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How to Become a Digital Marketer
Becoming a Digital Marketer can be an exciting and rewarding role with plenty of opportunities.
Interested in dipping your toes into the world of digital marketing? Here’s our quick guide to kick-starting your career.
Our sources for this article: National Careers Service
What Qualifications Do Digital Marketers Need?
The digital marketing industry is highly competitive. Ahead of landing your dream digital marketing job, you might want to look at some online courses and on-site training choices. There are several different career path options you can take, depending on your current qualifications:
Apply to do a marketing/digital marketing degree
If you haven’t been to university, you could apply to study marketing at degree level, or see if you find a degree through clearing. Most degree courses are accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing and some include a valuable year-long placement in a marketing role.
Take a postgraduate qualification in digital marketing
If you already have an unrelated degree but you’re keen to pursue a career in digital marketing, why not study a master’s in Digital Marketing? Master’s degree courses are open to graduates of any discipline and government-funded loans are available.
Take a short digital marketing course
If you don’t want to commit to degree level study there are plenty of short, affordable digital marketing short courses that offer tuition on Google AdWords and Facebook Insights. You can also access Google Analytics courses or alternatively, you could opt for a longer diploma that covers all of the main digital marketing specialisms, from social media marketing to online social marketing courses. Gaining some form of digital marketing certification will help supercharge your career.
Apply for an apprenticeship
A digital marketing apprenticeship will provide you with valuable on-the-job marketing training and experience. The type of apprenticeship you apply for depends on your current level of education. However, you could learn a rainbow-array of skills including the fundamentals of marketing, ecommerce, mobile marketing, digital advertising, how to use Hubspot, and online advertising. These entry-level roles will sharpen your skill set.
As a Beginner, Where Should I Start in Digital Marketing?
A simple search online will reveal a multitude of free resources to help you increase your digital marketing know-how. Google’s Digital Garage is a great place to begin. It’s also worth following a few digital marketing experts. The Moz Blog and Social Media Examiner are also good for starters.
Experience is highly valued in the world of digital marketing, so if you’re doing a course that doesn’t include a placement, try asking local marketing agencies whether you could do a couple of weeks’ work experience. This will help you to understand how digital marketing campaigns work and give you the chance to network with professionals. Alternatively, ask local charities or small businesses whether you could produce some content for their blog or social media accounts.
Most marketing positions require you to have some form of experience. Understanding the software that digital marketers use, the various digital channels, and the world of online advertising is sure to be a bonus. Regardless of your current education levels, there are plenty of online courses you can look into. You can study full or part-time, depending on your current commitments and learn at a pace that suits you.
What Does a Digital Marketer Do?
While every digital marketer needs to know how to carry out essential tasks like keyword research, there are also a number of digital marketing skills you could specialise in.
Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising
This specialism involves creating online ad campaigns, implementing them, analysing their success and producing reports. You will need to understand a wide range of marketing channels and platforms. You’ll use tools like Google AdWords, Facebook Ads and Bing Ads.
Social media marketing
Social media is one of the core digital marketing tools of the modern world. This type of marketing involves helping businesses to develop their online presence via social media channels including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You’ll create social media strategies, plan content, manage communities and track the effectiveness of posts.
SEO (search engine optimisation)
SEO involves ensuring that web pages appear at the top of search engine results, in order to increase the number of visitors. Most digital marketing professionals have a working knowledge of SEO best practises. For this part of the job, you’ll be researching keywords, implementing strategies, link building, and using web analytics software. The overall aim is to increase a site’s online presence.
Content marketing
Do you have excellent communication skills? Content marketing involves creating content marketing strategies. You’ll produce engaging copy for blogs, websites, landing pages, marketing emails and social media. You’ll also adapt your tone of voice to suit your target audience and use copy to persuade readers. Learning the art of copywriting is a savvy place to start here.
Email marketing
Email marketing or e-shots are a massive part of modern digital marketing strategy. This specialism involves producing and sending email newsletters and promotions. You’ll be creating persuasive copy, producing attractive templates and using data and analytics software to test out different variables.
If you become a digital marketer you could work with businesses, charities and government organisations. Larger companies often have in-house marketing departments, while smaller ones tend to offer work on a freelance or contract basis. Remote and flexible work are also common.
When you start applying for roles with digital advertising agencies, be sure to ask them what the scope of each position is. Understanding the average salary you can demand as well as the specifics of the digital marketing role will help you make an informed decision.
Many aspiring marketers start their career by joining a digital marketing agency. These provide general online marketing services to a range of clients, although some specialise in particular sectors.
£0,000
Higher Salary for a Digital Marketing Manager
Popular Career Pathways for Digital Marketers
The field of digital marketing offers a very broad spectrum of possible career paths and salaries. Before you start applying for marketing positions, it pays to know the average salary for each of them. According to the National Careers Service, Marketing Managers can earn wages of £65,000 or higher with experience. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some positions, from entry-level to senior roles:
- Assistant Digital Marketer
- Digital Marketing Executive
- Copywriter
- SEO Executive
- Content Manager
- SEO Manager
- PPC Manager
- Head of Paid Search
Ultimately, there are plenty of opportunities out there for digital marketers. It’s a fast-growing and exciting industry to be a part of and can help you move into a wide variety of roles. Find out how we can help you start your journey today.
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