If you're considering a career in digital marketing, there are numerous paths you can take. You might work with data as a Digital Marketing Data Analyst or Website Optimization Specialist, create engaging content as a Content Marketer or Content Manager, or delve into the world of social media as a Social Media Manager.

Key Insights

  • Digital Marketers use a wide range of tools and platforms, including social media, email campaigns, and video marketing, to reach their target audience and promote goods or services.
  • A key part of a Digital Marketer's role is using data analytics to identify a likely audience for the company's products or services, and setting Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure the success of marketing campaigns.
  • Other career paths that utilize digital marketing skills include Digital Marketing Data Analyst, Website Optimization/SEO Specialist, Social Media Manager, Content Manager, UX/UI Designer, and Web Developer.
  • Determining the right digital marketing career path depends on your individual strengths and preferences. For example, if you enjoy working with data, a role in analytics or SEO may be a good fit, while strong communication skills could lead you to content marketing.
  • If you're unsure of which path to take, internships can provide valuable experience and insight into different roles within digital marketing.
  • Noble Desktop offers a range of digital marketing courses, bootcamps, and certificate programs to help you acquire the skills needed for a successful career in digital marketing.

A career in digital marketing can take you in many different directions. If you prefer working with data, the Data Analyst career path would work for you, or maybe Website Optimization Specialist is another option. If you love creating content, Content Marketer or Content Manager is a great choice for you. There are many career paths where you can use digital marketing skills.

What is a Digital Marketer?

Over half the world’s population uses the internet, and businesses have noticed. Most companies and organizations have a website and use digital marketing to reach potential customers or clients. Digital Marketers use social media platforms, website content, email campaigns, paid and unpaid advertising, and video marketing to promote goods and services to a target audience.

Digital Marketers use data analytics to identify an audience likely to be interested in the products or services they sell. Next, they create a detailed description of that audience, focusing on the pain points and problems the product will solve. Then, Digital Marketers set Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure the marketing campaign's performance. Common KPIs are sales goals or increasing traffic to a website.

After setting goals and determining strategy, Digital Marketers create high-quality content to engage the audience and place it near the top of search engine pages. After posting the content on social media, Digital Marketers use tools like Google Analytics, SEMRush, or Moz to analyze its performance. Digital Marketers also interact with followers on social media in the company’s brand voice. 

Some Digital Marketers work for agencies and take care of many accounts, while others work for one company. Some are employed in-house, while others work remotely. Digital Marketers in agencies and larger companies often work as part of a team. They may only be responsible for one part of the workload, such as content marketing, SEO, or data analytics. Many people start their careers as freelance Digital Marketers working at home by themselves or in small startups.

Read more about what a Digital Marketer does.

Related Career Paths

Digital Marketers use software tools, work with data, understand how websites work, create content, and understand user behavior. These skills are also helpful in other jobs, such as the ones described below.

Digital Marketing Data Analyst

Digital Marketing Data Analysts focus on data collection and analysis to create visualizations and insights that assist with developing campaign strategies. They use tools like Google Analytics and SEMrush and often work for larger companies as part of a digital marketing team. 

Website Optimization/SEO Specialist

Website Optimization/SEO Specialists are in charge of search engine optimization (SEO). They find the best keywords to drive traffic to a website. They also do audits to make sure the website is up-to-date and performs well. 

Social Media Manager

Social Media Managers are in charge of a company’s social media accounts. They need to understand the differences between social media platforms like Facebook. Instagram, TikTok, and plan for posts and content that work well on those platforms. They also need to use data to choose the best platforms for their target audience and keep an eye on how that content performs. Social Media Managers also interact with followers and are essentially the voice of a company or brand on that platform.

Content Manager

A Content Manager oversees the content for a campaign. They either create or acquire content from writers, photographers, and video artists and then decide the best places to post the content. Content Managers also create a publishing schedule and use tools like Hootsuite to schedule publications.

UX/UI Designer

UX/UI Designers study user behavior, assess their needs, and design websites and mobile applications to help users do what they need to do. UX/UI Designers use many of the same skills as Digital Marketers, although their focus is more on design than marketing.

Web Developer

Web Developers use coding languages to create the websites that Digital Marketers use. Front End Developers work on the appearance of a website, while Back End Developers focus on how a website works, and Full Stack Developers can do both.

Read more about other career paths related to Digital Marketer careers.

How to Decide Which Career is Right for You

Each of the Digital Marketer-related career paths is just a little bit different, so how do you decide which one is right for you? Ultimately, the path you choose will depend on your strengths and preferences. If you love working with data, analytics or SEO should be your path. If you have great communication skills and love to write, go for Content Marketer. 

If you still can’t decide which career path to follow, try signing up for a couple of internships. This will give you the opportunity to try out a few paths that sound good to you without making a huge time committment. If you still have difficulty narrowing your focus, apply for Digital Marketer jobs that require a more general approach where you get to use many skills rather than just a few.

Learn the Skills to Become a Digital Marketer at Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop offers many digital marketing courses that teach skills to help you switch to a career in digital marketing. Small class sizes and expert instructors help you learn digital marketing in in-person or live online classes. Plus, you can take a course over again for free at any time during the following year. 

Noble Desktop offers many bootcamps in digital marketing like Facebook Marketing, email marketing, Social Media Content Marketing: Blogs & Twitter, and Video Marketing: TikTok & YouTube. You can also choose the Digital Marketing Certificate or a Social Media Marketing Certificate course. Other Noble Desktop resources that can help prepare for a career in digital marketing include the digital marketing blog with valuable articles about social media marketing, SEO, and other essential tools for digital marketers.