Digital marketing started in the 90s. Since then, it has gone through so many changes that it’s hardly recognizable. The question is – is digital marketing still a smart career choice? The answer is yes, and this guide will explain the top 14 reasons why.
Get paid to be creative
First off, digital marketing is one of the most creative careers out there. Okay, you might not enjoy the same creative freedom as a poet or a painter, but you will still get to think outside the box. From creating interesting ad campaigns to coming up with clever blog titles, you will be forced to think in a creative way every day. This makes the work consistently engaging. You certainly aren’t going to be crunching numbers if you choose a career in digital marketing.
It’s data-driven
Despite the undeniable creative side of digital marketing, there is also a huge amount of data analysis involved. You might be wondering – why is this a benefit? It’s really simple – as you learn to understand the data and obtain insights from it, you can improve your campaigns. This means that you are never left guessing whether your idea was a good one or not. Instead, you can get a clear idea of what works and what doesn’t, which will make you a better digital marketer as you go through your career.
You can work from anywhere
One of the biggest benefits of a career in digital marketing is that you can work from anywhere. If you get a full-time position, you might have to stay in one place. But many agencies now offer fully remote positions. Alternatively, you could set up as a freelance digital marketer, helping small businesses improve their online presence.
Flexible career options
There is a lot of flexibility in the digital marketing space. When you start your career, you will probably have to spend a few years doing the grunt work and earning your stripes. However, when you have a solid grasp of the industry, you will be able to specialize or go into a management career. For example, some professionals might end up specializing in the copywriting side of the business, while another marketing agency, such as PWD, might offer a range of digital marketing services, including web design, e-commerce, SEO services, Google AdWords, branding, and more.
Basically, you’re not going to be stuck doing the same thing your whole career.
There’s a huge demand
Right now, there is a huge demand for digital marketing. From massive corporations running multi-million dollar campaigns to startups with small budgets, it’s easy to find work. When you’re starting out in digital marketing, there are two main career paths – work for a digital marketing agency or work in the digital marketing department of a company. Agency work is more varied, but the progression opportunities are often better in private companies.
Potential to upskill
There are a lot of skills to learn in digital marketing. From SEO and PPC to conversion rate optimization, you will never run out of things to learn. That means, even if you have just started with only basic training, you can upskill throughout your career. Many employers will pay for digital marketers to go on courses to keep their knowledge up-to-date.
The industry is always evolving
This is kind of a follow-on from the last point. The digital marketing industry is always changing. As Google changes its algorithm, new mediums (like apps) are created, and new marketing techniques are developed, the industry is a constantly evolving beast. That means there are always new opportunities to specialize, and there is always new information to learn. If you keep abreast of the changes in the industry, you can become a highly paid consultant.
Excellent management opportunities
As more businesses need digital marketing and the marketing teams grow, there will be a huge increase in management opportunities. If you can combine a knowledge of digital marketing with management skills, you will be able to increase your earning potential massively. This makes it a great long-term career for highly driven individuals.
The skills are transferable
Transferable skills are always good to have. If you suddenly decide on a career change, you need to know that you will still be employable. Fortunately, digital marketing will teach you a whole host of transferable skills. These include communication, writing skills, planning, project management, and business growth.
There’s a digital skills shortage
With the rise of tech, there is also a rise in demand for digital skills. Unfortunately, the education system in most Western countries is way behind. That means there aren’t enough young people with advanced technical skills to fill the positions. For anyone with advanced digital skills, that means a huge increase in opportunities (and probably pay).
More likely to find a great working culture
Working culture is more important to employees than it used to be. Most young job seekers will look at a company’s culture, not just the pay and benefits. Thanks to the fact that digital marketing is a relatively new industry, it is a leader in relaxed culture. So you can probably expect to wear shorts and t-shirts to work and chill out on a beanbag at lunch.
Earnings
Digital marketing might not be the best-paid career in the tech space. But it’s not the worst either. As you advance your skillset, you can increase your earnings significantly. You can easily make a mid-level executive wage in the first five years of your career. Plus, there will be plenty of management opportunities that open up later in your career.
Train at your own pace
Thinking about changing to a career in digital marketing? Don’t panic; you don’t need to drop everything and head to university for a three-year degree course. Instead, you can learn the necessary skills in your own time. First off, there are plenty of free online courses, YouTube videos, and blog posts that you can consume. This is a great place to start because it will teach you the basic terminology of the industry and give you an idea of the skills you will need. Then, you can advance your skills with paid courses further down the line. Many digital marketing professionals have never paid for a course.
Work with different people every day
The digital marketing industry is full of interesting people. Add this to the constant stream of business owners that you will have to work with and you have a career with plenty of opportunities to meet people. You will get to work with different people every day.
