Are you thinking of pursuing a career in digital marketing but not sure whether you’re making the right decision?
If yes, you’re not alone. Every year, millions of people have to make difficult career choices. Some are looking to choose their first career and others are looking to switch careers.
Over the last decade, digital marketing has emerged as an in-demand career. As technology advances and the internet becomes widespread, organizations need the help of digital marketers to effectively reach millions of internet users.
In this article, we’re giving you compelling reasons to pursue a career in digital marketing.
1. Good Job Outlook
No one wants to spend several months on the job hunt. After securing the necessary qualifications, you expect to find a job as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, how soon you get the job depends on the specific career’s outlook. If jobs are few and far between, you’ll likely take several weeks or even months to find a job.
So, what’s the outlook for digital marketing careers?
In general, the Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts a 10 percent job growth for all marketing careers, including digital marketing, through the next decade. Considering that the average growth for all occupations is 5 percent, it’s safe to say marketing has a good outlook.
But this stat doesn’t paint a complete picture. On its own, digital marketing has a stronger outlook. Almost every organization is increasing its digital marketing spend, which means the demand for marketers with digital expertise is on the rise. Expect the demand for traditional markets to slide and that of digital marketers rises steadily.
So, if you were hesitant to become a digital marketer because you weren’t sure how the job outlook stacks up, you have no excuse now. Pursue it!
2. Show Me the Money
With many American workers living paycheck to paycheck, nobody wants to pursue a career that isn’t paying a competitive salary.
How much do digital marketers take home?
According to Glassdoor, an occupational resources website, the base pay for digital marketers in the U.S., is $57,000 a year. Highest earners pull in over $89,000 while the lowest earners get about $37,000.
Now, considering that the average household income in the country is about $56,000, we can say most digital marketers earn well over this amount.
That being said, there are several factors that can affect your digital marketing salary. The most crucial is your level of expertise and experience. If you’re an entry-level specialist, don’t expect to earn over the base pay. But as you rack up experience, your salary will steadily go up.
Your location of employment will also matter. Digital marketers based in big cities where the demand for digital marketing services is sky-high usually earn much more than those based in semi-urban locations.
3. Multiple Career Paths at Your Disposal
Digital marketing is a broad career.
Although some professionals choose to become generalists, you have the freedom to specialize in a certain digital marketing field. This opens multiple career paths.
Popular digital marketing fields include:
- Social media marketing
- Search engine marketing
- Analytics
- Content management
- Mobile marketing
- Video marketing
- Interactive technology
- Email marketing
So, if social media isn’t your thing, you can still pursue other career paths in digital marketing. Who doesn’t love such flexibility?
However, while specializing can be a good thing, it’s important to master several aspects of digital marketing. Employers are looking for digital marketers who are versatile; people who can handle diverse digital marketing campaigns competently.
4. Multiple Qualification Paths
You need the right professional knowledge and occupational skills to become a digital marketer.
Here’s the bit where it gets interesting. You don’t have to go to college and complete a degree in order to qualify for employment as a digital marketer.
Sure, a college degree will give you the best preparation for this career, but it’s not the only option at your disposal. If you don’t have the money to fund a college education, you can get started as a digital marketer by pursuing short online courses. Some of these courses are free.
For instance, let’s say you want to specialize in search engine optimization. You don’t have to go to college to learn SEO. There are lots of online resources with detailed information on SEO. For example, this backlink research done by SEOJet is an example of an excellent resource when you’re looking to learn about backlinking as an SEO strategy.
Keep in mind employers are more interested in your skills and what you can do with them. Having a college degree doesn’t necessarily mean you’re more skilled than someone who learned the craft on their own.
5. Put Your Creativity to Work
If you’re a creative person, digital marketing is one of the best careers to pursue. It gives you the platform to put your creativity to work.
Ever been scrolling through your social media feed and landed on an ad that was so creatively put together you momentarily forgot it was an ad? That’s the work of a creative digital marketer.
In this career, you’ll have the creative freedom you need to bring your ideas to life. Clients love creative ads. Employers love digital marketers who can make such standout ads.
6. The Self-Employment Path
So, you want to be your own boss?
No problem. You can be a digital marketer and still be your own boss.
How? You ask.
As a digital marketing specialist, you can either find employment in established marketing agencies or establish your own agency.
While not many digital marketers move into self-employment as soon as they’re qualified, this is a path you can take. As long as you have the capital to set up the agency and the business-savvy to run it well, you can become self-employed. Plus, what’s better than using your expertise to market your own firm?
Pursue a Career in Digital Marketing
If you were on the fence about pursuing a career in digital marketing, we trust you now have the information you need to make a conclusive decision: which is to jump over and pursue this career. The job outlook is steady, the salary is competitive, you have a creative license… you name it.
