Digital Careers – How to Become a Digital Marketer

by Kurt Scholle

What is Digital Marketing?

Digital marketing, also known as data-driven marketing, is the online marketing of products and services using digital technologies . Digital marketers work on websites and blogs, using video, infographics, social media channels (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube), mobile phones and other digital media.

Digital Marketing Careers

Demand is high for digital marketers across many roles and industries. According to The Economic Times, Digital Marketing profession is one of the top 5 professions in the last 5 years. Learn how to become a digital marketer.

A recent BizSugar survey of American businesses showed that company owners and manager struggle most with is training workers, according to a recent survey of American Businesses. The second biggest challenge was hiring and onboarding qualified workers.

Given the number of currently available jobs (see below) and the importance of marketing in sales, now is one of the best times to consider a career change. It’s very likely that digital marketing skills are going to benefit workers the rest of their lives.

Digital Marketing Specialist Skills

As digitization continues to increase rapidly, more employers will need more digital marketers in their workforce to fill skills gaps to generate more leads, engagement, sales and brand awareness.

Traditional Marketing vs. Digital Marketing

Traditional marketing is often described as a one-to-many model. The company speaks directly to it’s target audience in one direction.

This kind of communication is less common is digital marketing where a bi-directional approach is more common. Much of this became available as the web matured with Web 2.0 technologies that became available in the last 10-15 years.

Companies continue to talk, but they are listening more than ever, especially in the days of the ‘PROsumer,’ who has become more involved in the buying process by reading reviews more than ever and WRITING reviews, as well. I wrote about the impact of this, especially locally, here.

Examples of Digital Marketing

Digital marketing jobs.

• Search Engine Optimization
• Content Marketing
• Social Media Marketing (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc)
• Pay Per Click Advertising (Google, Bing, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn)
• Email Marketing (Listbuilding)
• Solo Ads
• Affiliate Marketing
• Marketing Automation
• Online Public Relations

All of these relate to brand positioning, differentiation and lead generation.

The 4 P’s to the 4 C’s

Traditional marketing focused on the 4 P’s: Product, Price, Place & Promotion. The new brand-to-consumer model focuses on the 4 C’s: co-creation, currency, consumer and conversation.

• Co-Creation is the process of involving customers early in the process, evaluating their needs and getting their feedback. They love being a part of the process. They are ‘PROsumers.’
• Currency, or pricing, has evolved in the digital age. It sometimes involves ‘dynamic pricing,’ or flexibility pricing in different markets or to different target markets. It may be defined by capacity utilization or market demand.

More Engagement Traditional marketing often limits customers reaching you by phone or in-store. Digital marketing expands their options (and your opportunities) with additional opportunities 24/7/365.

Email, social media, instant messaging, online ordering and other options make just about any business a 24/7 operation. That doesn’t mean that you need someone online 24 hours a day. Responding in 8-12-24 hours is often effective. Just make sure someone is listening and responding, pretty much daily.

And don’t worry about costs. Digital marketing strategies can often be executed for less money than traditional marketing.

How to Become a Digital Marketer

While you don’t need a specific degree to become a digital marketer, it is recommended that a degree in marketing, like a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing would be beneficial. Some jobs don’t require a formal education if the candidate can demonstrate relative experience in the field. It’s possible to get certified in various forms of digital marketing, including SEO, content marketing and paid advertising.

Digital Marketing Career Salary

According to Indeed.com, of almost 6,000 salaries reported, the average salary for a digital marketer is $58,344 in the United States. That’s $7,221 more than the average office manager salary.

The most common benefits of being a digital marketer is that you can work from home, your time is flexible and gym membership is often a frequent perk.

How Much Does a Digital Marketing Specialist Make?

Specialists with digital skills are making above-average wages. Here are the average annual salaries of similar professions in the United States and the number of jobs currently available.

• Marketing Manager, $71,234. 23,360 openings.
• Marketing Specialist, $53,959. 31,212 openings.
• Marketer, $51,924 ($4,327/mo). 14,444 openings.
• Social Media Manager, $44,272. 3,630 openings.
• Content Writer, $42,168 ($3,514/mo). 2,090 openings.
• Social Media Specialist, $37,256. 12,187 openings.

Digital marketing professional salaries vary by location, topped by New York, NY at $70,123, followed by Charlotte, NC at $68,527, Irvine, CA at $66,659, Chicago, IL at $64,104 and Austin, TX at $59,988.

Frequently Asked Questions

“Why do businesses hire digital marketers?” Marketing is a key to successful business. People won’t buy unless they are familiar with the brand, like them and in may cases ‘trust’ them. Digital marketing has become more important in recent years as the ways consumers research and buy have evolved. For instance, local marketing has changed significantly in just the past 2-3 years.

“What is search engine optimization to a digital marketer?” SEO is one of many possible specialties for digital marketers. SEOs attract site visitors ‘organically’ as part of a content marketing strategy that includes creating and executing an ‘Editorial Calendar.’ SEO specialists often work to earn powerful backlinks from other sites.

“What is the value of content marketing for a digital marketer?” I’ve said for years that Website Success depends on 2 primary keys; creating content that converts and getting qualified leads to those offers. The offers may be created very differently, depending on where the prospect is in the buyer’s journey or buying funnel.

Content marketing can often include digital content, including video and podcasts. Some say content marketing is most common in enterprise environments, but bloggers and small brands can benefit, as well.

If you’re contemplating a new job as a digital marketer, Indeed has come up with a list of 20 digital marketing interview questions with example answers. You might want to spend some time studying them.

Why Do You Want a Career in Digital Marketing?

As we said earlier, jobs are in demand, wages are higher than normal.

Are you ready to improve your ‘PROtential’?

If you’re an owner or manager, do you want a better trained staff?

Do you want more options for delegating?

If you work in the company and are looking for a raise and/or promotion; or if you just want to create a side hustle, how will you gain the knowledge necessary?

Please consider my new course, Website Success Essentials.

This course is the home study version of a live course I’ve trained hundreds of people with live over a 6-week period. It is designed to get students up to speed quickly and without overwhelm.

There are 49 video lessons in 6 modules, complete with downloadable documents, templates and checklists. You can begin with Lesson One in Module One or skip directly to the solution you need today!

Website Success Essentials is perfect for you if you’re interested in or want to learn more about….

1. Setting goals for your website.
2. Researching your market.
3. Strategic planning.
4. The Technical Foundation: Hosting, eCommerce, WordPress, Themes, Usability.
5. Creating Content That Converts. Learn about creating 15 different types of content.
6. Copywriting. Copywriter make good money for a reason.
7. Search Engine Optimization: How to attract prospects by knowing what they want.
8. Paid Ads. The quickest way to get traffic to a website. Buy it!
9. Retargeting. Get people to come back to your site when they’re ready to buy.

Each lesson is designed to be interesting and convey value. One of my favorites is the one about the importance of writing strong headlines. and we use some of Jay Leno’s headlines for insights . (And a bit of fun)

Want more? Take the brief tour.

Investing in a course like this is worth the investment and temporary sacrifices because of the quick ROI. Employment demand for online marketers is growing for brands of all size and if you own a small business, digital marketing will help save on advertising.

Website Success Essentials provides a comprehensive knowledge of the critical aspects of owning or managing a website. Start at the very beginning and study at your own pace or use it as a resource to give you guidance and clarity anytime you need it.

You will also have access to our private Facebook Group where you can ask questions and get support on an ongoing basis.

Regular price $997. For a limited time, pay just $497.

• 5 Modules
• 49 Video Lessons
• 18 hours of video instruction

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