What is a Digital Marketer?
Digital marketers use various digital marketing techniques to communicate with brand target consumers to promote growth and sales.
As a digital marketer, you are responsible for promoting a brand’s products or services using digital channels. You will need to devise a solid multi-channel communication strategy that speaks directly to target consumers and prospects. You may work across several areas, or be a digital marketing specialist – this will depend on the size and requirements of the company you are employed by.
Digital marketing techniques include social media marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns, mobile marketing, and affiliate marketing. Social media marketing involves gaining followers on social media channels such as Instagram, Twitter Facebook and YouTube. SEO aims to increase website traffic by achieving high rankings in search results. PPC campaigns are sponsored online advertisements. Affiliate marketing involves allowing other businesses to sell products on a website and paying them a commission for each customer they bring in.
Responsibilities
As a digital marketer, you’ll need to:
- Create and upload website content
- Write and send email marketing campaigns
- Analyse and report ROI to clients and management
- Research new online media opportunities
- Design website banners and visuals
- Communicate with clients, affiliate networks and partners
- Conduct keyword research
- Contribute to company and industry blogs, manage e-communications
- Assist with paid media and liaise with digital advertising agencies
- Develop and integrate content marketing strategies
- Stay on top of digital trends
Salary
The starting salary for a graduate marketing scheme or entry-level candidate will range between £18,000 to £22,000.
As you advance, you can expect to earn up to £30,000. More senior digital marketers have the opportunity to earn up to £40,000. According to Glassdoor the national average salary for a digital marketer is £33,348. Depending on your employer, you may be eligible for company bonuses, private healthcare and additional benefits packages.
Working hours
You can expect to work typically 37 to 40 hours per week. However, you may be expected to work longer hours if you are working on large-scale marketing campaigns and project work. Part-time work is available as well as short-term work, which can usually be sought out through recruitment agencies. You can also work on a freelance basis, where you will have the opportunity to decide your own working hours.
What to expect
- Office-based role with a lot of communication by phone, email, and conference calls
- Travel may be required, especially for agency roles
- Possible flexible working patterns and some work from home
- Experienced digital marketers may choose to become independent consultants
- Challenging but rewarding due to the fast-paced nature of the digital marketing sector
Qualifications
Most marketing graduate schemes will require a marketing degree and you’ll need to be flexible in terms of location as competition for these schemes will be rife. Due the industry being so competitive, a degree will make you stand out against the crowd however, it is possible to gain marketing employment if you have relevant experience.
Skills
must have skills:
You’ll need to have:
- Strong verbal and written communication skills
- Attention to detail and accuracy
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team
- Organisational skills and ability to prioritize tasks
- Creative skills for developing new ideas
- Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines
- Networking and analytical skills
- Knowledge of social media platforms
- Excellent IT skills
Work experience
There are a number of undergraduate marketing placements and internships that you can apply for during your studies.
However, this will be highly competitive; therefore, you should research the various companies before applying and comparing your current skill set against the job requirements. There are also digital marketing apprenticeships that you can apply for. Developing an online presence and portfolio, through blog writing, for example, will help you showcase your capabilities and genuine interest when it comes to interviews.
Employers
Digital marketers can work in various sectors, as most companies have a marketing and communications department that provides digital marketing services. Marketing agencies also offer digital marketing services and may outsource projects from companies. The roles can be in-house or outsourced. The size of the company or agency can vary from large to medium-sized.
Professional development
Most training is done on-the-job and varies depending on the company. Tools used may include Google Analytics, Facebook Insights, Adobe Creative Suite, Google AdWords, and MailChimp. Marketing companies with training schemes typically provide structured CPD programs and in-house training.
Career prospects
If you’re a recent graduate, your progression will depend on the size, type and opportunity within the organisation.
Digital marketing is extremely fast-paced therefore, the more you learn early on the better chance you stand in moving up the ladder quicker.
You can expect to progress into more senior roles between two to five years from digital marketing executive to coordinator or manager. Gaining additional qualifications throughout your career will help build your knowledge of the industry and your skillset. At account director levels, you will have complete oversight and responsibility for your accounts, strategy and digital marketing campaigns. You may also be required to take on additional responsibilities, such as budgets, training and mentoring.
Related Courses
Studying towards a BA (Hons) in International Business sets students up with the necessary skills to work in a range of professions. The course involves working closely with academic theory and practical case studies, allowing students to grasp how the theory can be applied in real business scenarios.
Within this programme, students will cover modules such as business studies, finance, human resource management, marketing, and economics. BA International Business takes a very hands-on approach to learning by incorporating workshops, guest lectures and field trips into the programme.
The MBA component of the course takes a broad look at business practice and functions such as accounts, finance, and HR – and how they are all interlinked. This allows students to grasp the importance of strategy and communication within a managerial role.
Alongside a broad business view, this course allows students to specialise in digital marketing in a more focused way. The marketing aspect of the programme is intended to allow professionals with substantial digital marketing experience to hone their skills to enhance their career prospects. Areas of study include digital marketing strategy, management, social media marketing, search engine optimisation, pay per click, email and influencer marketing.
Other related courses
- BA (Hons) Marketing Management
- BA (Hons) Marketing with Advertising and Public Relations
- BA (Hons) Communications and Public Relations
- MSc Marketing and Leadership
- MSc Strategic Marketing
- MSc Global Digital Marketing
FAQ Summary
Digital marketers use various digital marketing techniques to communicate with brand target consumers to promote growth and sales. As a digital marketer, you are responsible for promoting a brand’s products or services using digital channels.
The starting salary for a graduate marketing scheme or entry-level candidate will range between £18,000 to £22,000.
Most marketing graduate schemes will require a marketing degree and you’ll need to be flexible in terms of location as competition for these schemes will be rife. Due to the competitive nature of the industry, a degree will make you stand out against the crowd however, it is possible to gain marketing employment if you have relevant experience. Without a degree you might be required to demonstrate a genuine interest in digital marketing with evidence of a strong personal online profile, such as a blog, website or connections and interactions on various social media platforms
