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How to become a Digital Marketer

There are a number of ways to become a Digital Marketer. While many Digital Marketers begin in traditional marketing roles before specializing, that’s far from a hard-and-fast rule; there’s actually no specific background experience required for you to become a Digital Marketer—only a specific set of skills. In fact, many people enter the digital marketing industry from a range of different roles, including Copywriter, Webmaster, or even Influencer.

Our lives are more entwined with the digital realm than they were a decade ago. However, technology alone is not the future of marketing; it’s a combination of talent and tech that will reap rewards for companies for years to come.

With so many people playing, working, and shopping online, it’s no wonder that digital is front and center when it comes to the priorities of a marketing department. From staying relevant in customers’ minds to building a profitable brand, organizations are investing a lot of time and money in digital marketing. In fact, by 2022, digital advertising spending in the U.S. is projected to surpass $200 billion.

Whether you’ve set your sights on a career as a digital marketer or just want to level up your skills, certain tactics and steps can be taken to find success in any position. Whether it’s working as a freelancer or landing a high-level digital marketing position, there are many jobs available to marketers with relevant and up-to-date skills and great salaries to match!

If you have a computer, a laptop, or a smartphone, you’ve experienced digital marketing. It could be an email in your inbox, a search result when using Google, an ad on Facebook, a text message sent to your phone, or a post by an influencer on Instagram. Digital marketing is all-encompassing, leveraging all digital channels to promote goods and services businesses want you to buy. And it’s growing rapidly as a field in need of skilled professionals.

If you’re interested in the career potential of digital marketing, but you aren’t sure where or how to start, we’ve laid out suggested learning paths below. Following any of these paths will give you a solid foundation in digital marketing basics, and then help you to specialize in one of four areas: search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, social media marketing, or digital marketing. Specializing in any one of these areas will qualify you for one of the increasing numbers of job opportunities, as brands struggle to find people with these skills.

Working in the digital marketing industry is a great experience. For the last 15 years, I’m working as a digital marketing manager and in this post, I’ll explain how to become a digital marketing specialist with no prior experience in marketing.

Becoming a digital marketing specialist requires a lot of effort and hard work but it’s the best digital marketing job you can get in the online marketing industry.

Nevertheless, if you are willing to put in the required effort, there is nothing stopping you from pursuing a digital marketing career.

Types of digital marketing

Commonly used digital marketing techniques include:

  1. social media marketing – developing a distinct online presence by attracting high numbers of internet followers through social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.
  2. search engine optimisation (SEO) – developing strategies to increase the number of visitors to a website by achieving high-ranking placements in search results.
  3. pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns – sponsored online advertising paid for by the business to appear alongside non-paid search results.
  4. mobile marketing – includes app-based, in-game, location-based and SMS marketing.
  5. affiliate marketing – where a business allows other businesses (affiliates) to sell products on their website. The affiliate is paid commission for each customer brought to the website by their own marketing strategies.

What does a Digital Marketing Specialist Do?

Digital Marketers may work with organic (free) or paid channels, using funds budgeted by their organisation to achieve return on investment.

Digital Marketers work towards achieving key performance indicators (KPI) for each channel so they can properly measure the company’s performance across each one. For example, a Digital Marketer in charge of search marketing measures and analyses their website’s traffic and adjusts their campaigns and strategies accordingly.

In small companies, one Digital Marketer might own many digital marketing channels at the same time, but larger organisations may employ specialists that each focus on just one or two of the brand’s channels.

A digital marketing specialist is a professional with a diverse set of skills, responsible for the online promotion of a website (business or products), using all available digital marketing channels.

He / She needs to have a good knowledge of all Digital marketing disciplines and tools. The job responsibilities include:

  • Designing, implementing, and monitoring SEO campaigns
  • Analyzing and optimizing PPC campaigns
  • Supervising content marketing campaigns
  • Utilizing social media networks (for traffic, awareness, and sales)
  • Managing the other members of the digital marketing team
  • Coordinate the activities of all digital campaigns
  • Set goals and analyze the performance of all digital marketing channels
  • Developing marketing strategies.
  • Managing content generation, ad campaigns, social media, emails, customer relationship management software, search engine optimisation.
  • Tracking KPIs such as shares and impressions on social channels, conversions in search channels and open and click-through rates in emails.
  • Analysing campaigns to identify what did and didn’t work, and whether time and money can be better spent.

The difference between a digital marketing specialist an SEO specialist or a PPC specialist is that a digital marketing specialist needs to be an expert in more than one area and have a broad knowledge of how digital marketing works in general and not just a single discipline.

A freelance digital marketer is someone who provides digital marketing services to businesses, nonprofits, and organizations as a contracted freelancer (not an employee).

The range of digital marketing services you can provide as a freelance marketer is wide. Typically, freelance digital marketers are hired for:

  1. Paid advertising, such as Google ads, Facebook ads, YouTube ads, etc.
  2. Video marketing, including ideation, scriptwriting, shooting, editing, publishing, and
  3. promoting videos
  4. Influencer marketing
  5. Search engine optimization, including keyword research, SEO content creation, and
  6. building backlinks
  7. Creating and managing entire sales and marketing funnels

 

What skills do you need to become a freelance digital marketer?

The skills you need to become a freelance digital marketer depend on the services you want to provide.

Digital marketing has many domains. Each domain has its own set of specific hard (technical) skills. However, there are also common freelance skills irrespective of the domain you want to specialize in. These skills include:

1. Content writing and Copywriting

All digital content begins with the written word. That’s why having solid content writing skills is a must. Even if you or your client decide to hire a freelance writer or copywriter separately, you still need to know enough to be able to spot good writing/copywriting, critique drafts, and give useful suggestions. Learning the basics of content marketing will help you gain confidence.

2. Search engine optimization (SEO)

Search engine optimization is essential whether you’re publishing blog posts, LinkedIn articles, Amazon or Etsy product descriptions, or app store descriptions. With SEO, it’s easier for your target audience to find your digital content. Without it, you’ll have to rely on paid ads and referrals to get eyeballs on your stuff. You only need the foundations of SEO, unless you want to specialize in providing SEO services to clients.

3. Marketing analytics

It does not matter whether you want to provide email marketing services or manage Facebook ads: you absolutely must know how to collect and analyze marketing data. Almost every aspect of digital marketing can be measured, tracked, and optimized, and that’s why knowledge of marketing analytics is crucial.

4. Business skills

On top of hard and soft marketing skills, you also need to have essential business skills. Remember, you’re in business for yourself now. These skills are required to set up and run a profitable business. They include:

  • Leadership and vision setting
  • Financial management
  • Project planning and management
  • Problem-solving
  • Marketing and sales
  • Customer service
  • Negotiation
  • Networking

As your business grows, you may decide to take on staff. In that case, you’ll need to have skills in:

  • Recruitment
  • Delegation
  • People management

How much does a freelance digital marketer make?

Since this is not an employed role, the incomes of freelance digital marketers vary widely. It depends on how valuable your services are, the types of clients you work with, and how good you are at hustling to find clients and selling your services.

Some types of digital marketing are more lucrative than others. Email marketing, growth marketing, and paid advertising roles, for example, tend to command higher fees than other digital marketing services.

Certain industries also pay more than others. Finance, electronic manufacturing, sports teams, internet publishing and broadcasting, and well-funded startups tend to pay the highest salaries and contractor fees.

Data on how much freelance digital marketers make is limited. Talent.com has only two data points for freelance digital marketers’ income in Canada:  CA$39,000 and CA$87,750 per year.

In the US, the annual salaries for freelance digital marketing range from $46,313 for entry-level positions, up to $80,288 for more experienced freelance marketers. The average of 16 data points is $59,963.

Too many variables are involved in determining how much you can make as a freelance digital marketer.

Suffice it to say that you can make from almost nothing to more than six figures a year—especially if you combine your freelancing with other streams of income. More on that below.

Pros and cons of becoming a freelance digital marketer

No career is perfect, and that goes for being a freelance digital marketer, too. Let’s examine the advantages and disadvantages of freelance marketing career.

Pros of freelance digital marketing

Freelancing as a digital marketer has many advantages. These include:

1. Flexible schedule

As a freelancer, you have almost complete control over your working hours. You decide how much you work and when you work—as long as you meet client deadlines, of course. This also means you get paid for the results you get, not for the number of hours you put in. Some freelancers do charge by the hour, but we don’t recommend you do that. Freelance digital marketers’ fees should be based on outputs and results, not the number of hours worked.

2. Variety & choice

Another perk of being a freelancer is being able to choose the projects and clients you work with. In the beginning, you may feel compelled to accept any client work that comes your way. That’s perfectly acceptable when you’re still establishing your client base and are looking to build your track record and, of course, to bring in revenues.

However, when you become established and can confidently bring in a steady flow of clients, you’ll have the luxury of picking and choosing which projects to take on.

3. Location independence

Freelance digital marketers usually work remotely. This means you can work from anywhere as long as you have a computer and reliable internet connection. This career is compatible with the digital nomad lifestyle. You can combine it with your love of traveling, or if you prefer to work from home, no commutes to and from work.

4. Lower costs of earning money

In business, there’s a term called “cost of doing business.” Employees in turn have a “cost of earning money,” which includes expenditures for travel, clothing, makeup, and lunches and coffees during your work commute. You have none of those expenses if you choose to become a freelance digital marketer.

Yes, you do have costs as a freelancer, but most of the time those are tax-deductible business expenses.

(Note: I’m not an accountant, and this is not business financial advice. Consult an accountant to find out which business expenses you can claim in the area where you file taxes.)

5. Unlimited income potential

Technically, your income potential as a freelance digital marketer is unlimited. That’s because you can charge as much as you want as long as clients are willing to pay.

In addition, you can juggle freelancing with another business or even a part-time job. You can also combine a full-time job with part-time freelancing. Whichever you choose, you can have financial security and ever-increasing potential for growth.

Cons of freelance digital marketing

Freelancing as a digital marketer isn’t for everybody. It also comes with its share of disadvantages such as:

1. Constant hustle

As a freelancer, you have to be always hustling to keep your pipeline full of prospects and clients. In fact, you may find yourself working more hours than you ever worked as an employee. That’s because you have to market your services and close clients—on top of all the work you do to serve the clients you do have. Or you can let Acadium match you with clients who are looking for your services.

“When you’re a freelancer by yourself, you wear many hats. Half of your time is doing the work. Half your time is finding new work.”

2. Feast or famine

Another disadvantage of freelancing is the absence of a regular pay check. The demand for your services will likely have peaks and low periods. For example, no matter how good you are at marketing, you may find that clients are more likely to slow down in the summertime and over the holidays.

3. No benefits

As a freelancer, you won’t enjoy the benefits that usually come with a job: paid time off, sick days, health benefits, disability insurance, and so on. In general, if you don’t work, then you don’t get paid.

4. Pressure to earn more

You can, and should, get your own health coverage and disability insurance. However, these will have to come out of your own pocket. And usually, these are not considered business expenses. (Again, I’m not an accountant, and laws may be different where you are. Do your due diligence to see what the tax laws are in your country.) You should also have a rainy-day fund for when you want or need to take time off. This means you have to make more than an employee’s salary to match the entire package you’d receive as an employee.

5. Loneliness and isolation

Many freelancers feel lonely and isolated.

Finally, freelancing can be a lonely and isolated enterprise, especially in a remote work environment. This can be particularly difficult for extroverts, and it’s often enough to send them looking for office-based work. Even introverts crave interpersonal connections. Either way, you’ll have to devise ways to get the interactions you need for your mental health.

In short:

As a freelance digital marketer, you’re in control of your career and your income. This is both an advantage and disadvantage. On one hand, you create your own opportunities. On the other hand, the responsibility is yours and yours alone.

 

Skills, Knowledge & Attributes of a Digital Marketer

Digital marketing will require you to wear many hats, work with many departments within your organization, and multitask like there’s no tomorrow. A balance between creativity, strategic thinking, communication skills, and meticulous attention to detail is crucial to be successful in this field. You’ll also need to be data-driven and results-driven, as companies demand highly-measurable campaigns that map back to company goals and provide a return on marketing investment.

Digital marketing encompasses an array of specialties that can feel overwhelming when you’re just starting out. Each one requires its own set of knowledge and is ever-evolving, so you may choose to specialize in just one area and become a deep subject matter expert, or become a generalist and execute across the spectrum of tactics and channels, pulling in subject matter experts when needed.

The digital tactics and channels that a marketer chooses to use, and how they use them, will depend on the company, product, goals and audience.

Here are ten of the most in-demand digital marketing specialties that you should know about, in no particular order:

Digital Strategy

Every good marketing campaign needs to hinge off a strong digital strategy. Your digital strategy is your plan for how to use a set of digital tactics and channels to achieve a specific goal, such as increased awareness, brand affinity, brand engagement, purchase consideration, or conversion.

Your strategy should consider things like company goals, marketing objectives, target audience, positioning, messaging, digital tactics and channels, timeline(s), resources and budget. While you’ll likely develop a digital strategy annually and/or quarterly, you’ll want to continually measure and analyze your work, and then iterate and optimize your strategy accordingly on an ongoing basis.

Content Marketing

Content marketing is about creating rich, engaging content that your target audience will want to read, watch, or listen to. Content can take the form of blog posts, articles, eBooks, videos, podcasts and more, and is a great way to increase visibility of your brand (via search ranking), drive people to your website (aka “inbound marketing”), nurture sales leads, and build credibility with potential customers. Content marketers are responsible for content strategy, editorial direction, content creation and promotion.

Content marketing goes hand in hand with search engine optimization, as you’ll want your content to be properly optimized to rank well in Google’s Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). And the most important factor for ranking high in the search results is high-quality content, which Search Engine Journal describes as content that increases time on page, lowers bounce rate, and provides helpful content for the user.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

The goal of Search Engine Optimization is to improve the organic presence of your website and content within a search engine’s results pages so that you can reach more customers and drive more visits to your website.

“Organic” refers to search results that a search engine like Google surface based on what it believes will be the most relevant and valuable information for the user. It determines that based on a number of ranking factors, such as the domain name and length, keywords used in titles, tags, and copy, linking structure, page load speed, content quality, and much more (a full list of google ranking factors can be found here).

This is different than “paid” search results, where companies bid to rank high in the paid results section of Google’s SERP and then pay each time their listing is clicked (i.e., “pay-per-click” – more on that in the next section).

Some digital marketers decide to specialize in SEO because it requires deep domain knowledge and the continuous learning necessary to master the algorithms behind search engine results. SEO professionals should have skills in data analytics, content and copywriting, research, marketing, and HTML.

‘Pay-Per-Click’ Advertising (PPC)

Pay Per Click (PPC) is a fast and effective way to get your website or content ranking in google, and a highly targeted way to reach new customers and drive them to your site. The pay per click model is simple: a company pays a publisher each time their online advertisement is clicked.

The most common type of PPC is GoogleAds, (i.e., ads that appear as a paid listing in Google’s search results). GoogleAds works as an auction, where companies bid money on certain keywords in order to get their ads placed. Google then weighs the bid with the quality of the content to decide which ad gets placed, with the goal of providing the best experience to their users.

Digital marketers will often combine SEO and PPC in their strategies, knowing that it takes time for content to rank organically, while GoogleAds enables a site to rank almost immediately.

The “pay per click” model is also used in display advertising (banner ads), video advertising (e.g., YouTube) and social media networks like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Web Design

Your website is your first chance to capture your audience’s attention, make a good impression, create brand affinity, and convert customers. It’s where you show off your company’s mission, who you are, what you offer, why you’re different, and so much more. It is essentially the most important part of your digital marketing strategy. As a digital marketer, you will have ownership of your company’s website, and be responsible for making sure it is easy to use and clearly conveys your brand values, attributes, and messaging.

Your website can be a key driver of sales, whether that’s an online purchase, a trial of your software or a demo request for your sales team. You’ll need to make sure your website is optimized for conversion, and that you’re tracking and analyzing the visitor and usage data in order to optimize both your website and overall digital marketing strategy to reach your goals.

Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing is the use of social networks and platforms, like Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok, to build and strengthen your brand, grow your audience, and drive sales. It can be organic or paid (using the PPC model), with paid advertising enabling you to target a specific audience outside of your followers based on demographics, interests, behaviours and more.

Social media is extremely effective to help increase reach, connect with your audience, drive website visits, and sell products. For example, if you’re working for an apparel brand, you can run ads on Instagram with “Shop Now” buttons that drive visitors to your eCommerce page. Or, you can run a fundraising campaign on Facebook to drive donations. Or, you can use Twitter ads to simply build your brand following or generate leads for your sales team.

Becoming a social media specialist will require deep domain knowledge, as well as creativity, great writing skills, and an analytical mind.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is the use of email to promote your brand, product or services, develop relationships with your customers, and reach new customers. It usually takes the form of newsletters, email blasts, direct outbound emails, or email nurture flows using email creation and automation software, like Hubspot, MailChimp, Campaign Monitor, and Braze.

Email is a great tool to engage with your consumers in a place they’re already spending time (their inbox!), and if people find content valuable, they are more than willing to subscribe to and read a newsletter.

At B2B companies (Business-to-Business), email is often used as a form of lead nurture, where emails are sent to potential customers, segmented based on the stage of their buying journey, with content to keep them engaged and interested in the company until they are ready to make a purchase.

Email marketing is a popular tactic at both B2C and B2B companies, with 59 per cent of marketers citing it as the top ROI-generating marketing method for their organization. In order to succeed in this speciality, email marketers should be creative and have the ability to write, as they will need to craft engaging and persuasive emails and subject lines. They should also be results-driven and analytical, as they’ll spend a lot of time A/B testing, analyzing data, measuring results, and optimizing for performance.

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is when affiliates – publications, bloggers and influencers – earn a commission when products or services they reference or link to are then purchased.

For example, an article with a product review, or top ten products in a category (like top ten headphones, or best shampoos for curly hair), which links to websites where you can purchase those products, is likely an affiliate program in action.

One of the most well-known affiliate programs is Wirecutter, which provides product recommendations to its readers and earns commissions on any products sourced and purchased through their site. Amazon, Shopify, and Hubspot are also well-known for offering robust and successful affiliate programs.

Video Marketing

Video marketing (videos that promote your brand, products and services) should be a priority for most marketing strategies, with 71 per cent of consumers watching more video online than they were a year ago according to a recent HubSpot report.

Common types of videos used in marketing are explainer videos (a short, usually animated video that explains a product or service), video blogs, tutorials, testimonials, product reviews, live streams, and of course, advertisements.

Video marketing is tied closely with social media marketing, since social channels are a common way to disseminate videos to your audience. In fact, according to Social Media Today, video marketing is the top performing digital content type, driving more views, engagement and response than any other type of social post. For example, Tweets with video see 10x more engagement than those without. Video is also tied closely to SEO: YouTube, for example, has become the second largest search engine online.

Analytics

Perhaps one of the most important skills you can gain as a digital marketer is collecting and analyzing data and metrics (e.g. consumer interactions, website engagement, product usage, etc.) in order to determine the success and return on investment (ROI) of your marketing efforts. This practice is crucial to proving your work is having an impact on your company goals, and in turn, securing more budget for your department.

Most companies today look to hire “data-driven” digital marketers, which refers to marketers that use consumer data and insights to develop marketing strategies that will yield the highest ROI, as well as using past campaign metrics to inform future marketing decisions.

Common analytics tools include Google Analytics to measure website traffic, Hubspot Analytics to measure marketing engagement and map interactions back to revenue, Moz Pro, SEMRush and ahrefs to measure SEO success, and Optimizely to A/B test different web pages, for example.

 

Career Paths of a digital marketer

Generalists vs. Specialists

Many digital marketers will start as specialists – for example, in SEO, email, or social media – and then progress to a more general digital marketer (manager level or above), overseeing a team of specialists.

If you join a larger marketing team, you’re more likely to specialize in one area for your first few years and contribute to the overall strategy from your corner. If you join a smaller marketing team – 3 people or less – you’ll work across all areas and progress from Coordinator or Manager to Director, VP, or CMO. The speed at which you progress in terms of title and salary will depend on you and your organization.

Internships & Co-Ops

A great place to start your career as a digital marketer is as a student intern. Marketing teams are often happy to have a recent graduate come help out on a contract basis. More often than not, it will turn into a full-time role if both parties are happy. An internship is a great opportunity for you to test the waters as you kick off your career. You’ll have a chance to evaluate the team, role, and area of digital marketing before you hang your hat at any one company.

During your job interviews, look for a manager with a track record of building and supporting the professional growth of their team. Of course, hard work and strong output that ties back to business goals will always contribute to a faster career progression.

Build Your Portfolio

Another way into the profession is to start your own blog, build a website for yourself or a friend, or build out a personal brand on instagram – anything that lets you experiment with different platforms and techniques, and build up your resume and portfolio. Offer to manage social media for a university club you belong to, or volunteer to promote a fundraising event.

Job Titles

Most job titles for digital marketers will include one of digital, social, content, email or video + marketing preceded or followed by Intern, Coordinator, (Sr) Manager, (Sr) Director, or VP. For example: Social Media Intern or Director of Digital Marketing or Email Marketing Manager. Your title might not have “digital” in it – for example, Senior Marketing Manager – but you’ll still be expected to develop and execute a digital marketing strategy.

Digital marketing is a common role across almost all industries today, from consumer goods to technology, government, financial services, education, non-profit, healthcare, apparel, hospitality, and the list goes on. You can either join a digital marketing and advertising agency and work across different industries and verticals – as an Account Manager, Social Media Specialist, SEO Specialist or Strategist. Or, you can join an “in house” marketing team in one of the following areas:

Business to Consumer (B2C)

This includes any company selling goods or services to consumers. Consumer goods includes food and beverage, consumer packaged goods like Unilever, Kraft, or Procter & Gamble, apparel, pet food and supplies, and more. Financial services, hospitality, and travel are examples of consumer services.

Business to Business (B2B)

Business to business companies sell products and services to other companies in order to help them operate and grow. You can find B2B companies in almost every industry, including education, healthcare, sales, manufacturing and more.

Technology

The growth of technology companies is on the rise – 27.3 per cent year-over-year growth in new business formation between 2018 and 2019 – and with that, so are digital marketing opportunities. Technology companies span both B2B and B2C, and they all need digital marketing to build their audience and sales.

Whatever you choose, digital marketing skills are in-demand across virtually everyone industry. This is one skillet that can take you just about anywhere.

Work Environment

According to a recent report by Digiday, 78 per cent of digital marketers are satisfied with their work. This was compared to 58 per cent of all workers who claimed they were satisfied with their jobs.

Digital marketing jobs will require a considerable amount of teamwork and collaboration across departments in an office or home/remote setting. The work tends to be sedentary, and requires a lot of time on computers and mobile devices, especially at remote companies where tools like email, Zoom and Slack are routinely used to collaborate.

A safe working environment, the most common health and safety concerns among digital marketers are due to stress and ergonomic concerns. Digital marketing careers, especially at agencies and high-growth companies, can be varied and require considerable task-switching, and pressure to perform and meet tight deadlines while managing multiple stakeholders.

Qualifications for Digital Marketing Managers

To excel in the field, professionals must be knowledgeable of digital marketing best practices and industry standards. Additional qualifications include knowledge and mastery in the following areas.

It is essential to keep up with the latest technology trends, including being well versed in website analytics and data analysis tools. A digital marketing manager should understand how emerging technology trends, such as augmented reality (AR), can provide customers with unique and immersive experiences.
Understanding the role that content plays in digital marketing strategy is key, including creating content for SEO, social media, blogs, websites, email, video, and more. Aligning the branding and messaging in digital marketing content with more traditional marketing materials is essential for promoting brand consistency.
Becoming recognized as a thought leader adds another dimension to the role of a digital marketing manager. Professionals can gain this recognition by maintaining a personal blog and regularly contributing to social media, industry websites, and publications.
Pursuing credentials such as the Professional Certified Marketer (PCM) certificate from the American Marketing Association (AMA) can boost a candidate’s qualifications. Additionally, becoming Google AdWords certified enables professionals to demonstrate expertise in Google AdWords and pay-per-click (PPC) marketing campaigns.

The path to becoming a digital marketing manager can vary depending on the industry, company, and other factors. However, the following three steps are essential.

Step One: Earn a Bachelor’s Degree

Since the roles and duties of a digital marketing manager span a wide range, students of different backgrounds and interests can pursue the career path. Digital marketing managers typically have at least a bachelor’s degree in a related field, such as marketing, digital media, communication, website/graphic design, English, or liberal arts. While these professionals most often manage digital content, some may direct and develop team members.

Step Two: Choose Your Path

The digital marketing field is broad, so students should strive to select a specialty that suits their interests, qualifications, and abilities. There are several paths a digital marketer can go down; two examples are SEO marketing and PPC marketing.

Digital marketing managers who focus on search engine optimization (SEO) continually assess search engine methodology, including algorithms, to achieve optimum search engine outcomes.

PPC digital marketing managers employ internet marketing practices to direct web traffic and user attention to certain websites or specific website pages. This specialty requires familiarity with and proficiency in all aspects of digital advertising, website analytics, and conversion rate optimization.

Digital marketing managers who are responsible for an organization’s social media presence help maintain healthy relationships — both online and offline — between clients, customers, and brands by developing an overall social media strategy. Digital marketing managers may also oversee a social media specialist who usually carries out the organization’s day-to-day social media tasks. Some digital marketing managers are active in posting content themselves, or responding to comments or questions from the organization’s followers.

Step Three: Practice Continuing Education

Continuing education and professional development are also hallmarks of success for digital marketing managers. New technology and business approaches are continually emerging. As a result, it is essential to prioritize ongoing professional development by conducting personal research, attending workshops and seminars, networking with industry professionals, and attaining advanced education.

Also, some technical certifications may be necessary. Depending on a digital marketing manager’s niche, certification may pertain to the following:

  1. SEO
  2. PPC
  3. Data analytics
  4. Website programming (HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, for example)
  5. Social media
  6. Content management systems (CMS)
  7. Content creation

Aspiring digital marketing managers should also hone certain soft skills:

  • Flexibility
  • Personability ― interpersonal communication
  • Storytelling
  • An eye for design
  • An understanding of the “sales funnel”
  • Project management

Since a comprehensive set of both hard and soft skills influence the success of digital marketing managers, a master’s degree in management and leadership may also be beneficial.

Digital Marketing Manager Salaries

Digital marketing manager salaries vary by industry, company size, project scope, and education level. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median pay for all marketing managers was $136,850 as of May 2019.

Employment Outlook for Digital Marketing Managers

As a result of society’s increased personal and professional reliance on technology, the outlook for digital marketing managers is healthy. The BLS predicts the demand for marketing managers, in general, will increase by 8% between 2018 and 2028. As more users turn to conduct their banking and shopping activities online, the need for adept digital marketing managers is likely to continue to increase in the coming years.

 

 

 

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