Over the past few years, the importance of digital marketing has amplified the need for talented Digital Marketers who can focus on a wide array of niches or work as general Digital Marketers, working on content, email, and social media marketing alongside SEO, PPC campaigns, and countless other tasks.
As a general guide, a Digital Marketer is responsible for utilizing the digital channels and social media platforms the business uses to promote its brand or represent client brands as an agency Digital Marketer and ensure adverts and content reach the target audience.
A common route is to begin as a junior or trainee Digital Marketer, learning real-world skills, before choosing a specific area to work in – whether in social media, paid search, SEO, content marketing, or a more technical role like data analytics.
However, you can also become an expert Digital Marketer with a great grasp of all the channels, techniques, and promotional opportunities out there. It is more common for a Digital Marketer working in-house for a smaller business to have this broader scope and for a professional working in a larger corporation or agency to have a defined specialism.
Understanding the Job of a Digital Marketer
Digital Marketers manage digital channels to improve brand recognition and market share or to hit targets regarding lead generation, conversions, and visitor traffic growth.
The explosion of channels available to Digital Marketers means the job has become more diverse and multifaceted, where one Digital Marketer might be involved in or oversee campaigns and content on brand websites, social media platforms, search engines, email communications, mobile apps, blogs, and other outreach marketing channels and via online paid ads.
This means a Digital Marketer needs a considerable and varied skill set, including the ability to measure metrics and analyze data, be proactive about identifying lower-performing activities and taking corrective action, and stay up to speed with changing algorithms, ranking indicators, and platform usage.
Some of the highest-demand specialisms within digital marketing include:
- PPC marketing, using pay-per-click sponsored ads to generate positive returns.
- SEO optimization, where marketers use data research and strategy to improve their reach within audiences looking for relevant keywords.
- Social media marketing, developing and maintaining the brand’s social media presence through their selected platforms.
- Mobile marketing, focusing on ads in games and mobile applications, often based on location and user data points.
- Affiliate and influencer marketing, using the presence and profile of third parties to generate greater awareness or interest in a product on a paid or commission basis.
Alongside the option of choosing an area of speciality, a Digital Marketer might have experience working within a particular industry, perhaps as a marketer with expertise in the beauty and pharmaceutical space or as a Digital Marketer for sports and leisure brands.
The Role of a Digital Marketer Within a Digital Marketing Team
It is more common to find digital marketing jobs advertised with a tighter and more exact remit. However, as we’ve seen, smaller businesses can hire general Digital Marketers to manage all their activities, promotions, and web content.
Otherwise, a Digital Marketer will usually work within a digital marketing team, with a huge variety of roles, from internships or apprenticeships to specialists, executives, managers, and analysts.
Below, we’ve outlined some of the many tasks and responsibilities a Digital Marketer might manage on a daily basis. These require collaboration and teamwork with colleagues while also commanding independent workload management:
- Digital marketing strategy: Marketing managers, directors, and analysts often create the brand strategy, analyzing trends, response rates, and online traffic, and setting targets and performance goals for the digital marketing team to achieve.
- Creating digital marketing plans: Digital Marketers then break down those targets into a tangible plan, looking at the platforms, channels, and marketing techniques that will engage with the target audience and considering timelines and budgets.
- Campaign execution: The next step is to design, proof, and launch marketing campaigns, which could mean multiple campaigns across several channels, each with varying formats, graphics, and calls to action.
- Tracking performance: Digital Marketers need to continually monitor the success of each campaign and how well it is hitting KPIs. Many use software platforms to manage concurrent campaigns and break down performance for easier analysis.
- Reporting: The Digital Marketer will report back to senior managers either regularly, at specific points during each campaign, or once campaigns have concluded. They will provide information and data to demonstrate how the campaigns have worked and often use visual graphics to communicate results.
Finally, the Digital Marketer will then assess the right ways to improve the outcomes produced by digital marketing efforts, potentially collaborating with analysts and content creators to refine their ads and campaigns or set new goals to work towards.
How to Become a Digital Marketer
There are numerous routes to becoming a successful Digital Marketer, whether you’ve already worked within a more traditional marketing function, such as a sales and marketing team or PR, are looking to take the first steps on the career ladder, or want to transition your skills and expertise into a new sector.
While some recruiters will prefer candidates with a formal qualification in digital marketing, many will prioritize candidates with strong knowledge and capabilities in areas like brand development, competitor research, customer service, social media management, and content creation.
A baseline understanding of how digital marketing works, why it is important for brand growth, and the impacts of aspects like social media, third-party collaborations, and link-building is essential. You might also have hands-on experience or professional skills that lend themselves well to a digital marketing job.
You can select from hundreds of online courses and certifications, some free and others paid, enroll in an internship or trainee program that offers on-the-job study, or gain experience independently to start building a portfolio that showcases your abilities.
Students studying marketing, business, or communications often choose a career in digital marketing. To demonstrate their knowledge of content creation and marketing platforms, they can work on theoretical or real campaigns for their college, university, local community groups, or charities.
If you’re looking for a digital marketing job as a junior, you are less likely to need existing skills or knowledge, but having the aptitude, flexibility, and enthusiasm to work in the fast-paced world of digital marketing is key.
What Skills Do I Need to Become a Digital Marketer?
Many candidates applying for digital marketing positions find the volume and variety of jobs overwhelming. Still, you don’t necessarily need a predefined idea about the areas of digital marketing you’d most like to work in if you’re just starting out.
Familiarizing yourself with the most used digital marketing channels, including social media, email marketing, organic search, paid search, and video marketing, is helpful. Most people already understand these concepts since, as consumers, we are exposed to marketing on a daily basis!
From there, and depending on the types of roles you’d like to apply for, you can focus on several in-demand hard skills:
- Having a more in-depth knowledge of a particular marketing channel or technique.
- Being able to write professional, on-brand content or create marketing graphics.
- Understanding professional keyword research and competitor analysis.
- Utilizing customer management systems (CMS) and other sales-focused software systems.
- Strong abilities in data capture, analytics, and reporting.
Soft skills are equally relevant since Digital Marketers should have excellent communication capabilities, be comfortable delegating and working as part of a team, and be confident in time and project management.
Learn more: Essential Digital Marketing Skills
Digital Marketer Job Description Template
We are looking for an ambitious, driven Digital Marketer to join our busy department, assisting with managing and creating campaigns across all digital channels, with a knowledge of consumer targeting and push/pull marketing approaches.
Our selected candidate will contribute to multi-channel strategic communications and either support all advertising functions across the team or take greater responsibility for one area of the digital marketing function.
Digital Marketer Tasks and Responsibilities
The appointed applicant will be expected to:
- Assist with content creation, including email content, copy for the brand website, and social media posts.
- Create accurate reports to clarify performance against targets and advertising returns against spending.
- Research emerging opportunities, including placements, platforms, and consumer trends.
- Conduct keyword and web statistics research and collate these findings into reports, analyzing brand and competitor websites using in-house software.
- Contribute to blog and content writing, paid media campaigns, and liaise with third-party digital marketing partners and agencies.
- Remain up to date with developing trends and digital marketing regulations.
- Negotiate media purchase and advertising prices and recommend activities or campaigns that align with brand strategy.
Check out: Marketing Job Description Templates
Eligibility Requirements for the Digital Marketer Role
We will consider applicants with evidence of a degree-level qualification or with a diploma or equivalent who have real-world experience in digital marketing. Candidates with recognized certifications or qualifications in creative design, advertising, communications, marketing, journalism, and media will be preferred.
Junior applicants will be considered, but they must demonstrate an interest in digital marketing and have a foundational understanding of content marketing and social media management.
Find the Latest Digital Marketing Jobs With the Digital Marketing Jobs Board
In this guide, we’ve outlined the basics of what a Digital Marketer does, the skills and abilities you’ll need to apply for a digital marketing job, and the variety of niches and specialisms that might appeal to your interests.
You’ll find more information, eligibility criteria, details of job descriptions and pay rates by searching by your preferred location or job type through our Digital Marketing Job Board. Job applicants are also welcome to upload their resumes, viewed by recruiters, agencies, and businesses.
