The digital marketing industry is thriving, with a significant rise in demand for digital marketing specialists in the UK, up by 52% in 2020. Additionally, LinkedIn reported that the U.S. had 860,000 new job openings for digital marketing specialists in the past year. If you’re considering acquiring a digital marketing qualification and pursuing a new career in this field, you may be curious about the various roles available to you after attaining these valuable skills.
Well, wonder no more!
In this article, we’ll be sharing information about various digital marketing positions you can secure with a digital marketing certification. We’ll be discussing the most influential digital marketing roles, including content strategy and SEO specialization. Moreover, we’ll be providing a comprehensive breakdown of the responsibilities, collaborative efforts with other members of the digital marketing team, and the relevant skills, characteristics, and desirable traits needed for success in each role.
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With that, let’s begin!
1. What is digital marketing?
The practice of digital marketing involves developing and implementing all online content that represents an individual or organization. Its purpose is to establish credibility, promote brand recognition, and engage both new and current customers through a combination of persuasive advertising and informative, quality material. A team of digital marketing experts are responsible for creating promotional content and valuable resources that draw in potential customers while keeping current ones engaged and loyal.
Digital marketers work with a variety of platforms and methods:
- * Social media networks such as Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook to build communities, interact with users, share content, and promote products
- * Blogging platforms like Medium, Tumblr, WordPress, and on-site blogs for the publication of longform and keyword-optimized content (for SEO)
- * Email and newsletters to reach users and customers directly, promote special offers, and provide support and help at different points in the customer journey
- * Web-based advertising, search engine marketing, and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising
2. How can you learn about digital marketing?
Digital marketing careers can be pursued through various channels, including self-study, online courses, or degree programs, or a combination of all three. Each option has its own benefits and drawbacks. Self-study involves acquiring knowledge and skills without the guidance of a teacher or study group, and with the help of digital marketing resources. With the availability of technology, digital marketing students can successfully learn the necessary skills to secure a job in the field.
If you’re attracted to the idea of self-study, you may find some of the following tips useful:
Pros of self study:
- * Low cost (often free)
- * Manage your own learning
- * Focus on your areas of interest
- * Fit study around work and life
- * Enjoy multiple learning methods
Cons of self study:
- * Less structured than formal education
- * Students must be very self-motivated
- * No feedback or advice from teachers or experts
- * No qualification or certification at the end
- * Difficult to verify the quality of the learning resources
Online course.
The demand for online courses has grown in recent times as they offer students the chance to study at their own pace and convenience. These courses vary in length, lasting anywhere from a few days to several months, and often come with the added benefit of mentorship from experienced professionals. Although not every online course provides certification, most do, providing students with a portfolio of work to showcase their skills during job interviews.
Pros of an online course:
- * Enjoy a flexible way to study
- * Access your course from anywhere in the world
- * Get feedback and guidance from industry experts
- * Complete a portfolio and polish your resume, ready for the job market
- * Have a certificate ready to show potential employers
- * Learn from industry experts
Cons of an online course:
- * Less of a social element to studying
- * You’ll need some self-discipline to keep at it
- * Less structure than an in-person course
- * Although some online courses are free, the majority you need to pay for
Degree course.
As interest and expansion in the digital marketing industry continue to soar, more colleges and universities now offer degree programs in the field. These programs can be pursued either entirely in-person, entirely online, or a combination of both. They usually span a minimum of three years and often require full-time attendance, along with extensive periods of concentrated study.
With a rigorous syllabus, classroom instruction, group discussions, evaluations, and ongoing assignments, obtaining a degree in digital marketing is the most demanding path for individuals pursuing a career in the field. It necessitates a significant level of dedication and concentration from students.
Pros of a degree course:
- * Recognized qualification in digital marketing
- * Demonstration of commitment to the career choice
- * Intensive learning
- * Some flexibility of learning styles
- * Opportunity to meet like minded students
- * Hands-on teaching and feedback
Cons of a degree course:
- * Cost can be very high (at a four-year public college in the US, the average cost of attendance for a marketing degree is $10,560 for in-state students and $27,020 for out-of-state students)
- * Less flexibility than other learning options
- * Can be difficult to work and study
- * Degree courses can be less up to date than online digital marketing courses
- * Longer term commitment
3. What jobs can you get with a digital marketing qualification?.
Now that we’ve covered how you can get a digital marketing qualification, it’s time to take a look at some of the different digital marketing jobs popular right now.
Content strategist.
The role of the content strategist involves creating and managing a plan for various types of content, such as text, video, graphics, and audio, to provide answers to customer queries while also meeting business objectives. A crucial aspect of this role is aligning the interests of both the users and the business through the implementation of an engaging content strategy. To ensure that the strategy is executed effectively, the content strategist works closely with content producers like copywriters, videographers, graphic designers, and podcast producers. They provide detailed briefs and delegate tasks related to content production. Other duties may include performing content audits, analyzing and predicting trends in content, managing freelance content creators, and monitoring the content published by direct competitors in the market.
Top three skills of a content strategist:
- * Storytelling
- * Long term planning
- * Delegation
Copywriter.
The digital marketing team relies heavily on copywriters to create compelling, user-centered content for various campaigns. Whether they’re crafting promotional, marketing, educational, instructional, or advertising materials, the primary focus is always on producing high-quality copy that engages readers. To achieve this, copywriters must be adept at writing for different purposes and can be called upon to persuade, inspire, entertain, educate, or inform. Regardless of the type of content they’re producing, the ultimate aim of a digital marketing campaign is to either boost brand awareness or sell a product. Given the dynamic nature of the role, copywriters must be highly adaptable, prepared to tackle a diverse range of tasks throughout the day. For example, a copywriter might start the day writing banner taglines, move on to optimizing landing pages after lunch, and finish by producing a long-form blog post to address customer queries. If you’re interested in learning more about the art of copywriting, this blog post is a great place to start.
Top three skills of a copywriter:
- * Excellent written skills and an eye for detail
- * Research skills
- * Adaptability and flexibility
Email marketing specialist.
Email marketing is a popular way for brands to reach their audience directly in their inboxes, with over 300 billion emails sent daily in 2021. The role of an email marketer is to develop effective strategies to make their emails stand out among the rest and inspire users to take action. While larger organizations may have a team of content creators, smaller companies may rely on the email marketer to produce the email copy as well. The email marketer works closely with the content team to create engaging emails that complement the customer journey and guide users through the website. Ultimately, the goal of email marketing is to encourage users to take a small step, such as providing their email address, and turn it into a larger commitment, such as making a purchase.
Top three skills of an email marketing specialist:
- * Data analytics and testing skills
- * Knowledge of automating lead nurturing and lifecycle emails ·
- * Audience segmentation
SEO specialist.
As the significance of search engine optimization (SEO) becomes more evident to brands, organizations, and individuals, the role of SEO specialists in the digital marketing team is gaining more prominence. SEO involves creating content that is tailored to the queries entered by the target audience in search engines. When done mindfully, this content appears high on search engine results pages (SERPs), thereby enhancing the brand’s visibility and credibility. The SEO specialist conducts research on the popular keyword strings in their company’s industry and employs this knowledge to create blog posts, social media content, and website landing pages. They also keep themselves updated on search engine algorithm changes, consumer search trends, and the keyword strategies of their competitors.
Other elements of SEO include:
- * Improving page loading times
- * Optimizing metatext, URLs, headers and subheaders
- * Maintaining or improving readability and quality of the text
Top three skills of an SEO specialist:
- * Analytics skills
- * Critical thinking
- * Deep understanding of the human aspect of search
Digital marketing analyst
A digital marketing analyst is considered primarily with:
- * Tracking online marketing trends
- * Analyzing site statistics
- * Crafting or assisting in crafting strategy for digital marketing campaigns
- * Monitoring the performance of campaigns
One of the main responsibilities of a digital marketing analyst is to compile and exhibit campaign results through visual aids and reports. These reports are essential for the marketing and business development teams to make informed decisions for future campaigns and overall business strategies. As a liaison between the two teams, the digital marketing analyst aims to align their objectives and goals by sharing their findings and insights.
Top three skills of a digital marketing analyst:
Further reading: What does a digital marketing analyst do?
4. Key takeaways and next steps.
The world of digital marketing is now accessible to anyone who desires to learn its skills and attain a qualification in the field. With advancements in technology and education, there are now several avenues available to achieve this goal. The opportunities are abundant, and a successful career in digital marketing awaits those who pursue it.
Before you decide on which learning route is right for you, consider first the following:
- * What is your preferred learning style?
- * Do you need a specific qualification for the role you want to pursue?
- * Do you want to study part-time, full-time, online, or in-person?
- * What is your study budget and time frame?
Once you’ve decided on how you want to learn, it’s time to ask yourself:
- * Which skills do you already have which fit to a digital marketing role?
- * Can you incorporate some digital marketing tasks into your current role?
- * Which digital marketing role most appeals to you?
- * Which digital marketing role most matches your current skill set or previous job?
After responding to these inquiries, you will possess a better understanding of the position you aspire to have in the industry and the learning approach that suits you best to earn a digital marketing certification.
From here, or while you study, you can:
- * Speak to digital marketing professionals to get career advice
- * Find a mentor in the field
- * Start putting together a portfolio, or blog your progress
- * Try out different digital marketing tools
- * Apply for an internship in a digital marketing team
Our overview of digital marketing credentials, educational paths, job opportunities, and practical tips to initiate your career aspirations, is expected to address your inquiries about venturing into digital marketing. If you desire further details regarding this profession and acquiring the necessary competencies to commence, consider enrolling in our complimentary, 5-day program.