A Quick Guide to Digital Marketing Careers

As we spend increasingly more time interacting with screens, marketers have reacted by shifting from traditional means of marketing to online resources. This shift has created digital marketing, which is the use of “digital tactics and channels” to connect with potential customers online. Within digital marketing, there are multiple subsections, including content marketing, social media marketing and e-mail marketing.

Industry professionals with skills in digital marketing are in high demand. A survey conducted by LinkedIn reported a shortage of 230,000 people with marketing skills in the 20 largest metro areas polled. Not only are there plenty of jobs for digital marketers, but the work also benefits those who do it. According to a list compiled by Glassdoor, which relies on employee feedback, six of the top 25 best jobs for a work-life balance were digital marketing careers. This is significant because it’s the most of any field other than information technology careers.

Digital marketing jobs for the best work-life balance:

1. SEO Manager
2. Social Media Manager
3. UX Designer
4. Digital Marketing Manager
5. Marketing Assistant
6. Marketing Analyst

Online marketing is crucial for businesses because of how consumer spending habits have changed. A report from Pew Research found that nearly eight in ten people living in the U.S. shop online, up from just 22 percent in 2000. A significant portion of online shopping is done on mobile devices. According to the 2017 U.S. Mobile App Report by Comscore, 57 percent of all digital media usage occurs in mobile apps, 50 percent of which is on smartphones, the other 7 percent on tablets. Specifically, it’s the younger generations, millennials and Generation Z, that businesses are targeting with their digital marketing strategy. A survey by KDM Engineering of 2,000 people found that 43 percent of millennial-aged participants check their phone every 20 minutes. That’s a lot of chances for businesses to get their products in front of consumers.

This trend can be seen in consumer groups that were previously reached through traditional means. A Google study of online habits of baby boomers discovered that this generation, numbering around 80 million, now spends more time per week online than watching television (19 hours compared with 16 hours). Like younger generations, older adults are becoming deeply engaged online, too, emphasizing the need for businesses to shift their marketing focus.

One forecast has estimated that, in 2018, more money will be spent on mobile advertising than TV advertising, with mobile ads expected to have nearly 34 percent of the market share. Businesses are also using an opt-in texting program to keep in touch with consumers, providing notice of discounts and special promotions when they go live. One example of this is Darden Brands, which owns restaurant chains Olive Garden and Longhorn Steakhouse, among others. Darden’s brands allow customers to sign up for text-message updates so that they can be the first to know about new menu items, discounts and deals.

By 2020, it is predicted that advertisers will spend 44.9 percent of their advertising budget on digital ads.

Who Makes Up a Digital Marketing Department?

Teams within an online marketing department will vary based on a company’s needs. Sometimes, marketers are called upon to play multiple roles. These jobs are very interconnected, so for any career in the field, teamwork is valued.

Content Strategist

Content marketing involves the creation of content that helps raise brand awareness, increase traffic or generate leads or customers. This content can come in many forms, including articles, e-books, infographics or blog posts. This content is then promoted, often via social media or email. It’s meant to give a brand a “voice.” Content marketing materials are meant to convey a brand’s expertise or understanding and makes the reader want to engage with it.

The annual salary for content strategists is $62,296, according to Payscale.

Digital Content Writer

Content writers create written content meant to engage the reader and encourage an action. They often juggle many projects at a time. Their work is subject to editing both by their team and potentially their client. They need to research the content, the client and the customers you’re trying to sway. Some tones suit certain clients better than others. Content writers have to be versatile; they may write on many diverse subjects, and they may be writing for different types of content for a variety of media.

According to Payscale, a content writer earns an average salary of $46,603.

Digital Marketing Analyst

Marketing analysts are data scientists who read and interpret digital data to help a business make good marketing decisions. Marketing analysts conduct data analysis on everything from a business’s marketing plan to the business itself and industry trends in order to help the team make good decisions about their marketing. Marketing analysts help businesses understand their customers, the market, their competition and current price structures.

The annual salary for digital marketing analyst is $50,440, according to Payscale.

Email Marketer

Email marketing has replaced direct mail for many businesses. Businesses can email customers to promote content, offer discounts, announce sales and promote events. Newsletters, like we used to get in the mailbox, are popular content for marketing emails. These emails should encourage action in customers: share the newsletter, visit the website, order a product, visit the business and more.

According to Payscale, Email Marketers earn an average of $52,383.

Statista has reported 3.7 billion global e-mail users as of 2017, which is expected to grow to 4.3 billion users by 2022.

Paid Search Analyst

Paid search is when a business buys the chance to rank high on search engines results pages based on keywords. The business pays a pre-determined amount of money any time a potential customer clicks on the link to its site. The more popular the keywords, the more money a company has to bid for those clicks.

Paid search analysts manage and develop pay-per-click (PPC) strategies for their company. PPC is when a company has placed an advertisement on a search engine, including Google, Yahoo and Bing, and pays that search engine money any time someone clicks on the ad.

Payscale has reported that paid search analysts average $48,121 a year.

98% of searchers choose a business that is on page one of the results they get, according to a survey done by BrightLocal, and SEO and digital marketing agency.

Search Engine Optimization Analyst

In simple terms, search engine optimization (SEO) analysts ensure that a website is vetted for the best keywords and phrases that will show up in search engines. Every day, people make roughly 3.5 billion searches on Google, which means that where a company appears on a search result list matters. That’s what makes SEO analysts so important. They put together a strategy to ensure that websites or content ranks higher on search engines, ensuring that more potential consumers see it and click on links, both from the search engine and even within the website itself on to other pages, like an online shop.

An SEO analyst position is technical and data-driven, and it requires specialized training on tracking, evaluating and improving the performance of online content. They also research keywords to see what the potential customers are searching for and then incorporate those keywords into the marketing strategy. New tools and practices change or update frequently, so these analysts must keep up-to-date on industry news and trends.

According to Payscale, the average salary for an SEO analyst is $48,891, not including possible bonuses and profit sharing. SEO analysts are also called SEO auditors or Site auditors.

A 2018 survey by HubSpot found that 61 percent of marketers said improving SEO and growing an organic presence was their No. 1 priority for inbound marketing.

Social Media Specialist

Social media specialist must have a deep knowledge of multiple social media platforms, staying up-to-date on the latest trends, and use marketing tactics to raise awareness of their company’s products or services. They interact and communicate with the public via online platforms that allow users to share content, such as images, text or video, that helps to promote the brand by being engaging users. Engagement techniques can include hashtag campaigns and having followers create user-generated content that companies can use to promote their own products.

Specialists are at their best when they’re “inspiring others to publish content” about their company, according to Anna Kassoway, chief marketing officer at Crowdtap, a company that connects consumers to brands through word of mouth.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS), the median pay for a social media specialist is $56,770. Due to social media’s ever-increasing popularity, there’s a solid demand for employees with social media experience, good communication skills and the ability to think on their feet.

In 2017, Target created a new advertising campaign based off the user-generated “Target Run,” turning it into “Target Run and Done.” The quick-buy campaign promoted the grab and go quality of Target, and customers responded positively. Revenues rose 7 percent from 2017 through 2019.

UX Designer

Design for the User Experience (UX) is the process involving designing products that “provide meaningful and relevant experiences” to consumers. UX designers consider the consumers when designing websites, mobile apps or other digital media to ensure consumers enjoy their time and want to come back in the future.

In a small company, a sole UX designer may do all the UX work, but in large companies with many UX designers there may be teams that work on a project together. In that case, designing the product would be broken up between team members. The process may involve many tasks, like setting up a wireframe for a website, testing the product on potential customers and getting feedback, or evaluating the performance of a product already on the market to find out how to make changes to the next iteration.

The average salary for a UX designer, according to Payscale, is $72,821.

Why Become a Digital Marketer?

The field of digital marketing continues to grow and evolve, changing to meet consumer preferences and needs.

Working in this fast-paced, yet flexible field provides marketing professionals with terrific work-life balance, including opportunities to work remotely, and leverages digital skills into creating engagement opportunities between consumers and companies.

The future of digital marketing is bright. The BLS projects that just at the managerial level, by 2026 there will be more than 23,000 new marketing positions in the field, overseeing countless marketing professionals working in the positions referenced above. The BLS stated the positive growth will come as organizations look to “maintain and expand market share.”

A career in digital marketing can be perfect for someone who is tech-savvy and ready to leverage those skills to meet consumer demand. In 2018 and beyond, consumers will be looking to establish a relationship with a brand, and marketing departments are constantly evolving to meet these desires.

While some jobs require more advanced degrees, it’s common that a bachelor’s degree is sufficient for a digital marketing career. Once you’ve built up experience working in digital marketing, an MBA or advanced certification can help you land management or science-driven analytic positions not available at the entry level.

Start your path to becoming a digital marketing star with the University of West Alabama’s fully online bachelors in integrated marketing communications. Our degree program will help you develop skills and knowledge in graphic design, photography, web design, social media, news writing and social science, while also mastering marketing theory and media law. We also offer an online Master of Arts In Integrated Marketing Communication.

When you decide to advance your career and increase your earning potential, consider our accredited online MBA. Our MBA can be completed in as little as one year, allowing you to move up the ladder at your company in a short amount of time.