1. Take confidence in your digital marketing skills
At the beginning of your professional career, you may look around and compare yourself to your peers - those who have more experience than you, better grades, more internships, more relationships - and feel discouraged.
Don't fall into this trap. Start by adopting a winning mindset, realizing that there are thousands of opportunities out there ready to be seized. The first step is to gain confidence.
Work experience, college grades, and internships cannot be compared to the strength of your personality and communication skills.
Yes, businesses are looking for solid skills and specific knowledge acquired through training, but soft skills are even more important.
In fact, the top 7 characteristics of success at Google are all soft skills :
- be a good coach,
- communicate well and listen well,
- have a good understanding of others (including those with different values and opinions)
- show empathy and support colleagues,
- have good critical thinking and problem solving skills, and
- be able to make connections between complex ideas
After years of recruiting myself and conducting hundreds of interviews, I came to a basic conclusion about the fundamental things before recruiting a candidate:
- You have a good personality.
- You have potential,
- You can do the work.
It is as simple as that.
As long as you know how to be persuasive, build relationships with people, and have a roughly decent resume, you can literally get any entry-level job.
And more good news, there's no limit to the number of interviews you can get. You can try, try, and try again, and the first key to success is trust.
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2. Choose your career path in digital marketing
So you decided to start a career in digital marketing.
Before embarking on this path, you should know exactly what you want from your career by asking yourself a series of questions:
- What do I like to do?
- What am I really good at?
- Do I prefer to work alone or collaborate with others?
- What skills and strengths do I currently have?
- Am I more creative or more analytical?
There are a number of different disciplines in digital marketing, each offering a unique career path.
While you can't afford to be too picky when applying for your first job, matching your current interests and strengths to a digital marketing discipline that appeals to you will be the most rewarding.
A first current job in the field of digital marketing is that of digital marketing specialist, that is to say a person who participates in search engine optimization (SEO), paid search, content marketing, social media marketing, etc.
This is a multi-faceted role, and you will need to have knowledge across a number of disciplines to succeed. Accepting this role is a fantastic way to start your career; it will accelerate your hands-on learning and professional growth.
Although the role is multiple, you should focus on 2 or 3 highly specialized disciplines in order to highlight your resume and increase your potential earnings.
Below, I've listed some of the most in-demand digital marketing skills and the associated tools you need to learn to master them.
Do a thorough research on each discipline and decide which 2 or 3 options seem most interesting to you.
- Content marketing - WordPress, Yoast SEO plugin,
- Digital analytics - Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, Optimizely
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO) - Moz, Ahrefs, SEM Rush, Google Search Console
- Search Engine Marketing (SEM) - Google AdWords, Bing Ads
- Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) - Optimizely, Google Tag Manager, Craft
- Social media marketing - Facebook ads, Twitter ads, LinkedIn ads, Hootsuite
- Affiliate Marketing - CJ by Conversant, Impact Radius
- Marketing automation - Marketo, Pardot, Bronto,
- Email Marketing - Mailchimp, Constant Contact, AWeber
- Web Development - WordPress, Magento, Joomla, Drupal
- Project Management - JIRA, Basecamp, Timeforce, Trello
In addition to this list, don't forget the good old Microsoft Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word. They are still essential to all digital marketing work and are used on a daily basis.
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3. Learn the basics with digital marketing courses
Once you've picked a few skills to add to your resume, it's time to start learning!
The great thing about digital marketing is that there are so many free certification courses you can take that will look good on your resume. In addition to all the free certification courses, there are over 55,000 marketing courses on Udemy, over 2,000 on Coursera, and over 6,200 on LinkedIn Learning.
Here are examples of free courses to get you started.
Google Academy for Ads (free certification).
With Google's free training, you'll learn everything about paid advertising on AdWords search, display, and buying networks.
Plus, you get a legitimate certificate that you can add to your LinkedIn profile and resume. Note: Many entry-level jobs in digital marketing require this certification.
Google Analytics Academy (free certification).
Don't even think about applying for a job in digital marketing without having a solid understanding of Google Analytics. This free course teaches beginners and experienced users alike how to develop an online presence using intelligent data tracking and web analytics tools.
Data analytics is at the core of digital marketing; you can't make informed decisions without understanding user behavior. This course is a mandatory visualization.
HubSpot Inbound Marketing (free certification).
This free course covers the basics of inbound marketing: attracting customers, attracting prospects, creating engaging landing pages, writing powerful calls to action, and building an audience.
This course should be mandatory for all digital marketers.
Bing Ads Accreditation (free certification).
This often forgotten (but very important) search engine also offers a free certification course.
Similar to Google AdWords in its user interface and implementation, Bing Ads is a tool that you need to know and that will help you stand out when applying for search engine marketing jobs.
Facebook Blueprint (free course, but there is a charge for certification).
This course provides advanced skills in Facebook and Instagram ads.
It's a must if you want to get started with social media marketing, learn Power Editor, and grow your business through Facebook and Instagram.
Hootsuite Academy (free certification).
With Hootsuite, you can earn industry-recognized social media certifications that will help you stand out when applying for social media marketing jobs.
You'll learn how to engage an audience on social media, automate posts, collaborate on content, and improve your business's online presence.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but by taking these courses, you can earn 6 professional digital marketing certifications for your resume and impress the next hiring manager.
One of the main reasons I was hired for my entry-level digital marketing job was not my work experience, but the fact that I was certified in Google AdWords, Google Analytics, Bing Ads, Hubspot, and Facebook Ads.
Train yourself in digital on Udemy ->
4. Start digital marketing as a freelancer
Before applying for your first professional job in the field of digital marketing, it is good to test your new knowledge and start working in the field.
As you're just starting out, you shouldn't be looking to make money, but to help people develop their online presence and gain valuable experience to build your portfolio.
Do you know small business owners that you could help? Most SMEs are not very familiar with digital marketing and could benefit greatly from your new expertise.
Maybe an old friend owns a local restaurant and isn't present on social media. Connect it to Facebook Ads.
Or maybe someone in your family owns a hair salon but can't be found on Google. Use your new SEO skills to help them. Maybe you'll get a free dinner or a haircut from the deal.
In any case, if you track the return on investment and use smart strategies, you're helping local businesses, building your digital marketing portfolio, and gaining valuable skills.
Once a certain amount of time has passed and everyone in the neighborhood and their mothers have requested your services, you are ready to start getting paid for your efforts.
Go to freelance sites like FlexJobs and create a freelance account.
First, fill out your new profile with the portfolio of work you've done so well for free. This content will boost your credibility and generate greater interest in your work. Second, set your consulting rates as a freelancer in order to be competitive in relation to the market.
Be sure to highlight platforms that you are familiar with, like Google AdWords or Analytics.
Finally, refine your personal brand, connect with other freelancers, and introduce yourself to those looking for digital marketing help. Once you've secured a few contracts, you'll have even more work to add to your portfolio.
Try to work with strong brands and businesses that you can add to your resume. It's not an “official” work experience, but it's basically just as good. That's the advantage of digital marketing: if you can show results, your background doesn't matter.
Once you've gained some experience as a freelancer, add the companies you've worked for as a freelancer to your resume and LinkedIn profile. Ok, you are ready.
You now have enough experience to land your first “official” job in digital marketing.
Train yourself in digital on Udemy ->
5. Prepare for your first interview
After successfully completing your digital marketing courses, helped your relationships establish an online presence and launched yourself as a freelancer, you are now ready to play in the big league.
It's time to prepare for your first digital marketing interview.
Maintenance is a matter of planning. The more comfortable you are with yourself, your experience, and your new digital marketing skills, the more likely you are to land this job.
Here are some tips for a successful first digital marketing job interview:
Learn about the company. You need to fully understand the company's history, CEO and management team, values, and current financial situation to show that you've done your homework.
Extra points if you look at their digital marketing strategy and find applicable strategies that you would use from day one.
Match your resume to the job vacancy. Your resume should be considered as a living document, which opens the dialogue and allows you to develop your main achievements.
It's common to have multiple resumes that have been edited to maximize impact and correlation on the position you're applying for.
It's not lying, it's just adding selective truths to stand out.
Be prepared for situational questions. These are the classic questions “Tell me about a time when” and “What would you do if.”
Be sure to write them down and practice as they are meant to baffle you. These questions are botched by many people and you will really stand out if you have a handle on the answers. You can use the STAR technique to convey to the hiring manager the situation, task, action and result that occurred in order to show your value and speed of mind.
Check out these 20 interview questions and how to respond for more help.
Be ready for a digital marketing evaluation.
For example, many employers require you to take practical assessments.
A famous American company provides you with instructions in PDF format where you need to set up a PPC campaign with an appropriate organization of ad groups and keywords, modify the HTML and CSS code of a landing page but also set up accounts in the Google Search Console.
These evaluations are quite common and their interest lies in the fact that you have a certain amount of time to carry out them alone (usually 2 to 7 days) and that if you cannot understand something, simply search on Google (as in real life).
6. Negotiate your entry-level salary
Suppose you pass the interview and the company makes you an offer: a full-time employee position, benefits, paid holidays, etc.
Your eyes light up with excitement because you've finally landed your first job in digital marketing. Your dreams come true! You're already planning which photos to add to your office, planning a lunch with your boss, planning an itinerary to get to the office, and choosing what to wear on the first day.
Wait a second.
The biggest mistake you can make is accepting that initial offer for your entry-level job.
Sure, it's great that a company wants you and this may be the first time you've received a formal offer, but you need to let the excitement subside and get down to business.
The first offer is never the best.
Putting your foot in the door and gaining experience is factor number one, but your first salary sets the foundation for years to come, so make sure you know your worth.
Use a salary estimation tool like LinkedIn Salary to see what businesses are paying for jobs like yours in your current city. Glassdoor is also a good alternative for studying salaries for a particular job at a specific company.
According to salary tools, a digital marketer in the United States should earn $50,000 per year on average - don't settle for less than that. Follow these salary negotiation tips and you'll earn more right from the start of your digital marketing career.
Train yourself in digital on Udemy ->
7. It's time to invest in digital marketing
If you have followed these steps, you have succeeded! You have landed your first job in the field of digital marketing and you are now in a position to forge your own destiny.
To summarize: Without any previous business experience, you learned digital marketing on your own. You started by taking free online courses and certifications.
Then you worked as a freelancer on a site like Flexjobs and started earning money.
Finally, you used your freelance experience to land your first full-time job.
This is where it gets exciting.
Thanks to this first experience, all you need to do is make a few strategic leaps to new positions and you will get the 6-figure salary you have always dreamed of.
Not to mention, you'll accelerate your learning, gain invaluable hands-on experience, and connect with others in your industry.
So what is stopping you?
Other recommended reading: To deepen your knowledge of digital marketing, check out my guide on How to start a blog this year and other ways of earn money online.
