Career Outlook - Digital Marketing

The job outlook for digital marketing professionals is slightly better than the average profession. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job demand in the overall field of marketing should increase by 10% by 2026.

That increase is above the average for all careers. According to the Online Marketing Institute, employers have the most need for qualified marketing analytics specialists, mobile marketing professionals, content marketing experts, and social media marketers.

The average salary for Digital Marketing Managers is $96,656, according to Glassdoor, but salaries can vary based on your level of education, location, and specific role within the industry.

24/7 Teach graduates will also be glad to know that hiring qualifications, in most cases, are not driven by your formal education, but by skill and real-world experiences demonstrated through your portfolio and resume.

What Is the Demand for Digital Marketers?

According to LinkedIn, the “Digital Marketing Specialist” role is among the top 10 most in-demand jobs, with 860,000 job openings. The most requested experience in digital marketing includes social media, content strategy, SEO, analytics, and more.

Because there are so many facets to digital marketing strategy, the number of related jobs is quite high. In fact, the industry is facing a crisis — the digital skills gap. A LinkedIn survey found a shortage of about 230,000 digital marketing professionals in major metro areas in the U.S.

Popular Digital Marketing Careers

Email Marketing:

Email marketing sounds pretty self-explanatory — you send emails to targeted lists. But it’s that targeting that requires specialized skills.

Marketing emails are sent to lists of customers and prospects to drum up business and build awareness of products and services. They’re also frequently sent out to engage audiences, even when there’s no hard sale. It’s the email marketer’s job to test different subject lines, text, and formats to see which emails get the most attention.

The average salary for Email Marketing Manager: $65,834

Search Engine Optimization (SEO):

No matter what your experience looks like, Search Engine Optimization will probably play a significant role in digital marketing. It’s the backbone of every piece of content that’s written since all content has the goal of discoverability.

The digital marketing career outlook for SEO specialists is strong. There is a great need for professionals who understand social media, content quality scoring, competitive analysis, mobile search, and website analytics. These bases must be covered to maximize online traffic.

The average salary for SEO Manager: $62,621

Copywriting:

As you gain experience in digital marketing, you’ll realize just how much writing is involved in the process. Copywriters produce a wide range of content, including taglines, product descriptions, emails, ads, and more. They even produce non-digital content like direct mail and video scripts.

Copywriters obviously need a strong writing background, but beyond that, they must be creative and curious. Their job revolves around getting people to pay attention in a world full of distractions.

The Average Salary for Copywriter: $58,465

Content Writing:

At first glance, content writing and copywriting may seem like the same digital marketing role, but as you get started in digital marketing, you’ll see that they have two distinct jobs.

Content writers focus specifically on longer-form content that draws readers to the site and nurtures them throughout the sales cycle. They create whitepapers and case studies, blog posts, and eBooks that educate readers and keep them coming back for more.

The average salary for Content Manager: $56,779

Social Media Marketing:

It’s no secret that social media marketing is a huge part of digital marketing. Social media managers promote brands on networks like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and others.

Social media managers develop campaign strategies, videos, and graphics; and research audience trends to get in front of the right people. It’s a job that bridges writing, design, and project management, and often requires the ability to work off-hours to respond to incoming messages. Experience in digital marketing and building communities is a must.

The average salary for Social Media Marketer: $50,473

Advertising

The field of advertising has changed significantly over the past few decades, with digital advertising taking a dominant role in digital marketing.

Advertisers are responsible for matching the right products to the right audiences. They build relationships with media brands to determine what types of content will work best for each outlet and negotiate rates and terms that appeal to both parties. Digital advertising has a great digital marketing career outlook for competitive creatives seeking a fast-paced, people-oriented environment.

Average salary for Digital Advertising Specialist: $51,272

Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

Search Engine Marketing is often confused with Search Engine Optimization, but the main difference is that SEM includes paid tactics. SEM managers research keyword trends to see what people are searching for and determine the appropriate amount to bid for such terms so the company pages appear in search results. It’s a blend of SEO and advertising that helps draw traffic to the website.

There are numerous tools and platforms used to research search terms, manage bidding, and perform A/B tests to see which variations are most effective. SEM managers must be highly analytical and data-driven to succeed.

Average salary for SEM Manager: $74,399

Important Skills for Careers in Digital Marketing

• Analytics

• Mobile

• Content Marketing

• Social Media

• Email Marketing

• Marketing Automation

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

• Digital Advertising

Important Qualities for Landing Jobs in Digital Marketing

• Hands-on digital work experience

• Social media experience

• Commercial awareness

• Interest in the future of the digital industry

• General marketing experience

Digital Jobs in High Demand

• Digital marketing manager

• Social media manager

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) manager

• Digital Strategy manager

• Analytics manager

• Mobile marketing manager

• CRM and email marketing manager

• Ecommerce manager

• Pay-per-click search manager

Job Prospects for Digital Marketing Minor and Certificate Holders

• According to Glass Door, the average salary for Digital Marketing Managers in the US is $119,517.

• The average salary for Social Media Managers in the US is $53,090, according to Glass Door.

• PayScale.com reports that Digital Marketing Managers earn between $45,000 and $99,000 depending on skills and experience. The average salary reported is $67,578.