The role of a digital marketer has expanded dramatically over the past decade. Today’s professionals are expected to master everything from SEO and content strategy to social media and data analysis.

Choosing the right program to build those skills is a big decision. You want to be sure you learn from someone who has real industry experience and understands what it takes to help students succeed.

That brings us to Caio Mattos. He has advanced training in both international relations and educational technology, along with a wealth of global marketing experience. He developed Herzing's Digital Marketing and Project Management program and has been teaching it since its inception.

We sat down with Caio to talk about what makes the program stand out, what digital marketing careers actually look like today, and how AI is reshaping the field.

Here are the highlights of that conversation.

Q. Could you summarize your education and professional background?

Caio: I did my bachelor’s degree in international relations and started working with logistics at a multinational industrial automation company called Rockwell Automation. Next I started working at Paccar, one of the biggest truck manufacturing companies in the world. I led the development of products.

And then I moved to Australia, where I worked in education, but not directly as an instructor. I was a marketing representative at an agency that would help international students find the right courses and career plan. I also worked in marketing for a college in Australia.

When I came to Canada, Herzing invited me to teach the international trade program. That was six years ago. The students really liked it, and I loved it.

I also completed my master’s in educational technology and got more into instructional design. I developed Herzing’s digital marketing program using all of the theory that I learned during the master’s degree on how to create courses, assess needs, and develop instructional material for different audiences. I also teach the program.

Q. What makes Herzing’s program unique?

Caio: We are always updating the course to the newest technologies, and we’re always trying to give examples and case studies of real-life scenarios. That’s one of the unique things about this course: I not only throw a lot of theory at the students, but I also use real case scenarios. We try to do mock cases and capstone projects where they can work through a problem with the technologies of the time.

As an instructor, I always say that this is what we have today, but you have to understand that this field is changing rapidly. You have to keep up with different technologies and changes.

Another unique thing is that even though the course is asynchronous, meaning students can take it at their own pace, we have two optional live sessions per week. So they can email me or just join those scheduled online encounters. That gives them a chance to speak directly to their instructor and ask questions.

Q. Can you give some examples of projects or assignments that students work on?

Caio: We look at how you would develop short-term and long-term marketing programs for, let’s say, a small coffee shop in Montreal versus a large multinational company. So comparing different areas, different fields, different sizes, different budgets. We try to prepare to be a digital marketer not just for a huge company like Tesla, but also for the local family-owned coffee shop.

There are also some automated projects. With these, they have to go through cases to find a solution, and they click on options up to the moment when they have a happy ending or a not so happy ending. They’re very much based on case studies and finding alternatives for these cases.

Q. What does it take to be successful as a digital marketer?

Caio: Digital marketing embraces many different fields and skills. You have to be able to understand and use technology and also have knowledge of marketing and communication.

In the old days, we had a marketer, and a publisher, and a strategist, and a content writer, and a market researcher. Now, the digital marketer does all of that. You need to understand a lot of technology and a lot of different platforms, as well as marketing strategy, market research, and so on. It’s a very complex position.

If you don’t know how to communicate, how to create content, and how to publish this content, you’re going to fall behind the competition.

Q. What sort of jobs do graduates of the digital marketing program qualify for?

Caio: Graduates of the digital marketing program may pursue entry-level or junior roles in digital marketing, SEO, paid search, social media, content marketing, marketing automation, web analytics, e-commerce, and campaign coordination.

Since the program includes areas like search advertising, conversion optimization, analytics, digital strategy, and automation, it can support roles connected to campaign execution, performance measurement, and customer journey improvement.

Q. What is the job market for digital marketers like right now? What are employers looking for?

Caio: Employers want someone who can work across different fields. They expect you to know a little bit of everything and be able to use different technologies to deliver solutions. Marketing theory is still very important, and it’s something that we cover in our courses.

Basically, employers want candidates who blend technology with traditional classic theory.

Q. How do you see the marketing field evolving over the next few years? What impact is AI going to have?

Caio: For digital marketers, AI is seen as a good thing. Of course, it is only a tool. It is not going to replace the critical thinking of a human being. But it can be used to facilitate routine tasks, to give ideas, to fine-tune text or correct mistakes or generate images. A lot of companies are using AI to plan when to deliver messages, emails, or posts on social media. That saves time for the marketer, who should be focused on creativity.

So artificial intelligence is going to facilitate the work of a digital marketer, who has to do a lot of different things at the same time. We can use AI for that boring, repetitive work that we shouldn’t be doing. But we are going to keep the creativity, the human touch, the sensibility in the hands of the human being.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DIGITAL MARKETING PROGRAM FROM HERZING

The Digital Marketing and Project Management diploma program teaches key skills in data analysis, marketing strategy, automation, SEO and SEM, social media, and project management. The training is delivered online, takes less than two years to complete, and includes an internship for hands-on work experience.

Click below to get more details and chat live with an admissions advisor who can answer any questions you have. We’re here to help!