By Career Karma

In today’s tech-heavy and Internet-centric world, the companies that are thriving ahead of their competition have fully embraced the technologies in the marketing space. The days of the lofty marketing firms with executive offices overlooking Times Square, like those pictured in the hit TV show Mad Men, are quickly becoming the idealized nature of the past. In today’s ever-growing online marketplace, the once expensive advertising superpowers are being replaced by a more level marketing field, one that allows small businesses to compete with the big dogs. 

New marketing technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) help businesses reach customers that haven’t shopped with them in awhile through automated email campaigns. High-quality web design and development, creating a well-functioning user experience (UX), powered by a well-programmed user interface (UI), have made it so that any business that properly invests in the right tools and the right personnel can thrive.

If you are a business owner, the question you should ask yourself is where to find these new digital marketers who are skillfully changing the landscape of online business development. If you are an aspiring tech professional, you should know where and how to efficiently learn the digital marketing skills that will allow you to succeed in your new career.

The answer to these inquiries made by the hiring company and the aspiring tech professional may seem obvious—four-year university degree programs, churning out graduates in computer science, information technology, or flat out marketing disciplines. However, you may be surprised to know that many new digital marketing professionals are gaining their programming abilities through the more efficient route of coding boot camps.

Coding boot camps are quickly starting to replace the once hallowed degree programs that have traditionally taken two to four years to complete by teaching their students the programming skills necessary to succeed in the tech industry in less than a year. While the traditional routes may be well respected, they also teach a large amount of material that, though it may be appealing, it is also irrelevant to the tech industry. Coding boot camps have stripped these traditional programs down to the relevant studs of actually applicable programming skills. They focus their programs on teaching what these skills are, how to write code in a wide array of programming languages—like R, Python, C++, and Javascript— which languages to use for which purposes, and how to use them properly.

The result? Well-qualified, tech industry-ready digital marketing professionals that are helping successful businesses get ahead in the online world.

Even better for boot camp grads and companies that hire them, many of these schools, such as Galvanize, offer flexible tuition financing options. This allows students to knock out their boot camp and repay a very affordable tuition cost after they have landed their first job as a digital marketer. The light loan burden helps students take the job that is right for them, instead of just focusing on the salary due to a large loan debt looming overhead.

Let’s talk about a couple of ways that digital marketers can help businesses succeed in today’s online marketplace.

UX/UI

It is no secret that in 2020 a great website can go a long way in terms of driving revenue for a business. Moreover, a high caliber UX—what the user sees and interacts with on the front end of a website—powered by a well-developed UI—the back end programming that runs the UX—is what allows that business to succeed online.

Front End Development

A Web Designer, also called a Front End Developer, is the digital marketing pro that is responsible for designing the layout of a website. This includes what areas will have visual content (writing, graphics, video, etc.), what pages a website will need and how the user will navigate to those pages. Additionally, it includes the buttons and functions with which the user will interact, such as search bars and “Click Here to Make an Appointment” buttons.

Back End Development

A Web Developer is the digital marketing professional that takes the layout for a website that has been designed by the Front End Developer and brings it to life through coding the UI. This is what powers the site, like the blog you are currently reading, so that everything works as it should. A business needs to know that when a potential client lands on their page, their website will look aesthetically pleasing and function properly. Consumers should be able to search for relevant topics on the site, submit their information for a contact, or sign up for a subscription free of confusion.

Full Stack Development

Full Stack Developers are the highly skilled digital marketing professionals who can code both the front end and the back end development. They are also skilled with content creation, allowing them to design the website, write the code necessary to build the site, and manage all of the writing, photos, and video graphics that will entice users to keep scrolling. Hiring a Full Stack Developer is a slam dunk in hiring a digital marketer, as they can do the job of two, or even three people—a Web Designer, Web Developer, and a Web Content Creator.