There are a lot of reasons to choose a digital marketing career path. For one, it’s a thriving industry — today, countless consumers buy products based on the ads they see as they navigate search engines, scroll through social media platforms, and open emails.
Digital dominates the marketing sector; according to Deloitte and the American Marketing Associations’ annual CMO survey for 2020, digital marketing spend is expected to rise by 13 percent over the next year, while traditional will likely fall by 0.4 percent. As one writer for the report summarizes the survey’s findings: “Growth in digital marketing greatly outpaces growth in traditional marketing, with consistent, strong growth in digital marketing and relatively steady traditional advertising spending.”
The field is jam-packed full of opportunities for creative-minded professionals; according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of roles for marketing professionals will grow by 8 percent between 2018 and 2028, significantly faster than the 5 percent average expected for all occupations.
But where will these opportunities take aspiring marketers? What does a digital marketing career path look like, exactly?
The answer is somewhat complicated. While a “digital marketer” can be broadly defined as a professional who works to promote brands and products through digital means, the arc of a marketer’s career often depends on where they choose to specialize.
In this article, we’ll map out career paths for several specialties and explain how you can start walking your own digital marketing career path.