And then jump straight into our 10 reasons why you should be considering digital marketing as your next move professionally.
TABLE OF CONTENT
2. Why digital marketing is the career for you?
3. The soft skills a digital marketer should have
What is digital marketing?
Digital marketing refers to businesses leveraging different online marketing channels to connect with existing and prospective customers.
We delve into the finer details in our Digital Marketing Ultimate Guide, which you can find here (opent in nieuw tabblad).
Unlike traditional marketing (opent in nieuw tabblad) which refers to the offline methods of marketing, for example, billboards, radio, print media, and direct mail.
Digital marketing is solely about using online marketing methods to engage and convert customers.
Examples of this would be:
- email marketing campaigns (opent in nieuw tabblad)
- social media marketing (opent in nieuw tabblad)
- content marketing (opent in nieuw tabblad)
- search engine marketing (opent in nieuw tabblad)
Why digital marketing is the career for you
1. It’s seriously in demand right now
LinkedIn reported that their internal data showed that half of the top 10 jobs posted in 2022 were in the digital or media space! (opent in nieuw tabblad)
That’s a massive percentage when you consider LinkedIn provides B2B job opportunities for hundreds of industries across the globe.
As we mentioned before, the term itself, digital marketing, encompasses many sub professions but there’s a huge demand for many of these as you can see in this graphic.
Digital marketing’s scope of opportunity and evolving genre means that organisations are always on the lookout for people that can contribute to their marketing strategies and fill talent gaps.
2. Variety is the spice of marketing
It’s fair to say that almost every business today has some kind of online presence.
This offers a wide range of specialisations.
Whether that’s a website (the most common digital shopfront) or a social media profile, customers nowadays expect to be able to research companies online and will seek them out in these places.
Digital marketers are then tasked with utilising the many channels at their disposal to reach customers in these places, each one warranting its own specialisation.
This includes but is not limited to:
- SEO (opent in nieuw tabblad) (search engine optimisation)
- Content Marketing (opent in nieuw tabblad)
- Social Media Management (opent in nieuw tabblad)
- Email Marketing (opent in nieuw tabblad)
- SEM (opent in nieuw tabblad) (search engine marketing)
- Online PR (opent in nieuw tabblad)
These are just a few of the areas that marketers will learn about and can choose to specialise in.
For organisations with a sensible marketing budget (most spend 7-10% (opent in nieuw tabblad) of their overall revenue on digital marketing campaigns), you’ll often find teams are made up of several marketers each with their own niche skillset.
This makes a career as a digital marketer varied and with plenty of choices for lateral or upward progression.
3. Competitive salary
This, of course, varies depending on experience and what aspect of digital marketing you choose to specialise in but each path has a healthy salary with plenty of room for progression to earn the big bucks!
4. No prior education needed BUT…
One of the big allures of being a digital marketing professional is that you don’t need a formal degree or abundance of education behind you to get started.
Companies are instead interested in your desire to learn, grow and think creatively to solve problems.
This low barrier for entry means anyone with a bit of passion and a will to get stuck in can successfully pivot into a new career.
BUT It goes without saying that you should have some prior knowledge or at least a baseline understanding of the roles and terminologies.
You’re more likely to be accepted or chosen over someone who is starting from scratch, depending on the advertised position.
This leads us to our next reason for choosing digital marketing as a career.
5. You can learn anytime, anywhere
The great thing about professions centred around digital businesses is it’s all online. This means you can train online too!
There are plenty of courses available online that will teach the fundamentals of digital marketing (including our very own! (opent in nieuw tabblad)) to help facilitate a smooth career transition.
As well as online courses, you can try your hand at other aspects from the comfort of your own home.
- Set up an online shop (opent in nieuw tabblad)
- Start a blog (opent in nieuw tabblad)
- Invest in a social media channel (opent in nieuw tabblad)
- Volunteer for experience (opent in nieuw tabblad)
- Become a freelancer (opent in nieuw tabblad)
The supreme flexibility of this industry means you can forget the learning fees or the need to be present in a classroom.
6. A creative and versatile career
As a digital marketer, you’ll naturally meander between many different brands, products and company objectives.
This allows you to be creative in how you approach challenges and find workable solutions as you collaborate and coordinate with teams.
As with any field, there are tried and tested approaches but because the digital space is always welcoming emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (opent in nieuw tabblad) (AI) and leveraging software (opent in nieuw tabblad) to drive campaigns and analyse data, you’ll find yourself breaking new ground often and working with diverse tools.
ChatGPT (opent in nieuw tabblad) is one of the greatest examples of how AI has turbocharged digital marketing.
As you develop expertise in one area you might find that another attracts you and start building knowledge there too.
This is referred to as a “T-Shaped marketer” which you can read more about here (opent in nieuw tabblad).
7. Challenging and meaningful work
Let’s say you work for a digital marketing agency that has a decent roster of clients, you’ll get to interact and work on varied projects that require different outcomes.
One client might want to drive brand awareness (opent in nieuw tabblad) so you’ll help to create thoughtful strategies to market online while another could be looking to increase traffic (opent in nieuw tabblad) to their website which requires another approach.
Each objective has you reaching into a different toolkit.
This keeps things fresh and exciting.
Companies rely on a digital marketing specialist to effectively understand, reach and engage their audiences and there’s a great sense of reward in contributing to that success.
8. Working with diverse teams and career growth
Digital marketing jobs often involve several people collaborating on a common goal.
As a digital marketer, you’ll rub shoulders with animators, web developers, writers, videographers and project managers (opent in nieuw tabblad) to name a few!
This puts you in a great position to absorb useful information from everyone around you, helping you to grow and develop knowledge areas around the industry.
As this knowledge builds and the practice of communicating with teams there are also opportunities to pursue management or leadership roles (opent in nieuw tabblad).
9. Remote work opportunities
If you’re worried about commuting or maintaining a healthier work-life balance, perhaps around your family or personal goals, the good news is that many companies are more than happy to offer remote working for digital marketers (opent in nieuw tabblad).
All you need is a laptop and a steady internet connection to get online and use the various platforms, allowing you to work from anywhere in the world.
Messaging apps (opent in nieuw tabblad) keep teams connected via chats and video conferences bringing meetings to your MacBook while apps like Asana (opent in nieuw tabblad) let managers assign tasks and track workflows.
10. Great for analytical minds
Part of becoming a fully-fledged digital marketer is learning how to translate customer and campaign data (opent in nieuw tabblad) into actionable insights that drive company strategies.
Data analysts (opent in nieuw tabblad) and market researchers are essential to formulating accurate and informed campaigns and while these exist as separate careers in their own right, a keen analytical mind can pick up the basics to help propel their success.
The soft skills a digital marketer should have
The technical know-how can be developed through online courses and by practice but if you’re wondering what traits a digital marketer should possess, we’ve got you covered:
Empathetic – marketing is all about getting into the minds of your target audience to determine their needs, desires and challenges.
A strong empathetic sense allows you to put yourself in the customer’s shoes and deliver solution-based strategies.
Adaptable – because digital marketing industry is ever-evolving you’ll need to keep up with and stay ahead of emerging trends and industry changes.
Growth-minded – staying curious and looking to educate and develop your skills continually puts you in great stead as a marketer.
Creative – you enjoy finding new and innovative ways to solve problems and aren’t afraid to think outside the box.
Can take feedback – you’re happy collaborating with diverse teams and are open to receiving feedback from peers or managers.
Communicate well – between interacting with other departments and co-workers to writing marketing plans and planning email marketing campaigns, strong verbal and written communication is a huge asset.
Think you have what it takes?
A career path in digital marketing is challenging, exciting and constantly progressing, making for a rewarding profession with diverse opportunities for growth and success.
As one of the most in-demand jobs today that you can start learning from home, there’s never been a better time to consider it!
FAQ
Field marketing is a strategy that focuses on face-to-face customer contact, usually in physical locations such as events, trade shows, or retail stores.
It involves direct engagement with consumers to promote products or services, increase brand awareness and build relationships.
Field marketing teams often use creative and interactive techniques to attract attention and leave a memorable impression.
By bringing the brand experience directly to the target audience, field marketing aims to engage customers, generate leads, and ultimately contribute to company growth.
Yes, a career in digital marketing is legit. In fact, it’s one of the most in-demand careers in the world right now.
According to a recent study by LinkedIn (opent in nieuw tabblad), the demand for digital marketers is expected to grow by 20% in the next few years.
Some of the most widespread digital marketing jobs include:
- Digital marketing manager: This role is responsible for overseeing all aspects of a company’s digital marketing strategy.
- SEO specialist: This role is responsible for optimizing websites and web pages for search engines.
- Social media specialist: This role is responsible for managing a company’s social media accounts and creating engaging content.
- Content writer: This role is responsible for writing high-quality content for websites, blogs, and social media.
If you’re interested in a career in digital marketing, there are a few things you can do to prepare:
- Get certified: There are several digital marketing certifications available that can help you demonstrate your skills to potential employers.
- Start sharing on LinkedIn: This is a very powerful social if used correctly. Follow the best experts, engage with them, and share your knowledge at least 3 times a week.
- Build your portfolio: Create a portfolio of your work that showcases your skills and experience.
- Network with other digital marketers: Attend industry events and connect with other professionals in the field.
