Digital marketer

What does a digital marketer do?

• Plan, run and improve online advertising campaigns.
• Improve websites and content so they rank higher in search results.
• Create and schedule content for social media, email and websites.
• Analyse website and campaign data to see what works.
• Test different messages, images and landing pages to improve results.
• Manage advertising budgets and report results to managers or clients.
• Keep up with changes to platforms, search engines and privacy rules.

Where do they work?

Digital marketers work in in-house teams in online retail, technology, travel, education, finance and charities, and in digital and advertising agencies that serve many clients. Freelancing is common, because the work can be done anywhere with a computer and an internet connection. Most roles are office-based or remote. Campaigns run continuously, so some roles involve checking results outside normal hours, especially during launches or busy sales periods.

What skills do you need?

• Search engine optimisation (SEO)
• Paid search and social media advertising
• Web and campaign analytics
• Writing content for the web
• Social media management
• Email marketing and automation
• Data analysis and testing
• Creativity and curiosity

Official skills profile (ESCO)

Essential skills listed for this occupation in ESCO, the European Commission's multilingual classification of skills and occupations.

• perform market research
• use content management system software
• inspect data
• apply social media marketing
• perform image editing
• execute email marketing
• implement sales strategies
• perform video editing
• plan digital marketing
• create new concepts
• execute conversion testing
• use different communication channels

Essential knowledge: content marketing strategy · e-commerce systems · company policies

How do you become a digital marketer?

Many digital marketers have a degree in marketing, business, communications, media or psychology, but practical skills often matter more than the degree. Common first jobs include digital marketing assistant, social media assistant or junior roles in agencies, and internships help. You can build skills through online courses and free certifications from major advertising and analytics platforms. Running your own website, blog or social media channel gives you real results to show. People often move in from writing, sales, design or data roles, and some countries offer digital marketing apprenticeships.

1. University degree. A degree in marketing, business, communications or media teaches consumer behaviour, research and strategy, and some courses include digital marketing modules and work placements. A degree can help with graduate schemes, larger employers and work visas. Add practical projects so you can show employers real campaign results.
2. Apprenticeship or entry-level job. In some countries, including the UK, you can learn digital marketing through an apprenticeship while working. Elsewhere, junior roles in agencies and small businesses often accept candidates with strong practical skills and a willingness to learn. Agencies are a good place to learn many tools quickly.
3. Self-taught or freelance. Online courses, platform certifications and your own projects can lead to paid work, especially with small businesses. A portfolio that shows the website visits, enquiries or sales you helped create is essential. This route is competitive, and income from freelancing can be irregular at first.

Degrees that lead to this career

• Marketing

  A marketing degree teaches how organisations understand customers, develop products and brands, and promote them through advertising, digital channels, sales and public relations.

  5 linked careers

• Business management

  A business management degree teaches how organisations are run, including strategy, marketing, finance, people management and operations.

  6 linked careers

• Journalism and media studies

  A journalism and media studies degree teaches how news and media content is researched, produced and shared, and how media shapes society.

  5 linked careers

• Psychology

  A psychology degree is the scientific study of the mind and behaviour: how people think, feel, learn, develop and relate to each other.

  6 linked careers

• Data science

  A data science degree teaches how to collect, clean, analyse and learn from data, combining statistics, programming and machine learning with knowledge of real-world problems.

  6 linked careers

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Do you need a licence to work as a digital marketer?

Digital marketing is not a regulated profession, so you do not need a licence. However, the work must follow laws on advertising, consumer protection and data privacy, including rules on cookies, tracking and consent for marketing emails. These rules differ between countries and are especially strict in the European Union. Many countries also require influencers and brands to label paid posts clearly as advertising.

How much does a digital marketer earn?

Pay in the United States

• $78,760Median annual wage, May 2025
• $43,390–$155,480Range from the lowest-paid 10% to the highest-paid 10%
• 899.6KPeople employed in the US

US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, SOC 13-1161, May 2025. National estimates across all industries; excludes the self-employed.

Earnings of Professionals around the world

Most countries do not publish pay for single job titles. The International Labour Organization collects median monthly earnings for broad occupation groups instead. This career belongs to ISCO-08 major group 2, "Professionals". The table covers the whole group, which includes digital marketer and many other occupations.

Source: ILOSTAT, median monthly earnings of employees, latest year available. PPP$ adjusts for price differences between countries so figures can be compared. "vs all employees" compares the group's median with the median for all occupations in the same country.

Career progression

1. Digital marketing assistant or executive
2. Digital marketing specialist, for example in SEO or paid media
3. Senior digital marketer
4. Digital marketing manager
5. Head of digital or marketing director

Job outlook

Most organisations now depend on online channels to find customers, so digital marketing skills are needed across the economy. However, the field changes quickly. AI tools generate content and automate ad buying, AI assistants are changing how people search, and privacy rules limit tracking. Routine content and campaign tasks are the most exposed to automation. People who combine strategy, data analysis, creative testing and an understanding of customers are likely to stay in demand. Easy entry means junior roles are competitive.

Questions about becoming a digital marketer

Do you need a degree to become a digital marketer?

No. Many employers hire digital marketers without a degree if they can show practical skills and results, for example from their own website, social media projects or freelance work. A degree in marketing, business or media can still help with graduate schemes, larger employers and work visas, and it gives you a broader understanding of marketing.

How can I get into digital marketing with no experience?

Start by learning the basics through free online courses and platform certifications. Then practise: build a simple website, grow a social media account, or help a local business or charity with its online marketing. Record what you did and the results. Internships, apprenticeships and junior agency roles are good first steps.

Which digital marketing skills are most in demand?

Employers often look for data analysis, paid advertising, search engine optimisation and content creation, together with the ability to test ideas and measure results. Understanding how AI tools and privacy rules affect marketing is increasingly important. Specialists in one area who also understand the wider marketing picture tend to have the best prospects.

Will AI replace digital marketers?

AI tools already write basic content, create images, set bids for ads and produce reports, so some routine tasks are disappearing. However, someone still needs to set the strategy, understand customers, check AI output for accuracy and brand fit, and decide what to test. Digital marketers who learn to use AI well are likely to become more valuable, not less.

Related careers

• Marketing manager

  Marketing managers plan and lead the work that makes people aware of a product, service or organisation and persuades them to choose it.

  Degree often expected

• Public relations officer

  Public relations (PR) officers manage how an organisation communicates with the public, the media and other groups.

  Degree often expected

• Web developer

  Web developers build and maintain websites and web applications, from the pages people see to the servers and databases behind them.

  Degree often expected

• Data analyst

  Data analysts collect, clean and study data to answer practical questions, such as which products sell best or where a service is failing.

  Degree often expected

Sources

1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — SOC 13-1161, national estimates, May 2025
2. ILOSTAT — Median monthly earnings of employees by occupation — ISCO-08 major groups, latest year per country
3. European Commission — ESCO occupation profile — ESCO code 2431.10.4

How to cite this page: CourseToJob (2026). How to become a digital marketer: degrees, skills and salary. https://coursetojob.com/careers/digital-marketer/ (accessed September 26, 2026)

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