We know that roles in the digital space in the Caribbean are pretty new and most HR teams and companies haven't quite got a grasp of exactly what the new roles in marketing are and what types of skills, qualifications and duties to expect from them.

I want to give a breakdown of a digital strategist's role and function so that your company can understand how to use them. This will also serve as a guide for those interested in becoming a digital strategist.

What is a digital strategist?

Digital strategists help organisations plan and execute their digital marketing efforts. They are responsible for developing and implementing a digital marketing plan that aligns with the overall business goals and objectives. The goal is to help organisations effectively reach and engage their target audience through digital channels, to drive business growth and success.

Key duties of a digital strategist

• Develop and implement marketing campaigns that promote a company's brand, products, and services through digital channels.

• Collaborate with the marketing team and other stakeholders to identify target audiences and develop strategies to effectively reach and engage those audiences.

• Manage the creation of digital marketing content, such as blog posts, e-mail newsletters, social media posts, video content, podcasts, online ads and any other type of content that will aid the growth of the company.

• Track and analyse key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success of campaigns and make data-driven decisions to optimise their performance.

• Use tools such as Google Analytics, GSC, Bing Webmaster and social media analytics to track website traffic, engagement and conversions from various digital channels.

There are more duties, but these are the core of what they do.

Education of a digital strategist

• A bachelor's degree in marketing, communications, or industry courses/certifications

• Strong portfolio with a proven body of work in executing the roles and functions of a digital marketer

• Proficiency in digital marketing tools and techniques, including social media, email marketing, content marketing, and analytics

• Familiarity with search engine optimisation (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising

• A strong understanding of the latest digital marketing trends and techniques, and the ability to stay up to date on industry developments

12 disciplines of digital marketing

These are the 12 disciplines that make up a digital marketer. It is expected that you have foundational knowledge in all 12 of the disciplines but specialise in three.

• Content marketing

• E-commerce marketing

• Search engine optimisation

• E-mail marketing

• Paid traffic

• Optimisations and testing

• Data and analytics

• Conversion funnels

• Search marketing

• Copywriting

• Community management

• Social media

Salary ranges for digital strategists

• US - US$50,000-$106,000/year

• UK - US$45,000-$90,450

• China - US$33,600-$101,380

• Australia - US$