The truth about digital marketing jobs

Does spending your day on Instagram – and getting paid for it – sound amazing? Well that could be one of your tasks as a digital marketer. A career in digital marketing can be super fun and lets you unleash your creative side.

But there’s a lot more to digital marketing than likes and retweets. In this guide, we’re busting the myths and the jargon – telling you what digital marketing jobs actually are, what skills you’ll need and how to get one.

What’s digital marketing anyway?

Basically, digital marketing means promoting products, brands and ideas through electronic media. Digital marketing makes us sit up and take notice of everything from fast-food restaurants to clothes, from charity causes to makeup.

Obviously loads of digital marketing is done on the internet – through things like blogs, websites and social media – but digital marketers also use texts, apps, podcasts, TV and radio.

Remember the last time you saw a Twitter hashtag that made you laugh? Or a TV ad that made you cry? That’s good digital marketing.

Because technology is steaming along at a really fast rate, digital marketing is an industry that’s changing and developing all the time. And that means there’s a huge range of different careers and paths within it.

So what digital marketing jobs could I do?

Do you fancy being a "digital marketing superhero"? "Marketing rock star"? Or how about "head of happiness"? Nope, we’re not kidding: these are actual job titles in digital marketing.

'Want to be a digital marketing superhero? This is a real job and it could be yours!'

Tweet this to your followers

It just goes to show how much the industry is developing – new job roles crop up all the time because of advances in technology. Here are a few examples of (more common!) digital marketing jobs you could do, with an overview of their responsibilities.

Digital marketing executive: Oversee online marketing campaigns from idea to final product, motivating their team.
SEO manager: Use "search engine optimisation" techniques to make sure your company is noticed by Google.
Social media manager: Promote your company using the newest social media platforms, building lots of followers for your product or idea and interacting with customers.
Email marketing manager: Sending out emails and newsletters to encourage customers to buy products.
Copywriter: writing text for a company’s website.
Web designer: Designing images, graphics and logos for a company’s website.
Digital sales executive: Create sales emails and interactive advertising to sell customers your product online and through other electronic media.

Watch this video to see what it's like to work as a social media director.

What skills do I need?

The tools and methods used in digital marketing jobs are constantly changing – think about how quickly trends come and go online, for example.

So probably the most important skills when it comes to this industry are being adaptable and quick to learn.

For a career in digital marketing, you’ll need to have:

Good communication skills to explain your ideas to colleagues.
Excellent teamworking abilities.
Ability to work independently and take initiative.
Creativity and problem-solving attitude.
Ability to work well under pressure.
First-rate IT skills.

How can I get a job in digital marketing?

There are a number of different routes into digital marketing, depending on the particular role you’d like to apply for. A university degree is a good route – particularly for those who have studied creative design, business technology, advertising and media and marketing.

You could also get a job in digital marketing by doing an apprenticeship. Give yourself the edge by gaining some work experience.

Does digital marketing sound like it could be for you? Read our interview with digital marketing apprentice Laura to see what it’s really like.

You might also like…

60 Second Interview: Business management and marketing student

Career Zone: Advertising, marketing and public relations

Careers in social media management

Image credits

http://www.freepik.com/free-vector/different-devices-for-digital-marketing_943753.htm

https://www.pexels.com/photo/laptop-technology-ipad-tablet-35550/