[Viral Now] 5 Facts About Starting a Career in Digital Marketing in 2016

Are you planning to start your career in digital marketing? Online marketing has so much to offer in 2016, as this fascinating profession is booming. And in the coming years, it seems it will continue to move in the same direction.

But if you need some extra help to make the important decision to jump careers, take a look at these facts you may not know about starting a career in digital marketing:

1. There are over 60 disciplines of online marketing

If you are planning to become a “digital marketer”, you may consider being either a generalist or a specialist as there are so many areas to focus on.

“I think last time I counted, there were around 63 ‘disciplines’ of marketing, and opportunities to specialise,” says Lee Tonitto, CEO of the Australian Marketing Institute.

Check out this list of just 20 digital marketing disciplines:

• Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
• Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
• Content Marketing
• Video Marketing
• Paid Advertising
• Native Advertising
• Email marketing
• Affiliate marketing
• Paid Social Media
• Influencer Marketing
• Online customer service
• Client Management
• Front-end development
• Back-end development
• Web design
• Online Branding
• User Experience design (UX)
• Data analysis
• Software engineering
• Online business development

According to the Digital Marketing Institute, some of the most in-demand digital marketing careers include SEO specialists, inbound marketers, PPC executives, content managers, UX designers, and developers.

2. Some of the fastest-growing freelance jobs are in digital marketing

Research conducted by UpWork and Freelancers Union show how “technology is making it easier to find freelance work”. Many of today’s professionals are not tied to the traditional 9 to 5 office working hours; technology allows them to work remotely and even travel while working.

What is more, the six fastest-growing freelance positions in the US include content marketers, AngularJS developers, user experience designers, Woo Commerce developers, virtual assistance and electrical engineers.

If your dream is to eventually work as a freelancer or to start your own business, getting into this fascinating industry may be a very good idea. You can start your profession in digital marketing working in a media agency or in-house, develop your skills and take a big step in your career towards freelancing later on.

3. Australians are the best paid online marketers

According to a study conducted by Moz comparing online marketers’ salaries across the world, the best-paid online marketers are in Australia with an average salary of $83,592. Second in the rankings are the United States online professionals with an $80,306 average wage, followed by Canadians with an average income of $72,571 a year.

UK ranks in the fifth position with an average digital salary of $53,156. However, there are other remarkable differences when comparing the US and the UK. For instance, “the UK pays those at the entry level more but those in the top positions less than their US equivalents”.

4. Digital agencies offer more perks than ever

But job satisfaction is not all about the salary. According to the 2016 Salary Guide by The Creative Group, perks are becoming increasingly important for digital professionals. As reported by the salary experts guide, “in addition to higher salaries and signing bonuses, perks like flextime, remote work options and generous paid time off are some of the carrots companies are dangling to woo workers in a tight job market”.

Digital agencies are attracting talent by offering free food and drinks, happy hour office parties in a pure Mad Men style, entertainment areas with console competitions, table tennis championships, pool and football tables and much more fun.

5. The talent gap in digital marketing

After surveying 747 executives from the Fortune 500 and global agencies, a study conducted by OMI (Online Marketing Institute) concludes that “executives are unhappy with the skills of digital and social media team talent, and there is a large talent gap hurting sales, employee retention, and marketing ROI”.

There is a substantial talent gap between the digital marketing skills demanded by companies and the skills that digital teams actually have. This can be seen as a great opportunity to acquire the right capabilities to get a better job in the digital field. So where is the skills gap more latent? The same study indicates a clear talent gap of “29% in mobile marketing and a 37% gap in analytics”.

At the same time, research conducted by Adobe on how “marketers struggle to reinvent themselves” affirms that “companies need to hire more digital talent”. And goes further concluding that “marketers cite digital/social marketers (47%), data analysts (38%), creatives (38%) and mobile marketers (36%) as the key roles companies need to invest in over the next 12 months”.

On the whole, digital marketers have a bright future ahead of them. More career opportunities can be predicted as companies increment their digital presence. In an amazingly segmented and continuously evolving arena, specialization and constant preparation are key to developing a successful career in digital marketing.

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Source: Lifehack.org