BrainStation’s Digital Marketing career guide can help start a career in marketing, including content creation, social media marketing, email marketing, and more. The guide provides an in-depth overview of the marketing skills you should learn, the best available digital marketing training options, career paths in digital marketing, how to become a digital marketer, and more.
The digital revolution has transformed marketing practices, requiring new skills to engage and convert modern buyers As an internet marketer, you get to leverage data, technology, and creativity to drive results in the digital space But how exactly does one get started in this fast-paced, dynamic field? Follow this comprehensive guide to launch your internet marketing career.
Assess Your Current Skills
Before diving in reflect on strengths you can build upon for online marketing success. Are you
- Analytical – able to derive insights from data?
- Creative – skilled at generating ideas and content?
- Tech-savvy – a quick learner of new programs and platforms?
- Organized – capable of managing multiple priorities?
- Communicative – adept at explaining concepts clearly?
These core competencies allow internet marketers to juggle technical and strategic responsibilities Experience with marketing, sales, writing, graphic design, analytics, or coding also helps Identify your innate abilities and areas for further development as you chart your learning path.
Gain a Foundational Understanding
Next, start learning fundamentals across key digital marketing channels and tactics:
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Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – Optimizing content to rank higher in search engines like Google.
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Pay-Per-Click (PPC) – Running targeted ads through platforms like Google Ads.
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Social Media Marketing – Driving brand awareness and engagement on networks like Facebook and Instagram.
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Content Marketing – Creating valuable, relevant content to attract and retain buyers.
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Email Marketing – Sending targeted emails and newsletters to customers.
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Web Analytics – Collecting and analyzing data to optimize campaigns.
Free online courses, blogs, and guides provide entry-level overviews. Google and Meta’s training programs are quite helpful for grasping basics.
Obtain an Education
While not required, earning a degree demonstrates essential knowledge and skills to employers. Relevant fields of study include digital marketing, integrated marketing communications, and data analytics.
Look for programs emphasizing hands-on learning through real client projects, campaign simulations, or internships. Many offer instruction in web design, analytics, Adobe Creative Suite, Google Ads, social media tools, CRM systems, and more.
A mix of marketing, communications, technical, analytical, and creative classes will equip you with a diverse skill set. You may also supplement with certifications from Facebook, HubSpot, Google, and other platforms.
Gain Real-World Experience
Beyond classes and research, tangible experience is critical when starting out. Look for opportunities to put learning into practice through:
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Internships – Paid or unpaid roles focused on digital marketing execution.
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Freelancing – Taking on projects for small businesses to build your portfolio.
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Volunteering – Offering services pro-bono for nonprofits to gain experience.
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Side Hustles – Launching personal blogs, businesses, or brands to apply skills.
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Job Shadowing – Observing and assisting digital marketers at established companies.
Any opportunity to actively manage campaigns, even for little or no pay, will rapidly accelerate your learning. This real-world exposure proves invaluable when seeking full-time roles.
Build Your Professional Network
Marketing is a collaborative field, so begin forming connections early on. Follow and engage with industry leaders on Twitter and LinkedIn. Join local meetups, conferences, and online forums to interact with peers.
Develop mentor relationships with more experienced marketers who can provide advice and perspective. Stay in touch with classmates, professors, internship colleagues, and freelance clients.
This network will help you stay atop of latest trends, tools, and best practices. You’ll also gain access to career opportunities, collaborators, and partners to work with as your own agency grows.
Start Applying for Roles
Once you have a base of education and experience, begin applying for digital marketing jobs at agencies, startups, corporations, and more. Some common entry-level titles include:
- Digital Marketing Coordinator
- Social Media Specialist
- SEO Analyst
- PPC Associate
- Content Marketing Writer
Tailor your resume and online profiles to use relevant keywords and emphasize hands-on learning. Prepare to discuss digital campaigns and projects you’ve contributed to and their results. Show passion by staying on top of industry advancements.
With perseverance and a strong personal brand, you can land your first role and start putting comprehensive internet marketing knowledge to work.
Moving Up the Ranks
Entry-level marketing roles focus on execution and tactical support. But with commitment to continuous learning, you can quickly take on additional responsibility. After a year or two, strive for titles like:
- Digital Marketing Manager
- Search Engine Marketing Lead
- Social Media Manager
- Email Marketing Director
- Web/Mobile Analytics Manager
At this stage, you’ll lead digital initiatives, manage budgets and teams, report on campaign performance, and implement optimization strategies. Demonstrating strategic thinking and leadership abilities becomes vital.
After 5+ years of success, you can achieve head of marketing or VP of digital marketing titles and oversee entire marketing departments. The possibilities are wide open in this fast-paced, high-demand field.
Bring your technical abilities, creative spirit, and analytical mindset to the table. With dedication to honing your craft, you’ll thrive as a modern internet marketer.
Learn Digital Marketing Fundamentals
The first step toward beginning a career in digital marketing is to acquire core technical competencies in SEO and SEM, analytics, social media marketing and advertising, and email marketing.
Alongside these, try to find ways to demonstrate that you have the many soft and transferable skills a Digital Marketer should possess, including:
- Leadership
- Strong writing voice
- Feel for the online landscape
If you’re trying to pick up experience with email marketing, SEO, analytics, and so forth in a piecemeal way, it may take months or even years for you to grow a passing familiarity into a coherent skill set.
Programs like BrainStation’s Digital Marketing bootcamp are specifically developed to immerse you in the most crucial aspects of digital marketing for efficient, accelerated learning.
The more digital marketing tools you have experience with, the easier it will be to become a Digital Marketer. Google Analytics and Google Ads, for example, allow Digital Marketers to measure and track the performance of digital marketing campaigns and initiatives.
SEO tools like Ahrefs, Moz, and SEMrush, are also essential, giving Marketers the ability to explore relevant keywords, check backlinks to your pages, identify related keywords, and analyze competitors’ SEO.
Important Digital Marketing Tools to Learn
- Google Analytics
- Google Ads
- MailChimp
- Ahrefs
- Salesforce
- Moz
- Buffer
- Canva
- Hubspot
Experience with an email campaign tool, like MailChimp or SendGrid, can also be invaluable when looking to break into digital marketing. As can knowledge of a customer relationship management (CRM) program, such as Salesforce and Hubspot.
Perhaps the easiest way to dip your feet in, however, is in the social media realm. Digital Marketers increasingly rely on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and more to drive traffic, generate leads, and build their brands.
To help develop standout content for your social media platforms, you should also experiment with free stock sites, such as Unsplash or Pexels, and graphic design platforms like Canva.
Developing a following (or at least a visually cohesive style), and using social media management tools like Hootsuite, Later, and Buffer, can help you stand out from the crowd when applying for a job in digital marketing.
Network to Make Connections in Marketing
Unsurprisingly, developing a wide network as a Digital Marketer begins online. In addition to the aforementioned social channels or blog, you might launch your own industry-related newsletter to showcase your own original content, demonstrate thought leadership as a digital marketing expert, and share your work while also growing your personal platform.
Building out a strong online presence is to one’s benefit in virtually any field, but particularly so in digital marketing, where the proof is in the pudding.
There are also several networking events for Digital Marketers in both the online and offline worlds, offering additional opportunities to network within the field.
Toronto, for instance, hosts an annual Digital Marketing Conference, while industry website MarketingTerms lists dozens of virtual networking events dedicated to a range of specializations and market sectors.
Digital Marketing In 5 Minutes | What Is Digital Marketing? | Learn Digital Marketing | Simplilearn
FAQ
How much money does internet marketing make?
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Annual Salary
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Hourly Wage
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Top Earners
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$113,000
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$54
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75th Percentile
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$81,500
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$39
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Average
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$77,381
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$37
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25th Percentile
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$55,000
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$26
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How do I become an Internet marketer?
Here are some steps you can follow to become an internet marketer effectively: 1. Consider getting a degree Employers don’t always require internet marketing candidates to possess a degree. However, earning a degree in a related field may help prospective professionals secure roles.
How do I become a digital marketer?
There are a number of ways to become a Digital Marketer. While many Digital Marketers begin in traditional marketing roles before specializing, that’s far from a hard-and-fast rule; there’s actually no specific background experience required for you to become a Digital Marketer—only a specific set of skills.
How do I get into digital marketing?
To get into digital marketing, you should develop your marketing skills and experience through a digital marketing bootcamp or course, find opportunities to build your professional network in marketing, and begin looking for entry-level digital marketing jobs and internships.
How do I start a career in digital marketing?
Start by taking on practical projects. This could involve managing a blog, where you can practice content creation and SEO; handling social media accounts, which hone your skills in social media marketing; or volunteering for digital marketing tasks with local businesses or non-profit organizations.
