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2020 Career Outlook for the Digital Marketing Industry

Digital marketer sitting at desk working on laptop with coffee mug and book on table
Written by CB Community

A career in marketing has become increasingly popular with college students over the past few years. Marketing has always been a necessity in business because it acts as a means between you and your customers to sell a product. Since the popularity of the internet, digital marketing has boomed and has branched out in multiple forms. For example, copywriting and editing has traditionally been only in places like magazines and newspapers, but it now lives in a digital format as well. It’s easier now more than ever to explain and dissect a product for your potential customers to purchase.

There is plenty of room for new college students to enter this industry because anyone who is technically minded can navigate essential skills like SEO and SEM (which is how Google shows your content to other users). Besides that, learning how to speak like a marketer, whether it’s in a video format or printed, will be the most significant skill you can learn and cultivate in your studies. If you are considering pursuing a career in digital marketing, keep reading.

Is digital marketing really that in demand?

The benefit of digital marketing lies in its growth and career stats. In 2020, over 2 million new digital jobs are expected to rise in the UK alone. Even people who live overseas can benefit from this growth, as freelancers or English speaking foreigners fill most of these jobs. In an article titled “Top 5 Web Design Agencies in the World,” Author Nik talks about the design companies that could benefit from these skills, including Hello Monday and Clay.

As another positive, most of these jobs will remain unstaffed for years, because this industry is booming too quickly. With new opportunities available in all industries that sell anything to anyone, you can expect to be needed at all times. Most freelancers and full-timers will be able to leverage their skills in this position, which leads to the one thing you want from a job – more money.

What can I expect to make?

Most digital marketing jobs in the UK will not make anything less than 40K Pounds per year, which is 52K USD, which is more than enough to live on. The ceiling to earn is also endless, but at a traditional job, six figures aren’t just a possibility, it’s expected after a few years of quality work.

What can you do now?

If you’re reading this at the start of 2020, there is no better time than now to start gaining a leg up on the competition. Even if you have just started your studies, you can start by building a portfolio of jobs you worked for, and the length of time you were hired there. Create a website – every digital marketer should have a website, and invest in a strong social media presence like a large twitter following, a blog, and an Instagram account if your industry calls for it.

The years of specialization are behind us, as more and more careers are valuing adaptability and versatility rather than staying power. After all, our world doesn’t work that way anymore. Continually learning new digital marketing skills, like video marketing, social media marketing, or editing, will set you apart from your competition. Don’t stop at just one qualification – because your competition will fly right past you.

Conclusion

Finally, if you enjoy being creative, but you feel like you can’t scratch that itch at your regular job, consider the experimentation that this job has to offer. While you’re working for others, you’re also building a presence in the digital marketing sphere. For example, if you’re copywriting for a company while learning how to correctly write for your own blog and designing its layout – who can say you’ll ever be bored? If you’re in college (or heading to college) and are interested in starting a fun, dynamic career that’s constantly changing and has a fantastic job outlook in the next decade, we highly recommend digital marketing as a focus in your studies. A career in marketing might just be what the doctor ordered.

For more great college tips, check out the other blogs on College Basics.

About the author

CB Community

Passionate members of the College Basics community that include students, essay writers, consultants and beyond. Please note, while community content has passed our editorial guidelines, we do not endorse any product or service contained in these articles which may also include links for which College Basics is compensated.