to the company.
These are the absolute five qualities you should look for in a digital marketing executive. However, the executive should also be business oriented, adaptable, with leadership qualities.
Top Job Portals in Singapore To Hire A Digital Marketing Executive
Relying on your website to get the word out that you need a digital marketing executive in Singapore could go unnoticed by most people. The best way to attract qualified and experienced candidates for your vacant position is to use the following job portals
JobStreet Singapore
The parent company is based out of India and over time it has become one of the most preferred job portals in Singapore. You can post ads to target local digital marketers or those willing to relocate to the country. JobStreet Singapore is perfect if you want to cast your net wider than Singapore when looking for the best candidate to work as your digital marketing executive in Singapore.
Glassdoor
This is an international firm that is considered the largest hiring websites in the world. To post a job vacancy, you need to pay $99 for each post although it varies from one location to the other. It allows employees to review employers and if you get good reviews, it will be easy attracting qualified and experienced digital marketing executives.
Jobiness
This portal also works much like Glassdoor, where employees can share information such as salaries, jobs, and companies on the site. Use the platform to post your digital marketing executive and then wait for the applications to come in. You can enhance your employer rating on Jobiness by responding to the reviews and promoting your corporate culture to the thousands of job candidates.
Freelance Zone
If you do not have the funds to hire and keep an in-house digital marketing executive, you could always use a freelancer. The free version of Freelance Zone offers you one live ad at a time, but to get more ads, choose the paid plans, where you can get as many as five guaranteed applications from qualified candidates. Freelance Zone has partnered with other portals such as recruit.net and Indeed to maximize the visibility of your job posting.
CareerBuilder
This is another job portal with a global reach and has local branches in countries across the world. It has gained in popularity in Singapore and statistics show that 1 in every seven employers use the site to get their preferred candidates. By posting on CareerBuilder Singapore, your ad will also be posted on JobsCentral another portal powered by CareerBuilder as well as on social media.
This is the professionals’ social media, and you have the best chance to recruit a qualified as well as a connected digital marketing executive. LinkedIn allows you to define who will see your ad and filter the candidates by country. With your job posting already live, you can incentivize your connections to share the ad and help in getting the best candidate for the job.
Beam
This is an online professional hub much like LinkedIn, where people connect to create partnerships, post jobs, meet investors, find jobs, and so much more. You can use Beam to proactively source candidates for your digital marketing executive by searching for and reviewing profiles that mention your preferred keywords such as location, skills, and more.
Monster Singapore
Monster has a resume database with over a million registered users. However, when posting your ad, you need to specify that you are based in Singapore to attract applications in the country since Monster is a job portal with branches all over the world. There are several pricing options for a variety of services such as resume review for your job posting to suit your company’s needs.
Recruit.net
Recruit.net is another of the preferred job portal for both employees and employers. The Singapore branch attracts millions of job seekers, and it has matched over 100,000 job ads to qualified and experienced candidates. Create an employer account and post your job ad today.
Egon Zehnder
Of the global companies offering job ad posting platforms, Egon Zehnder goes the extra mile to provide additional services such as executive search, leadership strategy, board consultation, among other services. They will also handle the entire recruitment process for you, and this means that they are more expensive than any other company on this list. They have HR specialists as well as research professionals who conduct comprehensive background research on candidates applying for your digital marketing executive position.
What to Consider When Looking for A Digital Marketing Executive in Singapore
Singapore is a country that accepts people from all over the world, and so you need to be careful about who you hire as your marketing executive. We have compiled a list of things you must consider to help you hire the best digital marketing executive.
Background
Every country is different, and its people identify with a culture, which extends to their online interactions and behaviour. You are best placed in hiring a local who has experience in how Singaporeans behave on the internet, as well as a knack for jumping on trends that will help improve brand interaction.
Credentials and Training Certificates
There are several institutions in Singapore offering digital marketing courses that will qualify a candidate to work as a digital marketing executive. There are also online courses where candidates could learn the essentials of digital marketing such as SEO, SEM, SMM, content marketing and publishing, and so much more. Look out for a candidate with a Google Analytics and AdWords certificates. They will have better knowledge and experience than those with just an undergraduate degree.
WordPress Competency
WordPress is the backbone of the internet seeing that the platform is responsible for 26% of all websites and blogs on the internet. It also contains vital tools for digital marketers and the candidate you choose ought to know how it works, and how to integrate plugins for site administration as well as to make the website have a better UX.
Experience
Experience can be a great undoing when it comes to digital marketing. The logic behind this line of thought is that the candidate could be less inclined to act on new trends choosing to work with time-tested techniques. However, this does not mean that experienced digital marketers will not fulfil the required duties as expected. When it comes to digital marketing, it is best to hire a qualified candidate with potential. This is where referees come in to vouch for the candidate’s skills and experience.
References
Unless you are looking for an entry-level executive, they will hardly have professional references in the digital marketing circles. However, a proactive candidate will work to get people who can vouch for their skills and work experience. Always contact them for the candidate’s work history and an overview of their productivity.
However, do not just take their word for it, get a research specialist to do background checks on the shortlisted candidates to reveal how good of a digital marketing executive they are beyond what they have stated in the resume. Experienced digital marketers should have no trouble showing their previous works for your consideration. However, you will need to have a mock project as part of the interview process to gauge their abilities.
Communication Skills
This is one of the things you cannot overlook, and it is a staple factor for all marketers. A digital marketer’s ability to communicate through words, videos, images, on social media is essential in engaging the consumers and clients. They also have to deal with various types of clients and consumers, and this makes it a requirement that they are good listeners and create a viable solution from their observations and deductions.
Ability to Analyse Quantifiable Metrics
Today, metrics are at the centre of all marketing and advertisement processes. This has made it crucial that a digital marketer is in a position to quantify the value of investing in marketing and advertising. According to EMerchant Broker, Blair Thomas, the supremacy battle in the modern age is now not being won by whole percentage points. Digital marketers need general knowledge and competencies that will provide actionable metrics and prove their value from real data.
Brevity
The modern consumer gets distracted by information and content from all directions, and this reduces brand interaction. Product information needs to be short and brief, yet impactful. Digital marketers need to be efficient and effective with the words they use on digital marketing campaigns. Case in point on Twitter; if a candidate cannot capture the attention of a consumer in under 140 characters, then they will not be effective in your company.
Storytelling Abilities
A good marketing campaign that resonates with the consumer is one that tells a compelling story of how the product or service can solve the consumer’s need. This makes it crucial to assess the candidate’s ability to tell a story via video, images, or text. The digital media platform is text, image, and visually oriented, and consumers or clients are attracted towards the campaigns that are relevant as well as those that create an emotional connection. Digital marketers need to understand how to manipulate text and video storytelling as part of their content marketing duties.
Likeable Personality
The digital media platform has brought about the rise of influencers, and an attractive personality is one of the similarities they share with digital marketers. A digital marketing executive also needs a likeable personality that comes in handy in relationship building with clients and consumers. Remember that there are so many people trying to get the attention of your target audience, and a digital marketing executive with a great personality will increase brand interaction among your target audience.
Agility
Trends have a way of disrupting months of hard work. Changes in platform popularity or a new platform, as well as an adjustment to their algorithm without warning, could send a digital marketing strategy into disarray. This calls for marketers to be agile and flexible to ensure that the campaign can still be run without much changes to the budget or timeline.
The Average Market Salary for Digital Marketing Executives
The average annual salary for a digital marketing executive in Singapore as reported in the third quarter of 2018 was S$62,796. The average additional compensation includes a bonus of S$9,500, profit sharing of S$3,500, and commissions of S$20,500. However, this depends on the digital marketing executive’s skill set, duties, and experience.
The Singaporean government has not set a minimum wage for any employee, and it maintains that salaries and wages are subject to negotiations between the employer and the employees or trade unions.
Conclusion
You cannot do without a digital marketing executive in Singapore seeing that it is a highly connected country. The process of hiring a digital executive will not be easy, and it calls for you to have the company’s objectives at heart to avoid sentiments clouding your judgement. With that said you can choose a recruitment agency to do all the heavy lifting and deliver two or three candidates for you to make the final decision.
With the above information, you will be set to hire a digital marketing executive in Singapore who has the skills and expertise required to scale up the business.
So whether you are going to hire or not – its good to get the help and consultation of MediaOne – the top digital marketing agency in Singapore. They can help you with the hiring process, training, website audits, creatives, campaign setup and consulting until your digital marketing executive can fully contribute.
