Developer superpowers and digital marketing
The success of any company is forged – among other things – through effective cooperation of its various departments. Though digital marketing is one of the key elements in building brand image, IT by nature is a very technical area and marketers often need the support of their developer colleagues, whether with configuring a tool or writing a blog article with technical tips. Today we are going to discuss how developers can use their superpowers to support digital marketers with their marketing strategy.
The technical side of digital marketing
We are going to start off with a very broad aspect, deserving an article of its own. Indeed, you may want to have a look here: “The technical side of digital marketing – part 1: Analytics” to read about the many useful tools used to support digital marketing efforts, some of which require technical knowledge that we – digital marketers – may lack, at least until someone shows us the ropes. Developer aid with these aspects is invaluable, and often quickly brings a newcomer up to speed.
Why do we need developer help in digital marketing
So what are the specific issues a developer can help us digital marketers with? We provide some examples below.
Configuration of tracking codes
Google Analytics is one of the basic tools marketers use in their everyday work, one that needs to be properly configured beforehand. Although there are tutorials on how to do this, it feels good to have a developer, someone with technical knowledge, organizing this step for us.
Speed/performance optimizations, Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
With a little bit of learning, a digital marketer could perform a basic analysis of site performance and identify Search Engine Optimization opportunities. However, the actual implementation of this type of changes will usually require someone more technical – a developer.
Email marketing, marketing automation – automatic emails
Automatic/triggered emails are a type of email sent as a response to user activity, e.g. in response to the elements they clicked on a company website or in an application. Some examples of such activity are “Download the brochure”, “Sign up for the newsletter”, “Request a demo”, etc. While it is up to the marketer to come up with a compelling text for the specific message, a developer is needed for technical implementation.
Setting up websites for online marketing campaigns
This point is a step forward from an email marketing campaign. A specific goal is determined for the website and its up to the marketers to create content and maintain a steady stream of updates to keep everything fresh. While developers are responsible, once again, for the technical implementation of the marketers’ vision and bringing the website to life, once the necessary technical aspects are covered, marketers usually get access to the website to provide any new or updated content. Solutions such as WordPress are user-friendly and make it easy to add new elements once the website is up, and after a brief introduction – often by a developer – even a total newcomer will be able to add extra information.
The most valuable developer skills for the marketing department
We asked some of our leading marketers about the skills of their developer colleagues that they value the most. Here are some of the most popular answers.
Knowledge of WordPress
We already mentioned WordPress a few lines above, and – to no surprise – our survey confirmed this is one of the most important skills from a marketer’s perspective. Though many of us are able to enrich a WordPress website with new content, we need developers to create the platform and put it online.
Front end, web design, UX
Marketers may have a vision of what they would like to see in a website for their digital marketing strategy, but it’s up to the developers to translate this vision into an actual platform, providing quality design and ensuring the best possible user experience.
The ability to quickly configure marketing systems, including mailing segments
Some basic configuration could be performed by marketers themselves, but developer support sooner or later will prove invaluable. Sometimes it’s simply better to ask someone more proficient in technical aspects. Not only will this speed up the whole process, but it will also help avoid possible issues later.
Mailing systems’ service and the design of automation processes
It turns out that marketing automation is one of those developer skills that marketers value the most – and for a good reason. The use of marketing automation tools will greatly speed up the whole campaign, leaving more time to focus on other key areas.
The integration of Google tools with various systems
We might know how to use Google Ads and Analytics to our advantage, but the integration of these and many other systems can cause a headache. It is great to have someone more technical at hand to this for us.
Knowledge of marketing trends
Whenever there is a new piece of software or innovative method that gives an edge in building an effective digital marketing strategy, those that are among the first to discover the trend profit the most. Though information gathering is part of a job of any marketer, developers are usually more involved in the software world. The combined expertise of both marketers and developers in the search for new marketing trends can give a company a significant edge over the competition. Want to make your marketing strategies more data-driven? Find out what is digital marketing analytics and how it can elevate your business in our latest post.
Conclusion
Like a well-oiled machine, a company needs all its gears to work together towards achieving a common goal. The effective cooperation between people with different skills and knowledge is a recipe for success, and the joint work of marketers and developers is just one of many such examples.
Are you looking for help with your digital marketing strategies? Or perhaps your team is in need of specific developers? Are you looking for someone to bring your dream concept to life? Contact us and let’s get to work on your next project!
