6 Tips For Mapping Out a Successful Digital Marketing Career Path
By Stephen Pedder Do you feel stuck in your marketing career? Don’t worry; we’ve all been there!
Sometimes, it’s hard to figure out when it’s time to take the next step or even what the next step is. But if you think you’re ready to make a change, Ad Culture is here to help map out your own digital marketing career path with these easy tips:
1. Ask Yourself: Are You Really Ready for Your Next Position?
It can be difficult to gauge when you’re “done” with your current role. You may never feel like you are if you’re going to base it on your to-do list. That’s because for every task you tick off as complete, a few more get added—that’s how it usually goes in marketing.
Marketing jobs are also dynamic, so you may never feel like you’ve done everything your current role offers. So how can you tell if you’re truly ready to move forward?
One way of knowing is to pause and think about how you feel about your current work. Do you dread upcoming projects, or do you still feel challenged like you used to? If you feel bored, you’ve unlikely outgrown your current position.
Another way of telling is by comparing your original job description to what you’re currently doing. Is it still the same, or has it evolved into more advanced work? If it has, you’re likely ready for a new position.
2. Take Stock of Your Skills
You need to take your skills and interests into account before you can successfully map out a digital marketing career path. Otherwise, it would be like navigating a new city without knowing if you’re going on foot, by bus, or by train.
We recommend you create four lists:
- Things you can do;
- Things you love doing;
- Things you can do but dislike doing; and
- Things you would love to learn.
You can use these lists to identify new roles and responsibilities you’d like to take on next. You can also find the specific skills set you will need this year to excel in digital marketing here.
3. Set Your Priorities Straight
To define what you need in order to progress in your digital marketing career path, you need to set your priorities. This might include the following:
Money
Money is a powerful and simple motivator when mapping out a career path. A higher salary means all your needs will be covered and this brings about a sense of security and safety. Ask yourself if this is your primary motivator.
Training and Education
Do you dislike monotony and having the same routine? Do you seek to continuously learn new skills and discover new things to stay excited?
Culture
Is your priority to work in a positive environment where you can learn and meet friends simultaneously?
Progression
Do you want to work at a company where there’s room for growth and where you can progress in your career?
Values
Some people need to wholeheartedly believe in a company’s vision and the products or services they are marketing. Does this sound like you?
Location
Is your priority to work or live in a specific location like for example, the city centre?
4. Job Fit Assessment
There are a lot of job positions in digital marketing, so it’s vital to figure out where you fit best based on the list you’ve written for #2 and your priorities for #3.
You might have start from the bottom rung of digital marketing and gradually enhance your skills and experience until you are ready to aim for the top.
Here are some of the digital marketing positions you can set your sights on:
Digital Marketing Specialist
This requires at least a year of digital marketing experience. A digital marketing specialist designs campaigns, establishes a brand’s online presence, and monitors ROI (Return on Investment) and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators).
Assistant Marketing Manager
This position supports the marketing manager and the marketing team in terms of task organization. You may also be required to conduct research and surveys, and then analyze them in order to provide a good marketing presentation.
Marketing Manager
The marketing manager develops, implements, and manages campaigns to boost brand awareness on the internet. This process is crucial to the business as it is where most traffic is generated from.
Chief Marketing Officer
The CMO selects and implements the perfect marketing strategies and converts them into useful information. Once the analytical data is ready, the CMO reports them to the chief executive officer.
5. Test The Waters
Once you’ve set your eyes on your next position, you can test the waters by volunteering (if it’s related to your target position), doing informational interviews, partnering with others to gain the necessary experience. This will uncover any gaps in your skills.
| Tip: Don’t be afraid to be a beginner and don’t be afraid to fail. |
6. Get Certified
Once you have identified your skill gap, do your research on the best digital marketing courses and providers. Then, enroll in a relevant course to learn those skills and get a certification.
When you are done with one course, take another until you are fully prepared to take on the position you are aiming for.
Here are the top marketing tools and skills we think are helpful to make you shine in marketing, whatever position it may be:
Data and Analytics:
A tool that gives detailed information about the performance of your website.
This is used to track and monitor the behavior of your viewers during their time on the website.
Social Media Marketing:
This helps you when you create, schedule, monitor, and collaborate on content.
This tool is very helpful in terms of scheduling your content.
Search Engine Optimization:
This is used to analyze and prepare data for elevated search engine optimization.
When it comes to doing keyword research for PPC (Pay-Per-Click) ads, SEMrush will be of geat help.
Content Marketing:
This tool is used to add call-to-actions or CTAs on blog posts that you share on social media platforms.
Project Management:
You can use this tool for faster and seamless management of projects within the company.
This tool gives you a faster way of communicating with your team or your clients.
Propel Your Career Forward with Ad Culture
Are you ready to carve out a new and exciting digital marketing career path? Ad Culture, a leading digital advertising recruitment firm, can help further your career!
We specialize in matching creative and talented individuals like you with companies that can help enhance your skills and propel you forward in your career. Contact us to find out how to get started!
