How to Start a Career in Digital Marketing

Digital marketing nowadays is one of the fastest-growing industry and the demand for digital marketing professionals is growing day by day. There are many reasons people want to choose Digital Marketing as their career option. Remote working, freelancing, in-house or agency work options make it a great choice for people to start a career in Digital Marketing.

Digital marketing requires diverse skill sets, from creatives and analysts to mathematicians, content writers, techies, SEO professionals, Social Media Marketing professionals, etc.

In 2018 the Digital Ad spends in 20 countries was $541.31 Billion. Imagine the number of spends in the entire world in the same year.

This spending is growing every year. In 2016 the spending on digital advertisements globally were $163.04 Billion.

That means in two years the Digital Ad spends grew by 332%. And this data is only for the digital ad spends. Imagine the amount of money spent together on technology, content, manpower, security, and logistics, etc. This would give you a fair idea of the growth of the digital marketing industry.

Source: statista.com

If you run a Google search on Digital Marketing Jobs you will see 1,70,00,00,000 pages on that. It means that the opportunities and the scope of career growth are very high in the Digital Marketing Industry.

Digital marketers depending on their skill sets earn on average $63,600 -$154,000 a year. Many digital marketing professionals even earn more than $300,000 a year.

Salaries depend on the years of experience the individuals have in the digital marketing field and their expertise.

Industry experts predict at least 20-30% Year-on-Year Growth in the demand for digital marketing professionals with various expertise.

What Skill Sets Digital Marketing Industry is Looking For?

Now let’s find out what this expertise is which the Digital Marketing Industry is seeking for.

Digital Marketing is an umbrella term and under this term, there are many things which put together makes the complete definition of Digital Marketing.

Those are content marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing (SMM), email marketing, pay-per-click, data analysis, Search Engine Marketing, Influencer Marketing, Video Marketing, etc.

All these are different domains that come under the term Digital Marketing. And since these are domains they need specialists or experts of these domains.

It is imperative that the specialists are very few and they are in very high demand. Specialists earn many times more than the others who are not specialists.

Till this point, you understood why Digital Marketing is the most sought after field to choose as career options. But, the problem is not only high demand and insufficient supplies.

There is more to it. Let’s explore what else makes Digital Marketing the best career choice for serious people.

What Qualifications Do You Need to Start a Career in Digital Marketing

This is the best part of Digital Marketing. To start a career in Digital Marketing you don’t need any specific qualifications.

But, you need to have knowledge of the language, content writing, and search engines.

In Digital Marketing the employers look for talent, knowledge, experience more than academic credentials.

Though there are many online courses available for Digital Marketing and its various specializations.

But, if you want to learn Digital Marketing from these courses you need to do your research and find out the one which you like the most.

But, again it is not necessary to enroll yourself in any course to learn digital marketing.

Many big names in this industry have learned Digital Marketing through their sheer determination and hard work.

It is helpful to check out the Free courses from Google, Hubspot, Moz.

You can learn and get certified by the online Free Exams by these companies.

Having the certifications will help you get into the job.

It will also help you stand out from the other people in the quest to get a job in the same industry.

Based on my experience and journey so far I am drawing a roadmap for you to learn digital marketing. It’s a kind of Step By Step Process to Learn Digital Marketing.

Learn the Basics of Digital Marketing

Digital Marketing is a kind of knowledge sharing industry.

People who have spent time in the industry and have got recognition share their knowledge in the form of blogs, videos, podcasts, etc. for the benefit of the learners.

More you learn more you understand.

Learning and experimenting are the keys to success in Digital Marketing.

You can’t expect to learn anything without reading.

Besides reading you need to test your knowledge by implementing it.

Now you must be thinking about what to read and where to get that reading material.

Don’t worry I am going to give you the topics and links to the resources you can get the content to read from.

What Topics Should You Learn First?

First of all, learn to understand the Digital Marketing industry.

Below are some of the most important and relevant topics you should learn first.

This is not everything you should learn but these are few very important from them.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
PPC (Pay Per Click Marketing)
SMM (Social Media Marketing)
SEM (Search Engine Marketing)
Content marketing
Social Media Management
Content Writing
Branding
Email marketing
CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization)
Web analytics
Affiliate marketing
Mobile marketing
Online Reputation Management
Automation
App marketing
Artificial intelligence
Augmented reality
BlockChain

But where can you find content worth reading?

Best Resources to Learn About Digital Marketing?

Though there are many websites and resources you can refer to, but I have listed the best of them for you.

Besides these, you can also follow Google’s Blog (Keyword) which keeps sharing the latest information about most of the things which are relevant in Digital Marketing.

Best is to subscribe to the topics you want to learn more about from Google’s Blog & Social Media Directory.

If you subscribe to these you will keep receiving email notifications whenever they publish new content. It will be easier for you to track the topics and read them when they publish new content.

Google is an ocean of information and you can find content to read on any topic.

Make sure that you are reading content from the best and useful resources. Also, it is important to keep in mind that you read the latest published content.

Why I am saying this because of the fact that things in digital marketing change very fast.

For instance, Google’s Algorithm Updates. So, if you would read the latest content you would know the latest trends in the industry.

While you are learning to start a career in Digital Marketing remember that there are no shortcuts for success. The more you learn the more you know, so learn as much as you can.

Start a Blog

Yeah, you should start a blog of your own.

Why?

Because you will learn more in doing it yourself than by reading the content. If you think it’s too early to start a blog then my friend you are wrong.

Think of it this way, once you have learned everything and do not implement your learning how would you assess your skills.

When you start to write your own blog you will be learning by doing. You will learn the elements of digital marketing like content writing, SEO, website building, promoting content, driving organic traffic, lead generation, and much more.

Now you must be thinking how do I start a blog and what should I write about. Don’t worry that’s easy.

Pick up any topic from Digital Marketing like SEO, Social Media Marketing, or any other you think you have learned and understood completely.

Start writing what you learned. That’s how you would start your blog.

Write in a way that you are teaching someone what you have learned.

Once you start doing that you would find the areas you need more polishing and also areas you are very good at.

Having a blog demonstrates your knowledge about a subject you write about. It also helps you build connections and a brand for you.

How to Choose a Name for the Blog?

OK, so the first thing you should be doing to start a blog is to pick up a name for your blog.

If you think what name should I pick up for my blog then you should read How to Choose a Business Name for Your Startup and it will help you choose a unique name for your blog.

If you are still unsure about the name you can use Business Name Generator or Namelix.

These websites by entering some words you want in your blog name generate hundreds of names you can choose from.

Hosting the Blog

Though, WordPress.com and blogger.com are the most used platforms for blogging.

Both of these are free to use with some limitations. But, when starting out you can use them.

But, having a custom domain name for your blog and hosting it on a server would be good in the long run.

Having your own domain name and hosting would keep you free from unwanted ads, and you can build your blog the way you want without any limitations.

Also, you can get an email as your domain name with this, which is not possible in the free blogging platforms.

You can choose the hosting plans which suit your budget from Siteground, Bluehost, Hostgator, etc.

Though Siteground is best in all, because of its features and customer support.

Once you have your domain name and hosting plan you can install a WordPress theme of your choice into that to start your blog. Both free and paid WordPress themes are available.

You can choose whichever you want.

Customizing Your Blog

The next step in the process is to customize your blog and remove the unwanted things and add things you want.

If you have bought a domain name and hosting you might want to make a logo for your blog. You can choose a free logo maker service online to design your logo.

Or you may design your logo yourself or hire a freelance graphic designer to design your logo.

If not then you can go with simple plain text as your site name.

But having a logo on your blog makes it look professional.

Also, when you will customize your blog you will learn the basics of coding like HTML and WordPress platform. This knowledge will help you in your career.

Promote Your Content

The next step in the process is to promote your content. Choose the platforms you want to share and promote your content.

For instance, if you write about SEO then you can share your blog posts on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Quora, and Medium.

Whereas, if you write about video creation or photography you can share your content on Facebook, Flickr, Instagram, Shutterstock, and Pixabay, etc.

Do not stop and keep writing content even if no one is reading your articles. Also, keep analyzing the keywords, traffic, comments, bounce rate, etc. This will help you improve your writing.

Create Your Social Media Presence

The next step in the process is to create your social media according to your domain name. Having them linked to your domain will help you create social signals for your website/blog.

Also, it would be easy for people who like your content to follow your page and get regular updates from your blog. Important social media pages you should create are:

If you want to get more information on which social media channels are best for you to read Which Social Media Network is Best for You.

This will help you decide which social media networks you should be focusing your efforts on.

Do not just create your social media pages and forget them, rather spend time and create content to publish on them. Set SMART Social Media Goals and create engaging content for your audience.

This way you will learn social media marketing and social media management.

You can also try your hands with Facebooks Ads, Twitter Ads, LinkedIn Ads, Instagram Ads, Youtube Ads, Google Ads, etc.

Find Some Work for Yourself

The next step in the journey is to get a job or work to do in Digital Marketing.

There are two ways you can find work for yourself.

Either you look out for freelance opportunities or you can choose to find companies and ask them for work.

Though, without experience and proof of work, most of the companies won’t hire you. However, in the beginning, you can offer to work for FREE.

This way you will land a job (unpaid) but you will have the chance to learn, work, and prove your skills. Once you have enough experience you can ask for a paid gig.

Make a list of startups and Digital Marketing Agencies near you and start sending them emails.

Even, you can make a phone call to HR if you can find their phone number on the website.

Job Titles & Salaries in Digital Marketing

Here are just a few Job Titles in Digital Marketing you can land, along with their average salaries:

Audience development manager ($77,646/year)
Branded content manager ($64,367/year)
Content strategist ($72,742/year)
Content marketing manager ($81,087/year)
Digital marketing manager ($73,114/year)
SEO specialist ($54,088/year)
Social media manager ($50,489/year)
Paid ads manager ($47,079/year)
Partnership marketer ($50,528/year)

At entry-level these job titles are different and salaries are also lower than what you see here.

Once you have work experience and gain some expertise in one or two of the fields you can get this kind of salary.

Get Specializations and Certifications

Meanwhile, you work somewhere to learn and gain experience you should also focus on specializing in areas of your interests.

Best ways to get specialized is to earn certifications for those special areas you like.

As I stated earlier, Digital Marketing is still an evolving industry and with new researches, new development, new technologies, new digital tools, new social media networks, new coding languages, it is certainly not possible to define a specific curriculum for it.

There is a lot of free stuff available on the internet on different topics of digital marketing.

You can read, understand, and evaluate your learning by implementing the same in your project.

But, people who want to quickly start a career in Digital Marketing can undergo professional training.

Taking training from experts helps you to learn things better and faster.

Even you can enhance your Digital Marketing Skills through Google Certifications and HubSpot free certifications in different areas of Digital Marketing. Some of these courses are as follows:

Google Certifications

Below are some of Google’s Certifications which you can do on your own.

It will help you enhance your knowledge in digital marketing and understand Google’s Advertising systems.

HubSpot’s Certifications

Below are some of the HubSpot’s Certifications which you can do on your own.

These certifications would help enhance your knowledge in digital marketing and its components in detail.

Bing Certifications

Unlike Google, Bing offers one certification which covers everything about the Bing advertisement.

Note that Yahoo also uses the Bing platform for advertisements.

Accredited Professional Bing Ads Certification

Twitter Certifications

Certification from Twitter helps you understand the twitter marketing system.

It will also help you learn using a Twitter Business account to advertise on twitter.

Twitter Marketing Graduate

NOTE: All of the above-mentioned courses and certifications are absolutely FREE. But it takes a lot of time to prepare for these certifications.

Besides the above, there are courses available on Udemy, Lynda, and many other websites that you can refer to.

Attend Marketing Events & Conferences

Marketing events and conferences are a good place to meet and connect with people from the Digital Marketing industry.

You can use google search to find the names, venue, and dates for digital marketing conferences and events.

Read the websites of the event and find out who is attending those events.

Make a list of people you want to meet and chat with. Email them and secure an appointment with them to speak before the event. By doing this, you will get a confirmed opportunity to speak with your desired people.

But, it’s not always that you get a positive response to your email. Prepare your questions to ask and try to get in touch with people who can help you get a job.

Besides meeting amazing people in these events and conferences you get to listen to the people and their experiences about the topics they have mastered.

Find a Mentor

It’s always good to have someone who can guide you and correct you when you make any mistakes.

A mentor can guide you and help you learn the technicalities of Digital Marketing. Mentor’s answer your questions and help you reach the next level in your career.

Though, finding a mentor is not easy.

To find a mentor you need to do a lot of work.

You need to find who you want to be your mentor.

Once you have found that you should write an email asking him/her to become your mentor.

Keep in mind to ask only relevant questions and not ask personal or irrelevant questions.

Keep Learning & Keep Trying

Learning is the key to success. The same is true for Digital Marketing also. The more you learn more you get experience and more are your chances to earn more.

The more you grow in your career more is your earning potential. But, to reach the top positions you need to learn, practice, and innovate.

You can also choose to be a freelancer or a consultant in case you don’t want to get into a regular job.

Many people choose to be freelancers or become a digital nomad and travel the world while working remotely.

Conclusion

Digital marketing is one of the fastest-growing job markets and there is a huge gap in supply and demand.

The industry is growing at a speed of 3X and so does the demand for skilled professionals.

It is the best time to start learning Digital marketing to make your career in Digital Marketing.