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11th December 2021

Digital marketing as a career: Why work in marketing

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We live in a world where even the smallest tasks are done through the internet.

Laptops, smartphones, tablets, and other devices have become a key part of our day-to-day lives.

Likewise, businesses across the board have become increasingly digitalised.

From traditional brick-and-mortar stores to growing startups and large businesses, companies are realising the need to adapt to online methods of marketing.

In turn, this has made way for a lot of new graduate job opportunities in digital marketing.

Such a huge rise in the digitalisation of business has created the need for new kinds of marketing professionals.

By extension, digital marketing is now an industry that offers its professionals a huge range of skills and experiences.

Companies need those who are skilled in: digital advertising campaigns, blogs, web pages, social media, SEM (Search Engine Marketing) and much more.

Below, we take a look at why digital marketing is a great career option for a range of graduates.

Interested in a career in Digital Marketing? Search digital marketing jobs now.

 

Apply for marketing jobs

 

What is digital marketing?

Digital marketing is one of the fastest-growing industries globally, employing millions of people in the UK alone.

Digital marketing describes the use of various channels, tools, technologies, and campaigns to build brand awareness and engage with customers.

Digital marketing can either be B2B (Business-to-Business) or B2C (Business-to-Customer).

The skills and responsibilities involved may differ slightly depending on which audience the company focuses on. The tools used to do so (such as Google, SEO Crawlers, CMS, Analytics software), tend to remain largely the same.

Within “digital marketing”, there are a range of different niches pertaining to each different channel.

Amongst various others, these include:

  • Paid Search (pay-per-click) advertising
  • SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)
  • Content Marketing
  • Social Media Marketing
  • Email Marketing
  • Mobile Marketing
  • Marketing Automation & Affiliate Marketing.

 

Within each one of these niches, you’ll find a number of different digital marketing graduate jobs suitable for candidates with various skills and interests.

 

What are the career options in digital marketing?

Digital marketing is an extremely popular career choice for graduates.

Given that it is such a broad industry, there are a huge range of graduate digital marketing jobs out there. Some are more technical, some are more creative, and some tend to be more client-facing.

    • Digital Marketing Executive
    • Mobile Marketing Executive
    • PPC Specialist
    • Digital Content Marketer
    • Digital Copywriter
    • Social Media Manager
    • SEO Specialist
    • Web Designer
    • Web Developer
    • Digital Marketing Analyst
    • Optimisation Lead
    • Graphic Designer
    • Blogger
    • Web Analyst
    • Digital Manager
    • Email Marketer
    • Data Analyst
    • Campaign Analyst
    • Digital Account Manager
    • Performance Marketing Executive
    • Paid Media Executive
    • Paid Social Executive
    • Affiliate Marketing Executive

How to get into marketing analytics

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Why work in digital marketing?

With over 4.5 billion internet users worldwide, the growing need for digital marketing across all business sectors is not slowing down.

There are a number of great benefits of a digital marketing career. These include the average marketing salary, opportunities for career progression, and company culture.

Here are some of our top benefits:

  • Digital marketing jobs tend to be well paid. The average starting salary for a digital marketing graduate job on the Give A Grad A Go website is around the £24,000 – £26,000 mark.

    The demand for skilled digital marketing professionals consistently outweights the supply. So, this average will only increase as you develop in your career.

  • In many industries you might be required to get your foot in the door by undertaking an internship or graduate placement. However, there are a number of entry-level marketing jobs on offer.

    Companies will often hire graduates into roles such as a Digital Marketing Assistant, Graduate Marketing Analyst, or Social Media Assistant.

    These are avenues to help kick-start your career and gain valuable experience (and a good starting salary) from the offset. It’s a good idea to start from a digital marketing agency and then advance your career from there.

  • In graduate digital marketing jobs, you’ll have the opportunity to work with several different teams & individuals. Consequently, will be able to develop a rounded skill set.

    Technical skills, digital copywriting, editing, data analysis, for example. With these, you’ll soon have the ability to work in technology marketing jobs, content marketing jobs, and software marketing jobs.

  • Given the range of graduate marketing jobs on offer, there will be plenty of opportunity to carve out your own career path.

    In such a dynamic environment, there will always be need for personnel in a range of areas. It’s a great industry to get into if you want to try your hat at a few different roles.

  • Whether it’s getting a blog post on page one of Google or seeing an email hit a record open rate, digital marketing can be a top career for result-oriented people.

    For marketing professionals, though, there’s always something more to be achieved. The job is never done!

  • Not only is digital marketing a popular trend at the moment, but it is here to stay.

    Marketing is becoming more and more dynamic as companies are creating new, innovative ways to market their products.

    With the onset of automation, digital marketing is expected to be even more efficient in the future. For that reason, there are plenty of graduate digital marketing jobs.

 

How to start your career in digital marketing

Given the various benefits of working in digital marketing, there is also a lot of competition for jobs.

Therefore, it’s useful to know not only why you should work in digital marketing, but also how to get into digital marketing as a career. And, crucially, how to progress.

Here are some ways to get into marketing jobs after graduation or at university:

  • Start your own blog: Whether you’re looking for a career in content writing, SEO, or you just want some fun, a blog can be a great starting point to show employers you’re interested in a career in digital marketing.
  • Complete an online qualification: There are plenty of free online qualifications you can do to improve your skill set, including the Google Ads Search Certification and WordStream’s PPC university.
  • Take a digital marketing degree: Whether it’s an undergraduate or postgraduate degree, specific marketing degrees can be useful (but not essential) for getting a job in digital marketing.

 

For many graduates, a career in digital marketing ticks all of the boxes.

As one of the fastest-growing industries there is, the digital world is an exciting place to start your graduate career.

If you’re still wondering ‘what is work in digital marketing?’, our breakdown of the best digital marketing career options will help!

 

Best digital marketing jobs

A career in digital marketing offers graduates a fast-paced working environment and the chance to work with a number of forward-thinking individuals on a daily basis.

Yet, within the industry there are a huge variety of career paths, suited to a range of skill sets, and to very different personality types.

Here are just a few of them:

 

  • Digital Analyst

Working as a Digital Analyst means analysing data relating to a company and its respective market.

This usually involves monitoring and forecasting marketing and sales trends, measuring the effectiveness of campaigns and gathering data on consumers.

The role of a Digital Analyst is essential to the growth of a business. It requires somebody who has top-notch analytical skills, is confident handling large amounts of data, and has conviction in their findings.

They’ll often be expected to provide their recommendations (and often make definitive decisions) on what will be the most effective digital strategy.

Key skills: numerical skills, research, logic

  • SEO Specialist

An SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) Specialist identifies strategies to obtain the highest-ranking possible on search engine results.

How does SEO work in digital marketing? Well, the end goal of this role is to increase the number of visitors to a company’s website.

Their role can involve optimising existing copy and landing pages, performing keyword research on search engines, and making suggestions for future improvements to a website.

The algorithms of search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing can change on a daily basis. So, the knowledge of an SEO Specialist is very much in demand and is great for digital marketing career progression.

Key skills: Attention to detail, technical skills, critical thinking

  • Content Strategist

Content is essential to any digital marketing strategy, so naturally, a Content Strategist has a big responsibility to represent a company’s brand.

In content marketing jobs, you will need to have a complete understanding of a company’s audience and purpose.

A Content Strategist plans, writes, edits and promotes digital content. They create a tailored content strategy based on business objectives and brand direction.

So, they’ll be a creative storyteller who also has a firm grasp of analytics, data, and SEO. So, it is a great avenue to explore your digital marketing career options.

Key skills: Communication, creativity, adaptability

 

  • PPC Executive

PPC (Pay-Per-Click) refers to the use of paid advertising online. This is usually through Google AdWords or a similar platform such as Facebook or LinkedIn Ads.

A PPC Executive will help to create, optimise, and report on PPC campaigns, ensuring that a company gets the very best results.

Essentially, they need to ensure that the company spends the least amount possible to get the maximum number of clicks in return.

Day-to-day tasks for a PPC Executive can include: creating various PPC campaigns across different channels, thinking up strategies to drive traffic, and analysing keyword search volumes.

So, if you’re wondering: how to start a career in digital marketing? This particular role could be great if you’re looking for marketing jobs after uni.

Key skills: Organisation, numeracy, analytical skills

 

  • Social Media Coordinator

Social media is now one of the most important aspects of working in digital marketing.

A social media coordinator will develop content, suggest creative ideas, and implement marketing strategies to promote a brand.

They will work across a number of different platforms – often including Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn – to grow a brand’s audience and increase engagement.

It is popular because it often blends content marketing jobs, technology marketing jobs, and mobile marketing jobs.

 

These are just some of the great digital marketing career options for fresh grads. But often it’s best to hear from those in the industry themselves.  

 

How is digital marketing as a career?

Digital marketing jobs can seem like daunting prospects.

But, once you’ve discovered the best companies for marketing jobs, the career becomes more manageable.

Lucy Smith, the founder of DigitalGrads, offers particular advice for those looking for a marketing career after graduation. If you’re wondering how to get a job in digital marketing, read on!

 

How can a graduate show a potential employer that they know what marketing is?

“The very best way a graduate can show a potential employer that marketing is on their radar is to market yourself effectively when applying for a job.

Don’t do what I did and apply for every role that sort of sounded about right, relying on your degree to get you through. It won’t. Start with a plan, one that may involve these considerations:”

 

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Skills

What natural skills do you have that lend themselves to digital marketing? Are you commercially minded, have you ever sold anything? Are you creative? Are you good at copywriting? Are you analytical?

The trick here is to go through the job description with a highlighter pen. Highlight the skills they list and then think of an example of a time when you displayed that skill.

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Experience

Practical experience seems to be the holy grail. Every employer wants experience yet, how are you supposed to get experience if no-one will give you that first chance?

If you have some relevant experience, that’s great!

If you don’t have any relevant experience, there are several ways to get some without having to work for free for months. These can include crating a blog, networking, and creating an online portfolio.

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CV

Once you have some relevant skills and relevant experience, the next trick is to make them shine on your CV.

Don’t bury the relevant information in amongst the other stuff you’ve done. Simply omit the other stuff if it’s not relevant.

Think to yourself, what are the signs you’re ready for a career in digital marketing? Then, put all the relevant stuff at the top on the first page.

Take a look at our advice on how to write a good CV.

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Cover letter

Marketing is all about storytelling. Can you tell a compelling story? Try writing some creative copy that explains why you should get the role.

The letter doesn’t need to be formal, nor should it be boring.

You are going for a marketing role, so your job is to explain to the recruiter what they get when they hire you. Sell yourself. Think about what’s in it for them.

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Interview

Usually, the most common reason for people feeling nervous is a lack of knowledge of their subject matter.

Even if you have some experience, you may not feel as if you can speak confidently about the topic of digital marketing.

This is where learning comes in. Why not try out a digital marketing training course? Some aren’t as expensive as you may think. Or read industry blogs and follow industry leaders.

A little preparation and planning goes a long way when applying for your first graduate digital marketing job.

 

Our clients include some of the most exciting companies in the digital marketing space.

Check out the latest graduate marketing jobs on our graduate jobs board – or for more advice on Graduate jobs in digital marketing, head to our blog.

 

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