Internet Marketing Career Guide

The digital age is transforming the field of marketing just as it is reshaping much of how we live, learn, work and play.

“The Internet continues to connect advertisers and marketers to customers from Boston to Berlin with text, interactive graphics, video and audio,” the U.S. Small Business Administration notes.

Consider just a few statistics:

• Worldwide, revenue from Internet advertising will reach almost $240 billion in 2019, up from $135 billion in 2014, PricewaterhouseCoopers reported.
• In the United States, 38% of marketers expect to reallocate financial resources from traditional mass advertising to digital channels as social media and mobile continue to influence strategies, according to a 2015 report by Salesforce.
• By 2019, marketers will spend in excess of $103 billion on social media marketing, search marketing, email marketing and display marketing, surpassing spending on TV advertising, Forrester reported in 2014.
• There were more than 7 billion mobile devices and connections globally in 2014 and mobile data traffic increased 69% that year, according to a 2015 report by Cisco.

The pace and scale of this evolution in marketing has opened up a variety of new Internet marketing careers. Of course, that doesn’t mean that knowing how to conduct a Google search or post a Facebook update are enough to bring professional success in Internet marketing. From content creation to website analytics to testing and optimization, advanced training and knowledge are keys to career advancement in this competitive landscape.

Let’s take a closer look at just a handful of the potential Internet marketing careers:

Senior Internet Marketing Consultant

Senior Internet marketing consultants execute online marketing strategies in a variety of industries. These marketing professionals analyze client websites and create, develop and implement plans and tools to meet marketing objectives, including search engine optimization (SEO), search marketing campaigns and link building.

Analyzing data to extract insights and trends and generate keywords, creating web content and using search engine marketing tools for ad campaigns are all potential job responsibilities.

Internet Marketing Director

Internet marketing directors oversee the online marketing strategy of a company or organization, working with different teams to increase a website’s page ranking. This can include: implementing new content creation methods; utilizing online advertising strategies such as SEO, pay-per-click (PPC) and paid search; overseeing the social media strategy; improving the usability, design and content of a site; and keeping the company up to date with new technologies.

The responsibilities of these professionals may also encompass tracking and improving conversion, managing online brand awareness, evaluating customer research and developing complex search engine optimization plans.

This managerial position requires individuals with technical acumen and a broad knowledge of business principles, so earning an MBA in Marketing can be a tremendous asset.

SEO Marketing Specialist

SEO marketing specialists have a variety of roles, ranging from writing web content to researching keyword metrics and establishing best practices for boosting search engine rankings.

Generally, SEO marketing specialists analyze data to identify trends and recommend steps for optimization based on those findings. They may be responsible for content strategy, link building and keyword strategy. Additionally, they create and launch SEO campaigns, monitor changes in the industry, run tests, collect and analyze data, and improve the website through structure, content, keyword lists and page construction.

Graduates with associate’s degrees can start in entry-level positions. Bachelor’s degree holders in computer information systems, business or marketing can attain the analytical and technical skills typically required for in-demand SEO marketing specialist positions.

Social Media Manager

Social media has become an indispensable part of the marketing industry, allowing business owners, advertisers, entrepreneurs and marketing professionals to interact directly with consumers, drive leads and sales, implement content strategies and increase online brand awareness.

Social media managers increase outreach, engagement, “likes” and, ultimately, leads and sales. Creating and implementing strategies for promotion, engagement, conversion and content are an integral aspect of the social media manager’s role. Responsibilities can also include managing social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Tumblr, as well as using tools like Hootsuite and TweetDeck. These professionals analyze the effects of their strategies using Google Analytics, Twitter Counter and other web analytics services, and monitor industry, news and technology trends.

Prospective social media managers may pursue a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing or a bachelor’s in computer information systems in order to attain a foundation of business and technical knowledge. For higher-level positions, an MBA in Marketing may be required by employers.

Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Coordinator

Pay-per-click (PPC) coordinators are typically part of the paid search advertising team, and are responsible for developing, implementing, managing and optimizing relevant and effective PPC campaigns. Utilizing analytics, PPC coordinators may conduct keyword research, develop bidding strategies, help create landing pages, and perform testing and optimization.

Understanding business objectives and translating them into the PPC strategy – and then reporting on key performance indicators (KPIs) to senior management – are components of the PPC coordinator’s role.

Getting Started in Internet Marketing

As you can see, Internet marketing is a growing field with a variety of analytical, creative and technical career opportunities. From mobile, video and email marketing to blogging and content creation, and from coding and development to SEO and social media, there are numerous specialties within Internet marketing for professionals with the requisite knowledge and credentials. Individuals who wish to advance to director-level and C-suite positions, can consider enrolling in an MBA in Marketing degree program.