There’s never been a better time to get into digital marketing. As more companies adopt digital marketing strategies—social media advertising spend increased 45.9% in 2021 alone—they’re also snapping up digital marketing specialists of all stripes, from those experienced with email campaigns and product marketing to content strategists, digital marketing managers, SEO specialists, and creative directors.
In addition to a strong job outlook—the Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts that demand for digital marketing specialists will grow by 10% between now and 2026—digital marketing also offers diversity in career opportunities, an abundance of entry-level marketing jobs, and room for growth. In other words, it’s a sector that’s stable, open to newcomers, creatively fulfilling, and offers competitive pay.
What Is Digital Marketing?
If marketing is the discipline of selling or promoting a service and encompasses sectors such as advertising, communications, and design, then digital marketing accomplishes the same thing, but with a focus on digital delivery. Think computers, smartphones, tablets, and the internet. Instead of reaching audiences via billboards or magazine advertisements, a digital marketer does it through digital devices, websites, and platforms using tools that range from search engine optimization to UX design, email campaigns, digital advertising, and blog posts.
Is It Hard To Get an Entry-Level Digital Marketing Job?
The growing demand for digital marketing specialists means that companies are not only hiring more, they’re also willing to make greater investments in new talent. This means that there is no shortage of entry-level positions and opportunities for career advancement. Many hiring managers are willing to overlook a lack of industry experience if candidates can show they have the creativity, drive, growth mindset, and interpersonal skills to learn on the job.
Related Read: Is digital marketing hard to learn?
Entry-Level Digital Marketing Jobs
There are many different areas of specialization on a digital marketing team, from content marketing and search engine optimization to public relations and social media engagement. Within each of these focus areas are entry-level jobs that can offer a robust and varied career path.
Content Writer
A content writer is someone who writes marketing copy for businesses. This includes:
- Blog posts
- Articles
- Press releases
- Product descriptions
- Website pages
We’ve listed this job first because it’s one of the easier entry-level digital marketing roles to land due to sheer demand. As more and more organizations have woken to the fact that high-quality content can lead to improved conversions, higher SEO visibility, and greater trust between customers and a brand, this has resulted in more opportunities for entry-level content writers.
What You’ll Do
Content creators typically do the work of informative copywriting. This means crafting the words for advertising campaigns, blog posts, articles, web pages, and within apps, all while keeping an organization’s marketing goals in mind.
How Much You Can Make
Content writer salaries vary depending on the digital marketing specialist’s level of education, experience, and the market in which they work. The average salary of a content writer in the United States is around $55,000, according to Glassdoor, although in some markets content writers make more than double that.
What the Requirements Are
Most content writers are expected to have the following skills:
- A good understanding of SEO best practices
- Knowledge of how to write for web audiences
- The ability to write clearly and concisely
- Experience using a CMS like WordPress
- Great research skills
Content Strategist
As the job title suggests, content strategists have an aerial view of the content marketing operation and usually oversee all content creation.
What You’ll Do
Content strategists plan and implement content marketing strategies to help a brand attain its marketing goals. This involves:
- Determining topics, titles, and keywords for all written content
- Setting editorial guidelines for all written content
- Improving content delivery and promotion
- Managing the content creation team
- Editing content to ensure quality is consistent across the board
- Measuring performance metrics and using this information to improve the current content marketing strategy
- It’s not uncommon for content strategists to do some writing as well
How Much You Can Make
Content strategist salaries vary depending on the digital marketing specialist’s level of education, experience, and the market in which they work. The average salary of a content strategist in the United States is around $102,000, according to Glassdoor, although in some markets content strategists make significantly more.
What the Requirements Are
Although there are no formal training requirements to become a content strategist, desirable skills include:
- Good knowledge of content marketing
- Writing skills
- Knowledge of WordPress and other content management systems
- Leadership and communication skills
- Good time management and organization
- Analytical skills
Social Media Specialist
A social media specialist is responsible for running a company’s social accounts and managing all posts and responses. They know what kinds of posts generate engagement (i.e. likes, comments, and shares), the best times of day to publish content, and the right hashtags to use. Anyone who has used social media is likely to know many social media best practices and can learn the job through self-study and experimentation.
What You’ll Do
The responsibilities of a social media coordinator or specialist include:
- Planning and running paid social ad campaigns
- Writing and scheduling social media posts
- Creating visual content and social media graphics for social platforms such as Instagram, Pinterest, etc.)
- Managing a brand’s social accounts
- Measuring performance metrics to see what’s working and what isn’t
- Coordinating influencer campaigns
- Applying analytical skills and using tools such as Google Analytics to identify trends in social media marketing
How Much You Can Make
Social media specialist salaries vary depending on the digital marketing specialist’s level of education, experience, and the market in which they work. The average salary of a social media specialist in the United States is around $48,000, according to Glassdoor, although in some markets they make significantly more.
What the Requirements Are
Employers typically look for the following skills when hiring social media specialists:
- In-depth knowledge of multiple social media platforms
- Knowledge of paid social media marketing
- Copywriting skills
- Good analytical skills
- Design and visual content creation skills
Related Read: How To Become a Social Media Manager With No Experience
PPC Specialist
A PPC specialist is someone who knows how to design and execute pay-per-click advertising campaigns. It’s a challenging role that requires a broad skill set but can really add value to an organization looking to grow its brand awareness and sales.
What You’ll Do
The goal of any PPC campaign is to drive highly targeted traffic to your website or store in the hope that it will convert into a sale or lead. PPCs accomplish this through the following:
- Performing keyword searches
- Creating landing pages
- Designing and implementing paid ad campaigns
- Analyzing ad performance
How Much You Can Make
PPC specialist salaries vary depending on the digital marketing specialist’s level of education, experience, and the market in which they work. The average salary of a PPC specialist in the United States is around $49,000, according to Glassdoor, although in some markets PPC specialists make significantly more.
What the Requirements Are
Some of the desirable skills of PPC specialists include:
- Copywriting
- Knowledge of PPC tools
- Keyword search skills
- An understanding of SEO trends and the Google algorithm
- Analytical skills
- Knowledge of HTML
- Conversion rate optimization
- Landing page design skills
- Strong organizational skills
Outreach/PR Specialist
Public relations outreach specialists focus on building relationships with other brands and organizations with the goal of exposing a company to new audiences and partnerships. Like all the other jobs on this list, it’s suitable for entry-level applicants as long as they can demonstrate that they’re a strong communicator and understand the industry.
What You’ll Do
Some of the responsibilities of PR outreach specialists include:
- Building and maintaining relationships with other brands, content creators, and influencers
- Designing and executing outreach campaigns
- Drafting persuasive emails
- Working with influencers
- Writing press releases
How Much You Can Make
Public relations outreach specialist salaries vary depending on the digital marketing specialist’s level of education, experience, and the market in which they work. The average salary of a PR/outreach specialist in the United States is around $58,000, according to Glassdoor, although in some markets outreach specialists can earn more than double that.
What the Requirements Are
Public relations outreach specialists need to have the following skills:
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- The ability to work independently
- Knowledge of different outreach strategies
- Strong writing and editing skills
- Good attention to detail
Copywriter
Copywriters and content writers have some overlap of skills and responsibilities, but where a content writer creates pieces of writing that aim to educate and inform (E.g. blog posts, articles, press releases), copywriters usually focus on subtle persuasion. The work of a copywriter can be found in digital marketing campaigns, on websites, product descriptions, and in calls to action.
What You’ll Do
Copywriters can be deployed to any number of areas within an organization, from writing the text for landing pages to coming up with descriptions, taglines, naming products, and writing the copy for advertisements. Other common responsibilities include:
- Developing and maintaining a brand’s voice and tone
- Collaborating with members of a marketing team
- Editing and proofreading
- Speaking with stakeholders to determine their copy needs
How Much You Can Make
Copywriter salaries vary depending on the digital marketing specialist’s level of education, experience, and the market in which they work. The average salary of a copywriter in the United States is around $59,000, according to Glassdoor, although in some markets copywriters can earn more than double that.
What the Requirements Are
Some of the skills expected of a copywriter include:
- The ability to adapt to writing for different industries
- Being a team player who can work well with others
- Being able to master a brand’s voice and tone
- Attention to detail
Marketing Assistant
A marketing assistant is a role that wears many hats. Reporting to the digital marketing manager, marketing assistants act as a go-between for the different disciplines within a marketing team. In some ways, this is the ideal entry-level digital marketing role because it offers a taste of every area of specialization.
What You’ll Do
A marketing assistant’s day-to-day can vary greatly depending on the types of projects being launched and the type of help different teams need. A marketing assistant might spend one day working on an email marketing campaign and another working on social media posts for an upcoming product launch.
How Much You Can Make
Given the entry-level nature of marketing assistant roles, the average starting salary in the United States can range from $35,000 to $85,000, according to Glassdoor, depending on the market and industry in which they work.
What the Requirements Are
While there are no formal training requirements, and few marketing assistant roles require prior experience, the following skills are desirable:
- Strong written and verbal communication
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
- The ability to juggle multiple tasks under pressure
- Excellent time management skills
- Familiarity with social media, SEO, and email marketing
Junior SEO
The position of SEO specialist is a great entry-level role where newcomers can learn on the job while still making a meaningful contribution to an organization. SEO specialists test, analyze, and change the content on a website so that it is optimized for search engines. Most organizations do not expect junior SEO specialists to have much prior experience and are prepared to train newcomers.
What You’ll Do
Like other professions in this list, the goal of an SEO specialist is to attract and retain an audience’s attention with the hope of a sales conversion. SEO strategy consists of the following:
- Ensuring that all web pages are properly tagged, with proper internal linking and clean URLs
- Implementing title and meta tags
- Updating URL redirects
- Analyzing competitors’ web presence
- Identifying link-building opportunities
How Much You Can Make
SEO specialist salaries vary depending on the digital marketing specialist’s level of education, experience, and the market in which they work. The average salary of a junior SEO specialist in the United States is around $48,000, according to Glassdoor, although in some markets they can earn more than double that.
What the Requirements Are
Many junior SEO specialists are fresh out of school and lack industry experience, which is why hiring managers tend to look for candidates with transferable soft skills. Some of the key skills recruiters look for include:
- The ability to research
- Strong written and verbal communication
- An understanding of the kind of writing that works for the web
- Adaptability
- An analytical and problem-solving mindset
Email Marketing Specialist
Email marketing specialists have a more intimate way of communicating with audiences compared to other digital marketers—by reaching the inboxes of current and potential customers. An email marketer builds and manages an organization’s email list, develops new ways to get potential customers to share their emails, and helps craft messaging that will persuade people to visit a company’s website or perform a call to action.
What You’ll Do
Email marketing specialists create and launch email campaigns, build email templates, A/B test different email marketing strategies, research competitors and marketing trends, analyze data, and present findings to stakeholders.
How Much You Can Make
Email marketing specialist salaries vary depending on the digital marketing specialist’s level of education, experience, and the market in which they work. The average salary of an email marketing specialist in the United States is around $67,000, according to Glassdoor, although in some markets email marketers can earn in the six figures.
What the Requirements Are
Similar to other professions on this list, email marketing specialists don’t need to have specific training or prior industry experience. That said, hiring managers still look for the following skills:
- Strong written and verbal communication
- Experience with HTML and content management systems
- Knowledge of SEO and Google Analytics
- Ability to work under tight deadlines
- An analytical and creative mindset
Influencer Marketing Specialist
Influencer marketing specialists are marketers whose focus is on influential people who can affect potential buyers. They build campaigns and launch projects to engage influencers, maintain relationships through networking, and are constantly coming up with new ideas to get influential people to evangelize their products and services.
What You’ll Do
Some of the common responsibilities of influencer marketing specialists include:
- Developing and executing influencer marketing strategies
- Identifying and building relationships with prominent influencers
- Attending networking events
- Staying on top of emerging trends, influencers, and technologies
- Collaborating with the marketing team to develop and coordinate marketing campaigns
How Much You Can Make
Influencer specialist salaries vary depending on the digital marketing specialist’s level of education, experience, and the market in which they work. The average salary of an influencer marketing specialist in the United States is around $66,000, according to Glassdoor, although in some markets they can earn more.
What the Requirements Are
Hiring managers usually look for the following skills when recruiting influencer marketing specialists:
- Strong verbal and written communication
- In-depth knowledge of social media
- A keen interest in and ability to stay on top of current and emerging influencers
- Project management and organization
- Networking aptitude
- Strong interpersonal skills
Junior Content Editor
A junior content editor is another great entry-level role that doesn’t demand a lot of prior experience or industry knowledge while offering opportunities for learning and career growth.
What You’ll Do
Junior content editors are usually responsible for doing light editing on the copy written by content writers and copywriters, formatting content to a brand’s specifications, uploading content to a CMS, and ensuring that all materials are up-to-date. Depending on the organization, the role can be equal parts editorial and administrative in nature.
How Much You Can Make
Junior content editor salaries vary depending on the digital marketing specialist’s level of education, experience, and the market in which they work. The average salary of a junior content editor in the United States is around $41,000, according to Glassdoor, although many advance quickly to higher-paying roles.
What the Requirements Are
Junior content editors usually have a bachelor’s degree in English, communications, marketing, or a related field. The following skills are also required:
- Strong written and verbal communication
- Experience with content management systems and HTML
- Attention to detail and organizational skills
- Proficiency with tools such as Microsoft Word and Excel
- Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and meet deadlines
Where To Find Entry-Level Digital Marketing Jobs
We’ve covered the top eleven entry-level digital marketing jobs as well as the necessary skills for each role. Now, let’s explore the best places to find these jobs.
Job Boards
Online job boards are a great place to start your search. You can simply type in the title of the kind of role you’re looking for and see what job openings are listed. Here are a few of the best job boards when it comes to finding entry-level marketing jobs:
- Indeed
- Monster
- Crunchboard
- Mediabistro
- Flexjobs (especially if you’re looking for something remote)
- ProBlogger Jobs (for content writers)
Marketplaces
If you’re looking for a more flexible working arrangement, you can find work as an independent contractor on marketplaces like:
Hundreds of digital marketing projects are posted on these marketplaces every week. Applicants bid on jobs and are able to work in their own time and without a contract.
As with most freelance gigs, though, the flipside is that you won’t have a lot of job stability and you’ll be in charge of filling up your schedule and finding new projects.
Social Media
Another surprisingly effective way to find digital marketing jobs is to browse social media groups related to marketing or remote work. Occasionally, employers will list job openings there and you can find good job leads. We especially like Reddit for this—you can use boards like Hire Me to advertise your services and niche subreddits like Hire a Writer to browse current jobs in your specialty.
Having a social media presence and keeping your professional profiles (such as LinkedIn) up to date can also help you get on the radar of recruiters.
Cold Emailing
If none of the above are working for you, you can take a more proactive approach to your job hunt by cold emailing potential employers and pitching your skills and services.
If you’re looking to go this route, we recommend searching digital marketing directories such as the Hubspot Partner Directory, creating an email template that can be personalized, and taking the time to customize each message so that it relates to the agency and its clients.
You can also use a service like Hunter to help you find the best email—don’t be afraid to reach out to the manager directly.
How To Stand Out When Applying for Digital Marketing Jobs
Although there are many entry-level opportunities in digital marketing, aspiring digital marketers still need to stand out from the crowd if they’re looking to land a job at a coveted company or agency. Below are some tips to improve your chances of getting your foot in the door.
Customize Your Resume
A resume is often the first thing a hiring manager will look at when considering applicants. In addition to following marketing resume best practices, be sure to customize your resume for each job, highlighting any skills and experience that will resonate with the company you’re applying to.
Build a Portfolio of Your Work
Where a resume shows potential employers where you’ve worked, a portfolio shows them what you’ve done. Build and maintain an up-to-date portfolio of your work that includes any successes you’ve had with social media campaigns, digital marketing campaigns, performance metrics related to search engine optimization, etc.
Include Testimonials and References
If you’re new to digital marketing, then having testimonials or references from former employers, colleagues, or mentors can be valuable because they can show hiring managers that you’re reliable, trustworthy, a fast learner, or that you possess the soft skills necessary to excel in digital marketing.
FAQs About Digital Marketing Jobs
Still have questions about entry-level digital marketing jobs? We answer some of the most frequently asked questions below.
Is Digital Marketing a Good Career?
Digital marketing can be a great career choice for anyone who is creative, analytical, enjoys working with people, and is attentive to detail. The sector offers many entry-level marketing jobs for newcomers, opportunities for growth, and because nearly every industry now uses digital marketing, there’s enormous variety when it comes to the types of projects a digital marketer gets to work on.
Can You Get a Digital Marketing Job With No Experience?
Yes! Digital marketing has many entry-level roles that are suited to those who have little to no digital marketing experience. It is possible to have a digital marketing career by starting in an entry-level job and, over time, building your experience, network, and expertise and parlaying that into more advanced roles.
Can You Get a Digital Marketing Job With No Degree?
A bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, advertising, business, or psychology is usually looked upon favorably in the marketing industry but is by no means necessary. Hiring managers are increasingly willing to cast a wide net to identify talent with the right skills (both technical and soft skills) and attitude to do the job, which means candidates who have completed online courses, bootcamps, or are self-taught have a good chance as anyone else at landing an entry-level digital marketing job.
Since you’re here…
Ready for a career in digital marketing? Test our curriculum with this free digital marketing learning path, and check out our salary guide to see what you could be making.
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