I'm a new digital marketer, into SEO, social media and Web copywriting. I learnt HTML long ago (like Web 1.0 days in the late 90s) but obviously Web site building has changed a lot since then. And to be frank, I think programming is a bit abstract/geeky...I spent most of my career in ICT, but largely networking not writing code. So whilst digital marketing is wide, is it REALLY required to know how to code?
Well, it should certainly be a requirement to understand what you are looking at. It should further be required to understand why stuff like bootstrap and html 5 is a steaming heap of shit; since the world is full of lazy people. I typically wont take work in SEO or marketing if the site and or brand presence is a huge mess. I largely know code so I can fix things and keep an eye on what I have folks doing for me. So I am clear, I do SEO and things of that nature as part of a consultancy service. Its my job to make brands "human and awesome" and put asses in seats. Hence, I have to look at the big picture. If its your job to make sure that things actually happen for clients, rather than simply churning out content, you will find your client base to be much larger if you can at least advise folks as to what is wrong with the website whether its a code issue or usability related. hope that helps. I suspect that was a tad vague. I am on hour 14 for the day. Nigel
You can definitely get by without learning to code. There are many tools out there for non-coders to do all kinds of things. However, knowing a bit of code will allow you more opportunities for customization and flexibility.
Absolutely not. In fact you could do affiliate marketing and have everything set up for you. If you want to sell with your own website, simply hired a graphic and web designer. They dont cost much. If you're good at copywriting, just give them the text, and they'll hook you up with a great page. Check them out on Fiverr.
It's not like you can teach yourself how to code overnight. HTML is easy, of course, but if you want to code in PHP it may take months and years before you truly get a handle on it. So if you have time and patience, then yes go for it. Otherwise just hire somebody to do the work.
Focus on your strengths and farm out the rest of the job. If you strength is programming, then do it. If your strength is marketing, then hire a programmer for the coding. I have been involved with the software industry for 25+ years, made a lot of money from it, and have never written a single line of code.
No its not necessary. There are free web platforms out there such as blogger or wordpress. You could also pay someone to do it for you. I personally have a degree in computer science so I love to do everything myself which is good but takes up time. Since you have an ICT background you shouldn't find it hard too learn HTML 5. It is quite a simple language really with tonnes of support out there. You could also use what you see is what you get editors such as Dreamweaver but thats expensive and doesn't give you absolute control of what code goes onto the file. A basic HTML site will work but if you are wanting more advanced things like subscriber lists you can use a service like aweber.
It is absolutely not necessary to know how to code. Could it help? Sure. But you don't need it. There are so many free plugins and themes out there for WordPress and other open source platforms. And you can hire experts on the cheap if you really have to. As said by others above, focus on your strengths and interests. This comes from someone with years of coding experience. I now somewhat despise coding and use other peoples' code or expertise whenever I can.