The 4 Big Benefits of Having a Digital Marketing Career

By now you’ve probably heard the hype – digital marketing skills are in serious demand and the digital skills gap is set to widen, the job market is booming (and quite frankly bursting at the seams) and brands are putting more of a focus on digital marketing than ever before. Bigger budgets, increased pay and more career choice are just some of the benefits digital marketing professionals can look forward to this year and beyond.

Debating over whether to change career direction or what to study next? You might want to discover the four big digital marketing benefits first. They’re good, we promise.

You’ve heard of the digital skills gap, right? There’s 150,000 digital jobs predicted by 2020 and not enough digital professionals to fill them. This provides those studying digital marketing with a unique competitive advantage – you’re gearing yourself up for a career where demand exceeds supply. Always a good move.

During the recession recent graduates were plunged into a world of uncertainty, job scarcity and all around terribleness. Wouldn’t it be nice to gain a fresh set of skills that could future-proof your career, increase your job security and even enhance your career progression?

The most important thing for you is that you need to take back control of your career and reestablish the confidence you lost during the recession. Remember this: companies still want your valuable skills – you might just need to turn them digital. According to Mondo demand for digital marketing professionals will rise by 38% this year. It’s time you took advantage.

Top Tip:

Before you embark on your digital marketing career find out what the most in-demand digital marketing skills for 2015 are.

The headquarters of many of the world’s leading digital giants like Google, LinkedIn and Twitter are located in Dublin, providing a wealth of job opportunities for digital professionals to choose from. Rarely a week goes by without a new onslaught of digital jobs announced for multinationals, national brands and even SMEs.

For example, this year Ryanair created 200 digital jobs, many of which were digital marketing positions. At the Web Summit Taoiseach Enda Kenny also announced 400 new digital jobs across a range of digital marketing roles, including social media. What’s more, LinkedIn is soon set to double its workforce to 1200 staff and Microsoft plan to hire 100 more digital graduates.

With such a wide array of new opportunities available digital marketers can afford to get picky about the type of company they’d like to work for. We’d encourage you to take advantage of this choice and think of what kind of business best suits your career needs.

Consider These Sectors:

According to the 2014 Marketing Salary survey and Alternatives the top five areas recruiting for digital marketing positions this year are Foreign Direct Investment, FMCG, Agency, Utilities financial services (and after an absence of several years).

We’ve already talked about how demand for digital marketing professionals is exceeding supply. In traditional economics we all know what happens next – the value of the product increases along with the price. When you’re working in a fruitful industry with a large skills shortage you can think of yourself like a commodity – and negotiate your salary accordingly.

A recent survey by Prosperity found that digital salaries are rising faster in 2014 than in the previous five years. What’s more, the pace of growth is set to fasten. For example, the average salary for a digital marketing manager in Dublin is €68,00. And it’s not just managerial level digital marketing positions experiencing a salary surge – entry level PPC positions have jumped from €25,000 last year to €28,000 this year.

The 2014 Marketing Salary survey and Alternatives confirmed the positive findings. The survey revealed quite a few exciting advancements for digital marketing professionals. Here are our favorites: 50% of respondents received a salary increase this year, two-thirds received bonuses and 61% said their businesses are hiring again.

Exciting Video:

Your digital skills are in demand further afield too. This inspiring video by Mondo highlights the key skills American businesses are seeking and the salaries you can expect to earn:

In more traditional careers like advertising you’d have to wait for a coveted internship or graduate placement to open up so you can gain experience and create your own portfolio. The digital marketing world, however, provides a host of opportunities for you to kickstart your own career before you even set foot in a workplace.

Want to to stand out to potential employers? Invest in building a powerful social media presence, gain your own Twitter followers, start your own blog and contribute to relevant online conversations.There are a whole host of online exams like the Google Analytics exam and HubSpot’s Inbound Certification exam you can take to boost your CV and showcase your digital marketing knowledge.

There have been plenty of examples of people who have been hired after showcasing their talent and abilities through social media. For example, Dublin based fashion illustrator, Holly Shortall got noticed when she tweeted her illustrations to celebrities online. A number of of glossy magazines and top fashion brands then approached her and commissioned her work.