Digital Marketing has grown to the point that it is now the largest area of marketing spend for businesses in 2017. As a result, Digital Marketing roles are becoming the most frequently advertised.
A staggering 8 of the top 20 most common jobs fall within Digital Marketing. So, there’s plenty of career opportunities for those wanting in.
Below are some of the most common entry-level roles in Digital Marketing along with details of relevant degrees and expected levels of experience. If you thought you needed a degree in Marketing to get into digital, you’ll be surprised.
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Executive
The purpose of PPC is to have a chosen website appear on Google as an Ad. PPC execs have to use data to choose which search terms they want their ads to appear for, then analyze the cost-effectiveness of ads. They must be able to write ad copy which encourages people to click-through to the website.
Relevant Degrees: Maths is good because you will be relying on numbers to inform decisions, any Computer Science degree is relevant as it is a technology based role, Psychology is surprisingly desirable as you have to understand what motivates people and how they think, and English is useful in order to craft good ad copy. Ideally, candidates should be competent with Excel.
Relevant Experience: Entry level candidates wouldn’t be expected to have direct experience as it’s quite a niche position. However, general awareness of how search engines work is a massive plus, as would be any website experience.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Exec
SEO Execs are responsible for improving website keyword positions on Google. Getting a website to the top of Google requires a combination of technical, analytical, creative and communication skills. Because SEO is so broad, roles tend to focus on specific elements such as coding, or building relationships with bloggers.
Relevant Degrees: Due to the broad nature of SEO, almost any degree can be made relevant to some aspect. However, a few stand-out degrees include anything computer related, Marketing, PR, and Journalism.
Relevant Experience: Whilst entry-level candidates are not expected to know much about SEO, any experience working with or on websites is a huge plus. Owning or working with a blog, for instance, will be a huge help in landing your first job in SEO.
Account Exec
Account Execs typically support Account Managers with day-to-day admin on larger clients and/or manage smaller clients themselves. It’s quite a general role which is perfect for an all-rounder with strong interpersonal skills.
Relevant Degrees: Business and Marketing would be very relevant, meanwhile, core subjects such as Maths and English tick a lot of boxes.
Relevant Experience: As an entry-level role, it may be hard to demonstrate direct experience, therefore, transferable skills will be important in showcasing potential. The most important qualities to portray include professionalism, strong personal organisation and communication skills.
Copywriter
Digital copywriters produce content for use online, such as blogs, website copy, and press releases. Writers must be prolific while maintaining expected standards.
Relevant Degrees: Anything English related including Journalism, and Media.
Relevant Experience: Candidates would be expected to show examples of their online writing such as articles, news, reviews and so on. So, asking blogs if you can contribute and build a portfolio is a great idea.
Social Media Exec
Social Media Execs are responsible for a business’s social channels. Duties include responding to comments, escalating issues and posting engaging content.
Relevant Degrees: English, Media, and Journalism are all important because 90% of communications are written. Having said that, the experience is far more important than qualifications in this space.
Relevant Experience: You need to be able to show quality experience in social media. This shouldn’t be too difficult as it’s easy to get experience. There are loads of websites and small businesses who would welcome a little free support to get you started. You can also manage your own social profiles and research best-practices.
Experience – More Important Than Qualifications?
Absolutely.
However, this doesn’t have to be professional, paid-job experience. Help a friend, read and share blogs, do a little free-work for a small local business. Just generally take an interest in the industry and you will interview a thousand times better.
There are tons of opportunities to gain enough experience and get a foot in the door.
As Nike say, “Just Do It”.
