Do you want to make a career in E-commerce or Digital marketing? You are in the right page at the right time. Below, we are going to explain everything you need to learn and know about E-commerce & digital marketing. We will also advice you on the best schools where you could fully study this course to better understand what it’s all about.
INTRODUCTION TO E-COMMERCE & DIGITAL MARKETING
Over the last decades or so, E-commerce platforms have slowly made their way into our daily lives. Entrepreneurs involved in E-commerce have made a great fortune out of it . A good example is Jeff Preston Bezos, who owns Amazon. He is known to be the richest man alive with a net worth of 178.1 billion US dollars (2021) according to Forbes. This riches is due to the that he practices E-commerce and Digital marketing.
Also, Statistics show that total retail sales for online shops increased by 4.1%, why that of the traditional commerce increased only by 3.2%. This clearly shows the world is rapidly moving toward E-commerce. It just requires someone to have a computer device with a stable internet connection to be able to trade online.
Jeffrey Preston Bezos is an American internet entrepreneur, industrialist, media proprietor, and investor. Bezos is the founder and CEO of the multi-national technology company Amazon. He is the richest person in the world according to the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires ranking. Wikipedia
WHAT IS E-COMMERCE & DIGITAL MARKETING?
E-COMMERCE also known as Electronic commerce is a process whereby businesses trade with other businesses. In addition, it involves the formulation of internal processes using electronic links.
On the other hand, Digital Marketing is the use of the Internet, mobile devices, social media, search engines, and other channels to reach consumers.
Although these two words have so many factors in common, they are different from each other. The difference is simple. Let’s say you have an E-commerce platform selling sneakers. If a customer orders a sneaker from your shop, that is called E-commerce while, the processes you use to attract that customer to your shop are called Digital marketing.
These two processes are very complementary to each other. Digital marketing brings attention to your brand while Digital marketing helps you to sell your products.
What Digital Marketing Jobs Can You Enroll In After Your Studies?
Digital marketing is the latest marketing strategy being introduced in Africa. Many companies switch from traditional marketing to e-commerce as days go by. Hence, they require services from experts in digital marketing. So, the question many students ask is “what can we specialize in to meet up with the market demands?” Below, I’m going to highlight jobs in which you could specialize. This includes:
- Copywriter
- Content Specialist
- Digital marketing specialist
- Affiliate marketing
- Social media specialist
Copywriter
Copywriting is a form of advertisement using text. Firstly, the text aims to provide brand awareness, and secondly, to convert visitors into customers. There’s a large need for copywriters in the digital market. Companies are in search of people who could write articles or blogs that will attract visitors to buy their goods and services.
Some of the contents a copywriter creates include:
- Blog post
- Video scripts
- Landing pages
- Social media pages
- Email newsletters
Affiliate marketing
This is a marketing strategy in which someone benefits from marketing a particular company’s products or services. It involves 2 parties. That is the producer and the affiliate marketer.
However, Wikipedia talks about 4 parties involved. Click here to learn more.
The affiliate marketer’s role is to advertise and bring customers to buy the producer’s products. He earns a percentage of the money provided by the customer.
Moreover, the most popular technique to earn money using affiliate marketing is to create an interesting blog and advertise the products on it.
In conclusion, this will cause every visitor to your blog to be presented with the Ads in which he could decide to purchase the product if interested.
Social media specialist
This is someone who creates content for all social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram so as to grow an audience and make sure the customers are engaged.
So, what does a social media specialist have to know?
- Understand the behavior of his social channel’s targeted audience.
- Develop strategy, creative directing, customer service, and analysis data.
To conclude. the social media specialist’s first priority is to understand the behavior of his audience.
Digital marketing specialist
A Digital marketing specialist is someone who works in a company, alongside the marketing team. He advertises the company’s products using all available online platforms. His first priority is to target an audience. Secondly, he creates brand identity and finally, conducts online marketing campaigns.
How much does a digital market specialist make?
In the USA, a digital marketing specialist makes about $39,297 per year.
What qualifications do I need to become a digital marketing specialist?
To begin with, You don’t really require any qualifications in this domain. You could just enroll in any Digital marketing course and learn how it is done. If you have the skills, you get the job that’s simple.
What skills do digital marketers need?
There are a lot of skills a digital marketer must possess:
To begin with, you must be very persuasive. That is, you must be able to convince customers that your product is the best.
Secondly, you must be able to make good videos. It sounds easy but it is very important to be able to make videos that capture the attention of your customers. Statistics show that videos keep customers’ attention for 2 more minutes than average. So, if your video is good, you will obviously attract more customers.
To know more about the skills a digital marketer must possess, click here.
We have described the most popular jobs you could do as e-commerce & digital marketing student.
WHERE CAN I STUDY E-COMMERCE & DIGITAL MARKETING IN CAMEROON?
E-commerce is a new course that has been introduced into universities in Cameroon. A few schools do teach this course which I will cite below. They include:
- University of Buea
- University of Bamenda
- Catholic University of Yaounde
But, the best of these schools is the University of HITBAMAS(Higher institute of Technology, Business and Management Sciences).
HITBAMAS(Higher Institute of Technology, Business & Management Sciences)
HITBAMAS is a private professional University located in Yaounde, Simbock. It is the best school that offers the E-commerce course. It possesses many characteristics that make students very comfortable while studying E-commerce. They include:
- PRESENCE OF A WELL-EQUIPPED COMPUTER LABORATORY
HITBAMAS has one of the biggest computer laboratories in Yaounde to accommodate all its E-commerce students. It is well aerated with 100+ desktops. It also possesses free internet for students to carry out their individual research.
- PRESENCE OF A WELL-EQUIPPED LIBRARY
HITBAMAS library is very large with more than 1000 books that students can carry out their research or go to during their leisure time. Students also have the possibility to borrow books and refund them when required.
- PROVISIONS OF SNACKS AND COFFEE
HITBAMAS provides its students with free snacks and a cup of coffee during Break periods so as to keep them fit for the next class. Each student is entitled to a sandwich and a glass of coffee during the break!!
- TOP CLASS LECTURERS
The ability of teachers to provide their students with good lectures makes HITBAMAS stand out from other schools. They possess well-trained lecturers with high experience in the lecturing department. One of them is Mr. Naha Fernand, who’s a lecturer in the E-commerce department. He’s known for his highly practical skills which are second to none.
