If you’re thinking of starting a digital marketing career, now is one of the best times to do so. The demand for digital marketing professionals is high, and the skills you learn will be in-demand for years to come. But where do you start? In this blog post, we’ll walk you through the steps to starting a career in digital marketing. Let’s get started! 

Choose your niche

Finding your niche can be difficult if you’ve never worked in the industry before, but it’s definitely something you should be thinking about when you’re practising these next steps. It will also lead to you getting further in your career a lot quicker by allowing you to really focus on the work that is going to improve that one interest. 

There are many different strings to the digital marketing bow, and each of them has its own positives and negatives which you should take into consideration when picking which job you’d like to do.

As well as this, different roles require different skill sets, so you should think about what you’re good at and how you’d like to use these skills in a working environment.

For example, if you like working with numbers and trends, then a digital strategist would be a great role for you, but if you’re more interested in being creative then a digital content creator would be a more suitable fit. There is also nothing that says you can’t change your niche at any time, in fact, it is very common for people to switch between roles within the industry, so keep this in mind during your training. 

Study digital marketing

One of the best and probably easiest ways to start your digital marketing career is to study it. This could be at a university, or you could explore other options such as an apprenticeship or even an online course. There are pros and cons to all of these options, so let’s explore them: 

University digital marketing courses

University – the university route into the marketing industry is the most popular when it comes to studying. This is mainly because there are a lot of spaces in universities around the country, making it easier to get into as there isn’t as much competition when it comes to getting onto the course. It is also good for meeting like-minded people, it gives you a degree that employers will recognise, and there are often businesses that will work with the university so it might be easier to find a graduate job. However, this can be an expensive route without a guarantee of a job at the end of it.

Digital marketing apprenticeships

Apprenticeships – an apprenticeship is a brilliant way to learn whilst on the job, and you’re not left with any debt at the end of it. A lot of the time you are able to continue on at that place of work after that apprenticeship, and you can get paid whilst studying. 

Online digital marketing courses

Another route that you could take when studying digital marketing is through an online course. These are brilliant for people that may already have a full-time job and want to do the course on the side, and there are a lot of free resources out there. However the negatives to this route are that they might not be fully recognised by companies looking for digital marketers, and they also don’t give you any real-life experience.

Do some volunteer work

We all know that companies are looking for candidates who have some previous experience, even for beginner roles. This can make it difficult to find a suitable job if you don’t have any of this experience, but gaining it through volunteering could be the way around this issue.

So many small businesses or charities are looking for volunteer digital marketers, so starting off with this route should make the transition to a paid position a lot easier.

Do any of your friends have a small business? Why not ask to do a bit of social media marketing for them, or write a blog for their website; there are so many different avenues you can take with this route. Pair this with some previous education on the subject and you’re on the right track to starting your digital marketing career.

Apply for a marketing job

So you’ve got the certificate, volunteered for your friend for a couple of months and put your portfolio together, but now what? Well, now it’s time to start applying for those jobs!

There are lots of online resources to help you put together a CV and a cover letter, which will help in getting those interviews.

Finding a digital marketing job

You can look for jobs on various job sites, or even use social media platforms like LinkedIn to see which companies are currently hiring. Think about your experience levels when applying for jobs, and if you actually want to work for the company you’re applying to. The most important thing to remember is that your career is going to evolve massively over time, so don’t worry if you’re not where you want to be currently as hard work and dedication are sure to get you there one day. 

If you are looking for a career in digital marketing, there are many ways to get started. The best way to find out what is the right path for you is to try different things and see what works best for you. There are many resources available online that can help you learn more about digital marketing and how to start your career. We hope this article has been helpful and provided some useful information on how to begin your journey into a successful digital marketing career.

To start your career, why not look at the digital marketing opportunities we can offer. atomicboost is a leading digital marketing agency in the heart of Nottingham, (with hybrid working) along with our partner company Atomic, we offer many career-advancing opportunities, training and progression for marketers at all levels. If you would like to join our friendly, talented and motivated team and surround yourself with the best, check out our vacancies today! For further information, don’t hesitate to get in touch.