Discover the high-paying and rapidly growing field of Digital Marketing. Learn what a Digital Marketer does, the skills required, and how to get started in this exciting career.

Key Insights

  • Digital Marketers leverage various online platforms to promote goods and services, utilizing tools like Google Analytics, SEMRush, and Moz to measure campaign performance.
  • Job requirements for Digital Marketers often include a degree in marketing, advertising, or business, excellent communication skills, and a strong understanding of online commerce and digital marketing tools.
  • A Digital Marketer's responsibilities range from competitor research and content marketing to analytics and budget management. They might work in agencies, companies, or as freelancers.
  • Digital Marketing is a growing field with an average yearly base salary of $57,000, with projections for a 10% growth in the next decade according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook.
  • Training programs like the Noble Desktop's Digital Marketing Certificate course can equip individuals with essential skills in a shorter time frame compared to a traditional bachelor's degree.
  • Digital Marketers have a broader role compared to Social Media Marketers, who specialize in campaigns on social media platforms.

Digital Marketers use the internet and social media to promote goods and services. With over 5 billion users worldwide, the internet has become the place for promotion and sales. Digital Marketing as a career pays well and is growing in popularity. This overview will explain more about what a Digital Marketer does, what they typically earn, and how to learn the skills required to land a job. 

What is a Digital Marketer?

Over half the world’s population uses the internet, and businesses have noticed. Most companies and organizations have a website and use digital marketing to reach potential customers or clients. Digital Marketers use social media platforms, website content, email campaigns, paid and unpaid advertising, and video marketing to promote goods and services to a target audience.

Digital Marketers use data analytics to identify an audience likely to be interested in the products or services they sell. Next, they create a detailed description of that audience, focusing on the pain points and problems the product will solve. Then, Digital Marketers set Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure the marketing campaign's performance. Common KPIs are sales goals or increasing traffic to a website.

After setting goals and determining strategy, Digital Marketers create high-quality content to engage the audience and place it near the top of search engine pages. After posting the content on social media, Digital Marketers use tools like Google Analytics, SEMRush, or Moz to analyze its performance. Digital Marketers also interact with followers on social media in the company’s brand voice. 

Some Digital Marketers work for agencies and take care of many accounts, while others work for one company. Some are employed in-house, while others work remotely. Digital Marketers in agencies and larger companies often work as part of a team. They may only be responsible for one part of the workload, such as content marketing, SEO, or data analytics. Many people start their careers as freelance Digital Marketers working at home by themselves or in small startups.

Read more about what a Digital Marketer does

Job Requirements

If you are interested in changing to a career in digital marketing, there are some requirements you will have to meet. Many companies advertising for Digital Marketers seek someone with a degree in marketing, advertising, or business. Some are willing to consider applicants with a different degree, while some will hire someone without a degree if they can demonstrate skills in digital marketing. What is most important when looking for work as a Digital Marketer is knowledge of online commerce and familiarity with digital marketing tools.

Hiring Managers are also looking for people with good communication and writing skills, as well as knowledge, understanding, and fluency with social media platforms. Team-building and collaboration skills are essential, too. For remote positions, independence and the ability to work independently without direct supervision are also requirements. 

Read more about the job requirements for a Digital Marketer.

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Job Responsibilities

  • Competitor research - Keep track of what the competition is doing and stay on top of current trends in digital marketing.
  • Paid and unpaid advertising - Figure out where to place ads and what social media platforms are best for reaching your audience.
  • Content Marketing - Acquire or create engaging content and implement a data-based schedule for publishing content online.
  • Email - Plan and implement email marketing campaigns.
  • Analytics - Use tools like Google Analytics to measure web traffic and monitor social media channels.
  • SEO and web optimization - Research keywords and optimize content and advertising for the best search rankings.
  • Report to colleagues - Use data insights to report on campaign success and make presentations to team members and stakeholders.
  • Create and maintain a budget - Plan and keep track of expenses.

Skills

Digital marketing jobs require both hard and soft skills. Digital Marketers need strong writing and editing skills to create and manage content. Understanding how keywords, websites, and data analysis tools work is also important. Digital Marketers also need to know their way around social media sites and which ones will work best for a particular audience. They also need to know the difference between paid and unpaid ads and which works best for their company. Finally, Digital Marketers need to understand how to create persuasive emails that will bring customers to the website and get them to order.

Digital Marketers also need soft skills like patience because it takes time to see results. Plus, they need to be adaptable and able to change direction quickly to keep up with changes in search engines and social media platforms. Multitasking, or successfully paying attention to several tasks simultaneously, also allows Digital Marketers to stay on top of changes. Storytelling is another foundational skill for Digital Marketers to connect with customers. Finally, empathy, or the ability to put yourself in the customer’s position to understand what they want or need, also helps build and maintain that connection.

Read more about what skills you need to become a Digital Marketer.

Why Do Businesses Need Digital Marketers?

As print media and network television continue to decline, businesses increasingly turn to the internet to advertise their products. But marketing on the world wide web differs from traditional print or broadcast advertising, which is where Digital Marketers come in. Traditional advertising focuses on the product, while digital marketing is more customer-focused. Digital marketing is about building relationships.

Digital Marketers amplify a company’s brand through social media contacts and quality website content. This builds trust among the target audience and fosters brand loyalty. Digital Marketers can do this thanks to the data collection and analysis tools available on the internet. With these insights, companies can see what their website visitors are doing and quickly change campaigns to improve sales. Digital Marketers help companies make a connection with customers that isn’t possible from a billboard or a magazine ad.

Where Do Digital Marketers Usually Work?

Digital Marketers work in three different environments: agencies, companies, or freelance. Agencies hire Digital Marketers to design and run campaigns for different clients, and they often work as part of a team. Some companies hire their own Digital Marketers. In this environment, Digital Marketers may also work as part of a team, especially in larger firms. However, smaller companies may want someone who can handle everything from data analytics to social media marketing. Finally, at least to start out, many Digital Marketers work as freelancers. Freelancers tend to work remotely, often from home, instead of going into an office, although some prefer coworking spaces. 

Digital Marketer Salary and Job Outlook

Digital Marketer is a career that pays well and is expected to grow. The employment site Indeed.com reports an average yearly base salary of $57,000 for Digital Marketers working in the U.S. This is based on voluntary responses to their survey. Also, salaries vary depending on location.

As more and more businesses launch websites, apps, and online stores, more digital marketing jobs are created. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook lists Digital Marketer as one of the jobs expected to grow by 10% in the next decade. The average rate of growth for most professions is 5%.

Read more about Digital Marketer salaries and the job outlook for a Digital Marketer.

How Long Does it Take to Become a Digital Marketer?

Depending on the chosen path, it can take anywhere from several years to several months to become a Digital Marketer. If you decide to go to college, earning a bachelor's degree will take four to five years of full-time study. Some companies prefer to hire college graduates, but digital marketing is a field where performance is valued as much or more than degrees.

Training programs teach digital marketing in two to six months instead of years. Noble Desktop offers a Digital Marketing Certificate course, including classes on digital marketing strategies, search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, Google ads, and Google analytics. Another option is Noble’s Social Media Marketing Certificate course. This course is excellent for individuals looking to start a career in digital marketing, entrepreneurs looking to start a business and leverage digital marketing, or business owners looking to grow a business using digital marketing techniques. This program also includes a free retake so students can come back to refresh the material.

Digital Marketer vs. Social Media Marketer

What is the difference between a career as a Digital Marketer and a Social Media Marketer? A Digital Marketer has a broader skill set, while a Social Media Marketer specializes in campaigns on social media. A Digital Marketer may research, plan, and implement a marketing campaign that includes everything from website optimization to email marketing. On the other hand, a Social Media Marketer focuses on getting organic results through interaction with followers on different platforms.

Learn the Skills to Become a Digital Marketer at Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop offers many digital marketing courses that teach skills to help you switch to a career in digital marketing. Small class sizes and expert instructors help you learn digital marketing in in-person or live online classes. Plus, you can take a course over again for free at any time during the following year. 

Noble Desktop offers many bootcamps in digital marketing like Facebook Marketing, email marketing, Social Media Content Marketing: Blogs & Twitter, and Video Marketing: TikTok & YouTube. You can also choose the Digital Marketing Certificate or a Social Media Marketing Certificate course. Other Noble Desktop resources that can help prepare for a career in digital marketing include the digital marketing blog with valuable articles about social media marketing, SEO, and other essential tools for digital marketers.

Key Takeaways

  • Digital Marketers use the internet to promote goods and services.
  • Some companies prefer to hire Digital Marketers with college degrees, while others are more interested in performance.
  • To get a job as a Digital Marketer, you need good communication skills, knowledge of SEO and web optimation, familiarity with data analytics tools, and an understanding of social media platforms.
  • Businesses need Digital Marketers because the internet is so far-reaching.
  • Digital Marketers earn an average of $57,000 annually, with experts anticipating the field to grow by 10 percent in the next ten years.
  • Learning digital marketing can take anywhere from two months to four years.
  • Social media marketing is similar to digital marketing, except Social Media Marketers focus solely on social media platforms.
  • You can receive comprehensive training to become a Digital Marketer through an in-person or live online course with Noble Desktop.