How to get a job in digital marketing

What does a digital marketer do?

A digital marketer plays a crucial role in managing marketing campaigns to promote products, services and enhance brand awareness for organizations. These professionals stay up to date with the latest trends and strategies in the digital landscape to effectively engage with their target audience.

Digital marketers collaborate closely with other teams, including designers and writers, to maximize the impact of their projects. They can find opportunities in diverse fields such as nonprofits, government agencies, large corporations and startups.

As a result, there’s a high demand for trained digital marketers who can effectively connect with audiences online and drive meaningful results for organizations.

The skills you need to succeed in digital marketing

“The digital marketing world changes daily. And with the growing collection of data on audiences, one of the most important skills to have when getting started is to be curious,” said Keegan Brown, who teaches teaches digital analytics courses at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

“Constantly ask yourself, and others, ‘Why does this audience perform this way? How does that compare to a different cohort?’ Along with questions like, ‘How do I connect these data sets? How does this impact the goals we set out?’. This type of curiosity leads to a better interpretation of who your audience is, what they want and expect, and how you can deliver on those expectations. In this process, you will naturally build technical skills using a variety of tools, technology, and data to answer those questions,” added Brown.

“It’s important to not only be able to find analytics, but to be able to interpret those for a range of stakeholders in a way that’s understandable to those who aren’t analytics experts,” said Elizabeth Mays, a teaching professor who leads the Cronkite School's virtual digital marketing agency capstone experience.

“That means you’ll need to understand the analytics and then consider them critically in the context of your specific organization in order to apply those insights in a strategic way. So critical thinking and the ability to navigate ambiguity and communicate nuanced data insights are necessary skills,” added Mays.
 

How to get a job as a digital marketer

While some entry-level positions in the field don’t explicitly require advanced education, many careers in digital marketing begin with an undergraduate degree that builds a clearly defined foundation of relevant skills and knowledge.

Earning a digital media degree is an excellent starting point for learning the skills you need to succeed in this field. Whether you’re an aspiring professional at the start of your career path, or an experienced marketer looking to expand your skill set, there are programs available to further your expertise in every field of marketing. Each program caters to professionals at different levels that align with prior experience and targeted career goals.

7 types of digital marketing jobs

There’s a variety of career paths in the field of digital marketing, each uniquely contributing to the digital landscape of online promotion and brand building. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the employment of advertising, promotions and marketing managers is expected to grow at an average rate of 10% between 2021 and 2031.

“The jobs I see will be the most in demand in the next 5-7 years will be the ones that require technical skills, critical thinking and creativity,” said Brown. “With the growth of AI and big data in digital marketing, marketers who can use technology to their advantage while being able to interpret data to deliver powerful insights to make an impact on an organization will be in high demand.”

Here are seven of the variety of career paths you can pursue in the field of digital marketing:

• Content strategist

Content strategists help shape a brand's narrative and ensure its message resonates with the target audience. Depending on the brand’s objectives, a content strategist may draft and edit blog posts and other web content, write copy for social media posts, or create videos. Strategists may take more of a supervisory role and oversee a team, but their work may be hands-on, too.

• Digital content creator

Digital content creators bring ideas to life through compelling visuals and written content. They may work with various multimedia including social media, video, graphic design and more to create content that’s both goal-oriented and intentional.

• Marketing associate

Marketing associates collaborate with other teams to implement marketing campaigns and measure their effectiveness. Depending on the field you choose to market, they may work on writing email campaigns, conducting analytical research or designing creative social media content.

• Public relations manager

Public relations managers represent their company’s public image during interviews, press releases and all forms of publicity. PR managers establish and maintain a positive reputation of their organization through expert communication and relationship building skills.

• SEO specialist

Search engine optimization (SEO) specialists optimize websites and landing pages to improve visibility on search engines and attract organic traffic. They conduct and implement ongoing research on specific keyword opportunities to increase performance.

• Social media strategist

Social media strategists utilize the power of social platforms to engage and grow a brand's online community, and create content that contributes to the overall success of a team’s marketing goals.

• Communications manager

Communications managers oversee all aspects of internal and external communication while ensuring consistency and accuracy across company communications channels. They may work on preparing press releases, conducting media reports or developing marketing materials.

Online degrees that can begin or elevate your career in digital marketing

Obtaining an online degree in digital marketing can be a transformative step toward beginning or advancing a career in this field.

ASU Online's Bachelor of Science in digital audiences equips you with a comprehensive understanding of diverse online audiences and their behaviors. This undergraduate degree can prepare you to utilize strategies that grow audiences through search, social and content creation. You’ll graduate equipped with an inclusive and interdisciplinary approach to digital marketing that can be applied to various fields of study.

ASU Online’s Master of Science in digital audience strategy takes a more advanced approach, focusing on the strategic planning and implementation of digital marketing campaigns. After completing this program, you’ll have gained in-depth knowledge of SEO, search engine marketing (SEM), audience research and social media campaigns. These competitive skills will set you apart when searching for professional opportunities in digital marketing.

“The master’s in digital audience strategy is full of real-world experience, using the same platforms the experts use, deploying campaigns for actual businesses, and developing well-thought-out and documented strategies all while being taught by true experts in the industry,” said Brown.

“This is not a theoretical degree,” said Mays. “The curriculum asks you to practice your skills in analytics research and creative development hands-on, and you’ll receive repeated feedback to help you refine your craft professionally.”

If you’re looking to enhance your credentials in a shorter time frame, our digital audience graduate certificate provides a concentrated curriculum that is tailored specifically for someone in a digital marketing career. During this certificate program, you’ll gain expertise in areas such as audience analysis, content creation and social media strategy.

Regardless of where you currently stand in your professional journey, an online bachelor’s, master's or graduate certificate offers you the opportunity to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to excel in the ever-evolving field of digital marketing.