Blink and you won’t miss it — the rising demand for digital expertise in Hong Kong will not plateau any time soon.

More companies are marketing themselves online and setting up e-commerce channels. B2B firms are also embracing e-commerce to generate consumer interest and grow their brand.

The need to build a digital skill set is perhaps more important than ever for those who want to stay relevant and attractive to potential employers. However, the digital world is a rapidly changing one, and the skill sets needed today may be obsolete tomorrow.

To stay on top, professionals should ideally diversify, specialise and get as much relevant cross-channel experience as possible. For example, an engagement specialist who is also experienced in social media and content creation will be fit for a wider variety of roles than a specialist.

Digital specialists are also expected to have a good understanding of O2O (online-to-offline) strategies that help attract consumers, using online channels, to physical stores.

The good news is that digital skills are transferable across sectors and outstanding talent is quite rare in Asia. Professionals in sales, marketing or tech can likely make a successful transition – and the earlier the move, the better. To do so, tech professionals should demonstrate commercial acumen, while sales and marketing talent should offer insight on digital trends.

For mid- to senior-level executives, it is important to keep in touch with the sector’s changes. Dive into analytics, try new email providers, or manage social media platforms to see how algorithms are having an impact on your content plan.

Knowing how to understand and interpret data like page views or bounce rates accurately is also vital. Digital specialists are needed to convert raw data into meaningful information that can be further transformed into knowledge.

This article appeared in the Classified Post print edition as Dive into digital.

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How to succeed as a digital specialist in Hong Kong