5 Tips for Starting a Career in Digital Marketing
Jumpstart your career in digital marketing
From Fine Art Degrees to Facebook Ads, learn first-hand how I got started in Digital Marketing and how you can too.
When I started my college planning, I really had no idea what I wanted to major in or my career after college. I decided to major in Fine Art (crazy right?) with a concentration in Design, not exactly the safest bet during the second-largest recession in our country. But here’s why I encourage anyone going into college to consider a Fine Arts degree.
One of the things that really drew me to into the marketing space was how much of an impact social media and the internet was affecting the art being made that I was studying. I was obsessed with Miranda July and Harrell Fletcher, if you don’t know them look at Learning to Love You More. In my junior year, I took an Experimental Design class where we designed a iPhone app and learned user interface design and coding. It was super interesting to me and really made me want to learn more. At that time the iPhone was just coming out and apps were just becoming a huge industry and topic for students to learn.
As a Digital Marketer for the past seven years, I really love my career. I started working in digital marketing while in college. I took a paid internship with a local photographer doing post-production, I did everything from second shooting weddings (yeah, I don’t claim to be a photographer) to managing her customer data.
I fell in love with working with entrepreneurial women and marketing which is what landed me my first job out of college, a Communications Specialist at a global automotive manufacturing company.
One of the great things I found working in Digital Marketing is it is ever-changing much like the art world and there are multiple aspects of digital marketing you can dive into. Because of my college training, I have been able to pull things I learned as well as gaining experience in running a business. After all I think artists are some of the most entrepreneurial people out there. One of the things I always struggled with was “how can I work on my art when I need to make money?” Working in digital marketing helped me use my creative talents in ways that I really felt made an impact.
I have had more generalist roles with industries versus specific roles with an agency. There are pros and cons to each, but I thought it would be helpful to list out the top tips for starting a career in the field based on my experience. If you want a general overview of how to get into the career here is a really great resource.
“Working in digital marketing helped me utilize my creative talents. ”
where do you start?
The first thing I would tell you to do if you are entering the field is research. There are several types of digital marketing. In my experience, it’s good to be familiar with all of these and pick a few you want to specialize in.
Type of Digital Marketing:
1. Display Advertising
2. Pay Per Click
3. Search Engine Optimisation
4. Email Marketing
5. Social Media Marketing
6. Content Marketing
7. Affiliate Marketing
I continually look at job postings that interest me and pick out new skills or things I want to learn and make a list. Once you have a list of five to six things you want to learn more about, start researching affordable ways to learn or get certified in those skills. For example, I really wanted to learn more about analytics. So I started with Google Analytics Academy who has some really great training that you can do for free online.
Below I have listed some top skills and resources for free or cheap online training you can do while working another job or during your schoolwork. Quick tip, I have included several Udemy classes which can get expensive, but they run specials all the time for classes starting at $10. Also, many of these companies have tools they want you to use so they train you for free in hopes you will use them. For example, Facebook makes money if you advertise with them, so they will offer free training for you so you use their platform, win-win!
Develop specific, in-demand digital skillset.
Once you develop the list of items you wish to learn start checking items off your list, and sharing what you learn. It may take a while of putting in extra nights or time on the weekends to learn the things you want. If you get burned out, which you will start by working on your own brand. LinkedIn is a great way to jump into the digital space by collaborating with other digital marketers. This field is always changing and it’s so helpful to start making connections with others in different industries. Digital trends pass through industries at different rates. When I was working at a trucking manufacturer I frequently pinged other digital marketers in the retail and car manufacturing space to see what was working for them. It was helpful to see what types of campaigns were working, how they were proving out their digital marketing, and making huge wins for their company.
If social media marketing is something you are interested in start by compiling a list of brands you want to follow or social media accounts you admire. It makes it super easy to discuss in an interview. It also gives you a great foundation to see what is going on in the social media and digital marketing space. If you want to take that one step further, create a blog where you highlight these creative and unique accounts, discuss what and why it works for the audience they are targeting.
You can highlight creative, strategy, or types of marketing tactics that show you are continually abreast of new trends and ideas. This is a way for you to gain an online presence and also become a thought leader in your space. It also helps you see what brands you admire, industries that interest you so you can look for open positions. If you lean more towards larger brands and creative execution, maybe working for an agency is for you. If you like the business aspect or know the exact industry you want to work in then in-house may be better suited for your needs. Either way, make it things you enjoy and feel passionate about.
“Realize your strengths and lean into them, no one is great at everything and knowing that takes maturity. ”
Girl, take a business class.
I can’t stress this enough. Even if you want to go into government or the non-profit sector, everyone needs to make money. Period. Taking a business or marketing class helps you understand the big picture. Marketing is not typically an operational function, which means businesses need to be in the black (aka profitable) before they will invest money back into growing their business which would be in marketing expenses and advertising. Understanding business and how your contribution ladders up to the bigger picture is crucial.
There are tons of free classes on business but start with the basics. You can reach out to your local technical or community college or maybe add a business class on if you are still in school.
Here is a great list of free business classes you can take from some top universities for free.
Analytics:
SEO Training:
Web Development:
Social Media Marketing:
o Facebook Blueprint Certification
Learn as much as you can, Period.
I will say that digital marketing because it is ever-changing, and platforms are always evolving which means you can never learn enough.
Digital Marketing and social media marketing is NOT a club only adults with certain degrees and attitudes can enter, it’s more like a flash mob where everyone and their mom is an expert in the field. If you think with a certain certification and experience under your belt that no one can stop you, well, you’re wrong. With Digital Marketing anyone can join the club and the space is getting more and more competitive every day. I like to think of it as both an art and a science. There is a very low entry point for people to dip their toes in the water. This also varies by the degree in the industry you are applying to and the leadership at that company. They will typically put a focus or not on digital presence but in general trust me, you will be met with hundreds of people who think they know more than you because they tweet and post on Facebook.
Don’t ever underestimate what soft skills you bring to the table. I would say over half of the decision for hiring for a position is personality. Digital Marketers tend to be more tech or marketing centered, meaning you may be whip-smart, but you typically don’t collaborate well with others or you may be more business-minded and are not as sharp in the tech space. There are pros and cons to both, but it really depends on the industry you are trying to get into. More often than not Digital Marketers work with every part of an organization. Being flexible, humble, and easy to work with are skills that will take you farther than you might realize.
Be you.
This is where you can really shine. Remember how I just mentioned there are a ton of people entering into the digital marketing space? Yeah, make yourself stand out. Use your website or social media presence to really differentiate yourself from others and find a niche that really inspires you. There has never been a job I interviewed for where they did not snoop around on the internet trying to find my LinkedIn or website, which is why for years I have always had a website.
Give the hiring managers what they want, more information about you, how you are different and what you are passionate about. For me personally, this is hard. Because I am not a humble bragger, but try and narrow it down to one thing. I have a creative background; therefore, I really like digital brand management. I don’t love designing but instead of working with designers, I hired a designer for my own brand. I knew I wanted something different and a new perspective and I don’t want to be a designer, I want to be a marketer. Realize your strengths and lean into them, no one is great at everything and knowing that takes maturity. Many times, you will not be a team of one, you will work collaboratively with designers, writers, marketers, and subject matter experts to build a campaign. Leverage your own brand just like you would your employers. By doing this you also give future employers an idea about how you work with others as well as what interests you while also building your own brand and identity.
Looking for more resources on digital marketing and building your brand?