In this blog post, we explore the various roles available within the digital marketing<\/a> landscape. We also outline the skills and qualifications needed for these roles, along with the salaries each position offers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While digital marketing is often discussed as a unified field, its individual roles can vary greatly. For example, a copywriter might be doing entirely creative work, which is vastly unlike an on-page SEO specialist, whose job is more technical. An understanding of content might be common to these two roles, but the digital marketing skills and attributes needed for each are very different. As a result, the salaries are also varied. The digital marketing salary you can command depends on a range of factors, such as educational qualification, experience, skills, and location. Let\u2019s explore each of these factors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n LinkedIn<\/a> finds that over 94% of digital marketing professionals have at least a bachelor\u2019s degree. For most marketing roles, a bachelor\u2019s degree in business, advertising, communications, or journalism might be enough. Several marketers even begin their careers even without a formal college education. However, additional qualifications in digital marketing will help you command a better salary. Specialized courses in specific digital marketing areas\u2014such as search engine optimization (SEO), search engine marketing (SEM), and data analytics\u2014can accelerate your career and help you negotiate for a higher salary. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Experience plays a key role in determining a digital marketers\u2019 salary. Usually, the more years you\u2019ve spent working in digital marketing, the more you can expect to make. On average, a digital marketing specialist<\/a> earns $52,000, a mid-level digital marketing manager<\/a> earns $70,000, and a senior-level digital marketing director<\/a> earns $105,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Related Read: A Day in the Life of a Digital Marketer<\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n However, experience is not just measured in years. You can also gain experience in a specific industry, or with specific tools and skills. For example, a mobile marketing manager or analytics specialist might make more than a marketing copywriter, given the demand for these skills and the scarcity of qualified professionals. This is also true of digital marketers<\/a> with experience in industries like healthcare and artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Digital marketing requires a variety of hard and soft skills<\/a>, which range from link building and technical SEO to strong communication and interpersonal skills. According to LinkedIn<\/a>, some of the most in-demand digital marketing skills include copywriting, search engine optimization, social media marketing, project management, audience building, and data analysis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Your location can play a key role in determining your salary. For example, a digital marketing manager in the San Francisco Bay Area typically earns<\/a> an average of $67,500, while the same role pays only $60,000 in Houston and Minneapolis. However, it is also important to note that remote work is becoming more commonplace, which is reflected in those salaries too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Technology startups tend to offer top salaries for the best talent. The same goes for larger, data-driven companies. According to Indeed, some of the top companies<\/a> offering more than $100,000 a year for digital marketers include Fortira, Deloitte, and Accenture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Advertising, content, social media, video marketing, and mobile apps all fall under the umbrella of digital marketing. However, not all digital marketing specialties are equally lucrative. Let\u2019s examine these positions, and their salaries, in more detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A digital marketing specialist develops, manages, and oversees digital marketing campaigns<\/a>. A digital marketing specialist is also responsible for running advertising campaigns, managing social media, executing content strategy, tracking performance, and optimizing results. Often, they also manage budgets and teams too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A digital marketing specialist is typically in charge of coordinating and liaising between different specialists. They work closely with SEO\/SEM specialists, writers, editors, and social media strategists to execute campaigns. To do this, they need the following skills: <\/p>\n\n\n\n A digital marketing specialist makes an average salary of $52,831<\/a>. With specialized skills and experience, you can command higher salaries. For instance, when a digital marketing specialist moves to a managerial role, they typically earn a salary of $75,230<\/a>. Los Angeles and Seattle are the highest paying cities in America, as they pay 16%<\/a> more than the national average. New York City follows closely, at 14% above the national average.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n An SEO specialist<\/a> researches, analyzes, and identifies opportunities to improve a website\u2019s ranking on search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. There are two kinds of SEO: on-page and off-page. An on-page SEO specialist researches keywords, ensures that content is optimized for search engines, publishes content, and tracks performance. The off-page SEO specialist creates backlinks and identifies opportunities for guest posting. Depending on the size of the organization, one person might do both these tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The SEO specialist is a technical role, requiring skills such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since SEO is a relatively new field, the pay scale can vary, depending on experience and skillset. The average salary of an SEO specialist is $52,000<\/a>. You can earn around $80,538<\/a> yearly as an SEO manager. New York is one of the top cities to work as an SEO specialist, where you can earn about 19%<\/a> more than the national average. This is followed by Dallas, which offers 7.5% more than the national average. <\/p>\n\n\n\n An SEM specialist manages and implements paid search, display, social, and other marketing campaigns. Their primary role is to ensure the success of advertising campaigns. Each day, they research keywords, design campaigns, write copy, create visuals, strategize campaigns, execute them, monitor performance, and optimize their campaigns. Depending on seniority, they might also manage budgets and teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Key skills needed for an SEM specialist include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n An SEM specialist makes an average salary of $<\/a>54,984<\/a>. An SEM manager with a few years of experience can expect to make $76,429<\/a> per year. Seattle<\/a> is among the top-paying cities for SEM specialists, according to Payscale. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A social media specialist increases brand awareness by developing and executing creative digital content for the company\u2019s various social media platforms. They maintain a social media calendar, create social content, write copy, publish updates, respond to reader comments, and evaluate their performance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A social media specialist needs to understand the social media landscape. This entails tracking new upgrades to platforms, monitoring viral trends, understanding audience expectations, and leveraging all of this in real-time. To do this, a social media specialist needs to be skilled at:<\/p>\n\n\n\n A social media specialist earns a salary of about $50,308<\/a>. With experience, a social media marketing manager can earn $58,016<\/a>. New York is the best-paying city for social media specialists, with salaries about 22.8%<\/a> more than the national average. Chicago and Denver follow closely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A content strategist plans, designs, and executes content strategies. This could be text content (like blogs and whitepapers), visuals (like infographics), audio (such as podcasts), or video content. While they needn\u2019t be skilled in all these forms of content, it\u2019s expected that they\u2019re an expert in one or two. However, the primary responsibility of a content strategist is to create the content calendar, plan and schedule content, monitor performance, and optimize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A content strategist needs to be a creative person with the ability to execute content. For this, they need to have digital marketing skills in:<\/p>\n\n\n\n A content strategist earns an average salary of $70,215<\/a>. A senior content strategist earns around $96,047<\/a> annually. San Francisco offers the best pay for content strategists, about 29.9%<\/a> higher than the national average. Seattle follows closely. <\/p>\n\n\n\n An email marketing specialist plans, maintains, and executes a company\u2019s email campaigns. This includes maintaining email databases, planning campaigns, writing copy, designing email templates, scheduling blasts, and monitoring performance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n An email marketing specialist is typically a writer, because they need to be able to craft personalized and impactful emails. However, today\u2019s email marketing strategists also need to understand performance monitoring, and A\/B testing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An email marketing specialist earns an average of $60,770<\/a>, and an email marketing manager earns around $80,680<\/a>. According to Payscale, Los Angeles and New York offer higher than the national average for email marketing specialists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Depending on your skills, experience, location, and specializations, you might be able to command a salary that\u2019s higher than the national average. Here are some tips for leveraging your skills and negotiating a higher salary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Research the average salary offered by your organization, and see what other salaries are commonplace across different industries and locations. You can look at Payscale and Glassdoor, which curate anonymous data about salaries. If you can, also speak to your peers and seniors in the industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An interview is an opportunity to show a hiring manager why you\u2019re the best candidate for the role. To do this, you need a clear understanding of the role and its expectations. Read the job description thoroughly. Spend some time thinking about how you might fulfill those responsibilities. Note questions that you can ask the hiring manager in the interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To stand out from the crowd, show the fruits of your labor. You can do this by: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Focusing on outcomes.<\/strong> Outline measurable results you\u2019ve achieved in your previous work. Telling a hiring manager that you \u201cdelivered a 50% growth in revenue from social media channels,\u201d will build your credibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Making a portfolio.<\/strong> Sometimes, it can be useful to show the work itself. Include links to your most successful campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At some point in the interview process, you will be asked what you expect to learn. It is important that you can give a clear answer. Remember that you can also ask them about their budget for this role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You might not initially get the salary you asked for. To get what you expect, be ready to negotiate. Do not hesitate to demonstrate your worth and seek a better offer. Be open about your expectations and state them clearly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes. There are over 280,000 roles listed in digital marketing on LinkedIn<\/a> alone. In fact, LinkedIn lists digital marketing as \u201cjobs on the rise\u201d for 2021. As the field evolves, opportunities for specialists within digital marketing – including entry-level digital marketing jobs<\/a>, are bound to grow exponentially.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While a bachelor\u2019s degree may be expected, anyone can begin a career in the field. However, it\u2019s not easy to build a digital marketing career. As an ever-evolving field, the skills that were prized just one or two years ago might be irrelevant today. However, that is one of the reasons that people choose to work in digital marketing. The challenges of a rapidly changing field make digital marketing an exciting career choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With some creativity, analytical skills, and an interest in writing and social media, anyone can kickstart a career in digital marketing. <\/p>\n\n\n\nFactors Affecting Digital Marketing Salaries<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Your Educational Background<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Experience <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"digital](\"https:\/\/www.springboard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/experience-.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSkills<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Location<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Organization You Work For<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
6 Jobs Commanding the Best Digital Marketing Salaries<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Digital Marketing Specialist <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What They Do<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"digital](\"https:\/\/www.springboard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/digital-marketing-specialist-.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nRequired Skills<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n
Salary<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
SEO Specialist <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What They Do<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Required Skills<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n
Salary<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
SEM Specialist<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What They Do<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"digital](\"https:\/\/www.springboard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/sem-specialist.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nRequired Skills<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n
Salary<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Social Media Specialist <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What They Do<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"digital](\"https:\/\/www.springboard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/social-media-specialist-.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nRequired Skills <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n
Salary<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Content Strategist <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What They Do<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Required Skills<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n
Salary<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Email Marketing Specialist<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What They Do<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"digital](\"https:\/\/www.springboard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/email-marketing-specialist-.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nRequired Skills<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Salary<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Negotiation Tips for a Higher Digital Marketing Salary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Do Your Homework<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2. Understand What Is Expected of You<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. Show Them Your Worth <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Show](\"https:\/\/www.springboard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/show-them-your-worth-.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n4. Be Prepared for the Salary Question<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
5. Expect to Negotiate<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Digital Marketing FAQs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Is Digital Marketing in Demand?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Expect](\"https:\/\/www.springboard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/expect-to-negotiate.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWho Can Build a Digital Marketing Career?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"YouTube](\"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/nhDpNFBUBA4\/sddefault.jpg\")