Digital planners | Who are they and why are they so important for your business?

Are you eager to find a job opportunity in the digital world? We've got just the job for you and it's Digital Planner. 

Imagine that! You'll be in charge of nothing less than a brand's entire strategy. So you'll be responsible for the results of the advertising campaigns. 

And what you'll love most: you can become a digital planner with any marketing degree, and salaries are becoming increasingly attractive. 

The landscape has opened up for you to take your first steps into digital marketing! 

Shall we take a look at this profile?

What is a digital planner?

A digital planner is also known as a brand planner, and is in charge of positioning the company's advertising campaigns in the communication channels. 

In most cases, they usually have partnerships with advertising agencies and social media consultants so that their client has a presence in as many channels as possible.

So in a nutshell, you will be responsible for the entire success or failure of a brand's advertising. Your day-to-day work will be based on meetings with potential advertisers, monitoring strategies, analysing metrics and managing the team.

Initially, this role was performed by someone within the marketing department, but as time went by, companies decided to hire someone with special skills to increase the likelihood of positioning their message in the market.

What does a digital planner do?

Being a digital planner is really exciting, believe us, but it's also true that you have a lot of responsibilities on a daily basis. That's why if you want to get this job, you need to be prepared to solve a lot of "problems". 

Let's take a look at some of the activities you'll be doing on a day-to-day basis and find out what this professional does in an average week: 

1. Define the strategy

The first thing a digital planner does is defining the marketing strategy. Here they will establish what practices they will use to promote their product or service. 

Let's say that transcendental decisions are made, such as the target audience, digital channels to promote, brand tone, among others.

From here, the process continues until you achieve the expected results.

2. Establish objectives

Just as you have to establish the strategy to be followed, it's essential to determine the goals you are pursuing with this marketing strategy. 

The goals can be many, some of them are:

• Increase sales.

• Increase engagement.

• Improve the profitability of the project.

• Position a product in a new segment.

• Optimise the conversion rate

And do you already know what your objective is? Define it and start working.

3. Monitor marketing campaigns

If you've already launched the campaign, you need to be aware of everything that is going on around it to make sure it's going as planned. 

We're not lying when we say you need to be on top of the project. In many cases, you need to make timely changes to achieve success, but if you are distanced, it's very likely that you won't achieve what you set out to do.

4. Measure indicators

Analysing metrics will be one of your most important tasks as a digital planner. 

Each campaign gives you a series of data over a certain period of time. These numbers must be extracted and captured in a database and then interpreted to execute the necessary actions. 

Imagine that you have designed a lead campaign and it turns out that the website has a higher bounce rate than it should. Well, with this information you will know what practices you should implement to avoid failure. 

5. Optimise KPIs 

OK, you've got the numbers, but you need to make sure you optimise them to make improvements in every area of the business.

Going back to the bounce rate example, if you implement the changes, the next time you evaluate it, it should have improved. 

You will replicate this for each of the KPIs until you achieve the results you want. 

6. Analyse the information from the communication channels

As a digital planner, you should be aware of all the information you can get on the channels where the company is doing business. By this we mean social media, websites, print media and POP advertising.

By analysing the information, you will detect consumer behaviours that will allow you to either continue with that strategy or change it as you see fit. 

8 Skills a good digital planner should have

Do you want to be a good digital planner? It's time to learn what skills this professional has to take your brand to the next level. Discover them below:

1. Researcher

We can't imagine a digital planner who isn't a researcher. Research is to the digital planner what a scalpel is to a doctor, it's their daily bread. 

With research you will detect new opportunities, mistakes and possible trends that need to be taken into account.

It's very likely that in your day-to-day work you spend more than half of your time studying metrics, looking at communication channels or thinking about a new strategy. 

This is all part of research, so one way or another you need to take a liking to it. 

2. Interpretive

In order to find trends or consumption patterns you have to know how to read and interpret statistics. Therefore, you have to develop the ability to handle all kinds of numbers to make the right decision for your business.

Learn how to run formulas, how to handle databases in specific programs as well as in excel. With a little patience you will see how everything starts to work.

3. Problem solver

Solving problems will be your daily task. No matter what company you work for or what stage you're in, if you're not decisive and a problem solver, the project will fall apart sooner rather than later.

The reality is that running a brand's promotion strategy is a challenging responsibility that will absorb you if your head is not prepared. 

Start practising now and imagine solutions for every scenario that comes your way. You will see how in a short time you will be better able to respond to adversity.

4. Communicative

In a position like this, you'll have to communicate with a lot of people. Customers and suppliers love to call and have face-to-face or virtual meetings. That's why we recommend that you work on your verbal communication skills. 

You can take a course on basic tips to master stage fright and address the public successfully. You will see how in a short time you will leave your fear aside and you will speak like a professional in front of anyone.

5. Technology lover

How can you become a digital planner if you don't like technology? It's like a doctor who panics at the sight of blood...

In your day-to-day life you will spend most of your time consulting statistics in programmes that require minimal knowledge of technology. In addition, it's likely that you have to work with up to two computers and a tablet to solve the multiple requirements that arise.

You know, if you love technology, this job could be for you.

6. SEO

Your website can be the best in the world, but if you don't rank it, it's very difficult to achieve significant results. 

That's why companies appreciate it if you know about SEO. 

7. Specific programmes

In order to achieve tangible results, it's essential that you manage the metrics programmes perfectly. Each campaign will give you different numbers that you will have to interpret in order to take the appropriate actions.

So, make sure you learn Google Analytics and SemRush as soon as possible so you can manage your projects in the best possible way.

8. Social media

We can't imagine a digital planner who doesn't manage social media well. Not only do you have to navigate them, but you must also understand how they work in order to interpret user data and then create strategies to improve results.

You know, social media is all about creating communities and bringing value to them. Never forget this mantra. 

How necessary is a digital planner for your company?

For a profession to have a future, it must bring value to the market, both to its clients and to the companies it works for. 

If you are considering the possibility of becoming a digital planner, your main job will be to manage the entire marketing strategy of a brand. In other words, everything will pass through your hands, from the preliminary study to the allocation of resources. 

The day-to-day work of a digital planner

Would you like to know what daily tasks a digital planner has at the office? Don't miss the following list: 

1. They analyse the market

Analysing the market will be something you will do every day while in this position. You should evaluate how the consumer behaviour is, how the metrics and latest trends are doing.

Then you can move on to the next task.

2. They segment the audience

Audience segmentation is a very important job for every marketer. You should divide your audience into different groups according to their needs and the benefits of the product. 

Then, you can think of a strategy to target that segment of people. Remember that you are dealing with individuals with feelings and emotions, not robots, so if you automate all your processes, try to humanise your communication as much as possible. 

3. Budget

It's true that the budget is made and approved just once, but you must constantly add all the movements that are executed. 

It can be a soda, a taxi or any urgent expense that had to be made for the campaign. 

How can I become a digital planner?

If you've stayed to the end, it's very likely that you've got the urge to become a digital planner:

1. Stay in constant training 

Ideally it should be a degree, course or training that is related to the job, so there's no better option than studying digital marketing. 

Soak up all the knowledge you can find about how the market and the user's mentality works. This will set the foundation for your next career. 

We hope that with this information you clear up all your doubts about what it means to be a digital planner and how important it is in the business world in general. 

Now you know that it is an occupation that will boom tremendously in the coming years. Are you going to miss out on this new wave of growth?

What other skills should a digital planner have? We're all ears!