If you’re reading this it’s probably because you’re interested in a career in online marketing. With the right training and in-house experience, you could be setting up your own internet marketing agency, winning big with web traffic and sales, or creating winning content that attracts, engages, and converts customers all over the world.

It’s an incredibly lucrative industry with plenty of room for growth. But before you jump in head first, here’s a quick overview of the online marketing job role, the various specialities within it, and how to get started.

The Roles

As mentioned above, there are numerous roles that go into setting up and running an online marketing agency. But before we get into the specialisations, it’s important to understand the overarching role of an online marketer.

An online marketer is an individual who drives marketing performance for a business or brand across all digital platforms, including websites, social media, email marketing, and more.

This can mean creating and distributing content such as blogs, infographics, webinars, and podcasts. An online marketer can also develop and execute marketing campaigns for different clients using these various platforms. A content marketer is an overarching role that specializes in creating and distributing content while an operations marketer handles the logistics and performance of the agency’s marketing campaigns.

An online marketer can also specialize in one area of the industry and become an expert in that field. If you have a background in SEO, you could become an SEO marketer. If you have experience as a digital marketer, you could specialize in digital marketing. Etc.

Specialities

Once you have a general grasp of what an online marketer does, it’s time to dive into the specifics. An online marketer’s main responsibility is to make sure that every aspect of a business’s online marketing strategy is pulled together. This strategy can be formulated in either a singularly holistic approach or a multi-platform one that takes into consideration SEO, content strategy, social media, and more.

From an organizational standpoint, an online marketer has to be an expert in leading, coordinating, and implementing digital marketing and branding plans across different platforms.

How to Get Started

If you’re determined to make a career in online marketing, the first step is to get a job. There are numerous opportunities in the industry and you won’t have any trouble finding a job while you study. While it’s not essential that you go through an agency to get started, you’ll most likely end up working for one after getting in-house experience.

If you don’t have any previous work experience, it’s advisable to go through an incubator or a startup scheme if you want to get into the field. Incubators provide a structured environment where you can develop your skills while gaining valuable experience. A startup scheme could be a better fit if you’re looking for a steady paycheck while you build your experience. You won’t have to look far for quality job offers while you’re studying.

The Rewards

Assuming you land a job in the field, you’ll realize that the rewards are both professional and financial. The job itself can be both interesting and rewarding. Even during the worst of times, you’ll feel that at least you’re doing something useful. The industry is always on the lookout for candidates and there will always be room for someone to step in and become an expert.

On the financial front, if you’re a professional in the field and work in an agency, you could pull down a six-figure salary. If you’re freelance, you could still expect to make a good living.

The Career Advancement

If you’re interested in furthering your career in the field, it’s important to understand how the industry works. The majority of companies in the field are small businesses and early-stage companies, so there is plenty of room for job-growth. Furthermore, there are numerous specialties to choose from, so if you have a specific area of expertise, there will be lots of opportunities for you to further develop your career.

If you want to become a specialist in SEO, you will first need to complete a bachelor’s degree in marketing or a comparable field. After that, you’ll need to acquire relevant real-world work experience. There are numerous highly-specialized universities that you can choose from if you want to become an expert in SEO, so you’re not stuck to one type of education.