How to Get into Digital Marketing

The Why

Digital marketing is the sexier, cooler younger sister of traditional marketing. Its fast paced and far reaching, going beyond the realms of Print, TV and Radio marketing channels, combining the creative and the analytical. Such a blossoming young industry has resulted in a skills gap and the industry is crying out for enthusiastic team players, looking to start their career in Digital Marketing. From interns and entry level candidates, to experienced marketers looking to retrain and specialise in this magical discipline. The UK is very proudly one of the thought leaders in Digital and Brighton has been named one of the UK’s top digital hubs, fondly dubbed “silicon beach” so it’s certainly a great place to be, but what’s the best way to pursue a career in Digital Marketing? Let’s explore a few of the different paths in one of the fastest growing industries in the world.

Here are just a few of the areas Digital Marketing covers

• SEO / Organic Media
• PPC / Paid Search
• Analytics
• Digital PR
• Content Marketing
• Social Media
• Web Design and Development
• Mobile Marketing
• Email Marketing

The Intern

Internships are a fantastic way of getting a true flavour of Digital Marketing and the many roles that title encompasses. They are usually overall unpaid or expenses only and provide the opportunity to immerse themselves within the business and really get a feel for the topic. Here at ThoughtShift we offer a 3-month unpaid internship, which gives the intern a fully immersive experience. The chance to learn a cross section of disciplines, as well as an understanding of digital marketing strategy, participating in collaboration meetings and progress through our Academy’s Essential Training Programme.

The Apprenticeships

An apprenticeship in Digital Marketing gives the applicant the chance to come into an agency at an entry level and work within the business alongside working towards a recognised qualification. There are tons of companies out there that specialise in Digital Marketing apprenticeships, helping applicants identify where their interests lie and how that can be utilised when forging a career. Companies such as DV8 Sussex, who are a Brighton based business, specialise in bridging the gap between work and education and help young people find their vocation on the job whilst gaining qualifications simultaneously.

Career Hop, Skip, Jump

Another very popular route is a career change. We have team members with a variety of experience. Those with a background in marketing from client side, PR, sales, customer service, and advertising all had an interest in Digital Marketing and wanted to pursue it further.

Investigate

With any of these routes the key to success is to do your homework. You need to channel Sherlock Holmes and become a detective exploring all aspects.

Research

Consider the subject, research the role, trawl through blog posts on the topics you are most interested in. Google is king so read through blog posts about Google’s latest updates, they famously love to keep the industry on its toes.

Tools

Investigate tools that can be used to make the role easier. There are tons out there that help with link building, digital PR, managing social platforms and so on.

Future Employers

Pick businesses you admire and investigate how they work, what brands they work on, what their values are and the training they offer. Give them a call and have a chat with their HR Manager. At ThoughtShift we are always looking for talented candidates and love to receive CVs and applications from candidates. Check out my blog post on writing a great CV. There may not be a vacancy open, but build a relationship with them. Find out when they are recruiting, speak to them about their internship programme and what it entails. Follow them on social media and keep that rapport going.

Learning

Are there any courses you can take to help improve your knowledge and give you the edge? There are tons of e-learning courses out there, check out eLearning Industry’s blog post and do your own research to find what’s right for you. Educate yourself on the changes and challenges the industry are going through and think about what insight that gives you.

Demonstrate

Be ready to showcase what you have. It might not be direct experience, but show how invested you are. Maybe you love writing and have your own blog. Use this as a tool to showcase your skills and what sets you apart from others. Maybe you’ve worked on optimising a friend’s website. Why not volunteer for a local charity that needs your help. You can put into practice all your learnings and help them achieve results, which you can shout about on your CV. The self-learning you have accomplished, as well as everything else takes you a step closer to realising your new ambition to become an awesome Digital Marketer.

Recipe for a Digital Marketer

I asked our Co-Founder and Managing Director, AJ, her thoughts on what makes an awesome digital marketer, she said “They should be equally creative and analytical. They need to know and understand people. Be interested in society and the lives of those around them. A strong written communicator, who can influence different audiences and hold their attention. You need someone who can get on level with the people they are reaching out too. Being able to write creatively is paramount, whether that’s a white paper, web page, email, display ad or a 140 character tweet. If they have that then they have all the key ingredients to be an amazing digital marketer”.

With these key ingredients, a career in Digital Marketing is just a short journey away.

Thanks for reading. Follow my contributions to the blog to find out more about Digital Marketing careers or apply for a role with our awesome digital marketing company.