HOW TO BECOME
a Digital Marketer

Digital marketing has become a domain of advertising in its own right. It’s a new enough field that the bar of entry isn’t too exclusive, but some skill is necessary to thrive in it. Read on for a guide to digital marketing as it stands today.

There are as many possible duties under the heading “digital marketer” as there are online businesses. The jobs may overlap and work with each other in a variety of ways. Terminology is not always consistent between companies.

Digital marketers are responsible for some or all of any digital campaigns, or efforts to use digital media for some tangible results, such as getting new customers and leads. They get the word out on their client’s goods to the target market through various digital channels. These channels could be any online port, including websites, social media, email marketing, and what have you.

Any marketing actions taken on these channels need to be measured. This is to see if the effort involved is worth the cost. The digital marketer uses some form of analytics to track how campaigns are doing. They make sure the client’s search engine rankings are healthy and competitive. This can involve continually learning about new platforms and means for tracking metrics.

Digital marketing involves a variety of tasks, from SEO (search engine optimization) to business relations. Since digital marketing is a fairly new career, it brings with it several new terms. It’s worth taking the time to learn them:

This is the practice of increasing the odds of your website appearing at the top of search engine (such as Google) listings. The practice is not an exact science due to the secretive nature of Google’s ranking algorithms. But a number of the best practices have emerged in the field to increase a site’s visibility.

PPC is when an advertiser pays an online publisher to drive search traffic to their website. This involves a bidding process for certain search words or phrases. For example, if you win the bid on “oil changes in Boston” for your Boston-based garage, your page will appear before others.

This is the process of increasing the percentage of website-visitors-turned-customers. This could mean they purchase something or their contact information is acquired (see ‘call to action’ below).

This is the rate determined by how long a user stays on your website. A high bounce rate means they get to one page and leave fairly quickly. You want users to remain on your site for a while and maybe buy something (see ‘Call to Action’ below). However, having them on longer also increases your rankings in search results.

This is when you prompt your users to do something with your site. Ideally, they’ll make a purchase, but it could also just be giving you their email address.

The KPI is how success is measured in a marketing campaign. It could refer to the number of clicks or the number of sales completed, among others.

You’ve no doubt seen this term floating around celebrities touting their wares online. An influencer is a one-person advertising force, who promotes products or services on his/her social media, such as Facebook. To be considered an influencer, you must have enough of a following to influence purchasing decisions on a large scale.

Just like they say, these terms refer to what audience your marketing is trying to reach. The strategies and platforms for both can be very different.

There are several roles involved in digital marketing. Below are some common titles that companies post openings for. Note that the terminology is still in flux, so one company’s “Social Marketing Manager” might be another’s “Online Presence Coordinator”.

In this role you’d analyze online content for possible improvements in SEO rankings. This would likely involve a lot of work with Google Analytics or other search analysis tools.

This specialist creates the plan for how to organize and use online channels to get your word out the way you want it.

This person manages the schedule and content of material posted over social media channels, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Like a director overseeing everything, a digital marketing manager makes sure all digital channels are working together and not at cross-purposes.

The benefit of a new(ish) field is that prospective workers have plenty of opportunities to choose from. Some companies are still playing catch up with digital marketing efforts and realizing the benefits of having in-house experts doing this work. Four out of 10 job listings in marketing want digital marketing skills. SEO jobs increased by 43 percent from 2017 to 2018.

The range of positions under the umbrella of digital marketing is wide, making it difficult to get an accurate salary range. That said, surveys are very optimistic. Conversion rate optimization ranked the highest (over $100,000) with content marketing and SEO following right behind.

A quick look at Glassdoor.com shows $57,212 as a national average for job titles under that heading. Do note that one company may have a very different idea of what that job entails than another.

Keep in mind that digital marketing salaries vary widely based on several factors including location, experience, and specialization. To give you a better idea of what to expect in the field, we compiled a list of the average digital marketing salaries. These salaries are based on 15 big metro areas in the United States.

Also, keep in mind that some digital marketing professionals earn up to $30,000 or more in bonuses and extra payments. This means the average salary numbers don’t always provide the most accurate reflection of reality.