The word literacy means having the ability to read and write. Therefore, if you append “digital” before it, you get a term that means having the ability to read and write on a digital platform. Right? Well, some people may agree, but I think there it goes beyond just reading and writing.
Being digitally literate means you have a sophisticated level of logical reasoning and critical thinking to find, evaluate and analyze information online. As for marketers, it’s imperative that digital literacy is a part of how you work. Otherwise, you’re going to be stuck in an entire era of traditional marketing. Below are three characteristics that I think would propel a marketer’s career.
Being able to communicate well
Having the ability to bridge the gap between digitally literate and illiterate people I’d argue is an essential digital literacy skill for marketers to have.
In the context of content marketing, by simplifying jargon to communicate in a way that anyone would be able to understand does more to help you grow awareness and advocacy for your brand than you might think— like explaining the upload process of a YouTube video to someone who doesn’t know anything about it using simple language.
It helps when you’re in a position where you’re creating and supplying content for anyone to interact with.
It’s really important to be able to communicate using layman’s terms because it makes content marketing easier for anyone to consume and understand and it helps with creating advocates for your brand.
Being able to problem solve in any situation
Another essential digital literacy skill I think a good marketer must have is a high level of comfort with technology to recognize which forms of technology works in the best interests for your company.
Nowadays, there are many SaaS (Software as a Service) companies that develop industry-changing marketing technology tools that eliminate redundant tasks and helps marketers create and manage efficient marketing workflows.
It’s important to understand how to evaluate and shortlist which of the digital marketing tools there are that align to your company’s KPIs and OKRs and how they can help you shift from traditional marketing to a more modern process.
Recognizing that you are a Digital Citizen
Lastly, I’d argue that marketers must have the digital literacy skill to demonstrate ethical and legal practices in marketing efforts that consider human, cultural and societal issues.
We now live in a world where everyone is connected by the internet. People from Canada can share information to people in Singapore in a matter of seconds.
Marketers must understand that the products, goods or services their company is offering meets certain ethical and legal standards that don’t offend, harm or discriminate anyone, anywhere in the world.
If you don’t, then your company will be under negative scrutiny anywhere online on social media and news outlets.
