As a profession, digital marketing is easy to love. As a hobby, digital marketing is easy to turn into a profession. That’s a hallmark of a great job.
However, it’s worth pointing out that digital marketing is not a piece of cake. It can be stressful, especially if you have your own agency. There are deadlines, changes in the status quo, scalability to worry about, and other concerns. But digital marketers are generally a pretty happy bunch. Why? You ask. Well, here are 10 reasons why digital marketers love their job.
#1. The Future Is Bright
One of the most important qualities of a job is its staying power. When hunting for a new gig, job security is high on the “must-have” list. Digital marketing offers exactly that. As long as people are spending time on the internet, digital marketing will play a part and you will have a hard time finding anybody who thinks the internet isn’t here to stay.
To illustrate the fact that digital marketing has staying power, consider the amount of money spent on digital advertising in the United States. According to Statista, in 2015, companies spent $59.82 billion on digital advertising. That number increased to $72.09 billion in 2016. Furthermore, that amount is set to increase similarly each year, reaching approximately $113 billion in 2020.
#2. Work For Yourself
Digital marketing is an industry in which you don’t necessarily need a formal education to be successful. Sure, some potential employers might prefer a college education simply because it shows you have accomplishments but ultimately, especially if you are starting on your own rather than working at a firm, your portfolio is going to be your most important tool to land more clients.
You don’t have to work for yourself to discover a sense of accomplishment but there is something very different about the feeling when you do. Likewise, motivation is usually easier to find when you are your own boss. If you can handle being responsible for the performance of your business, the rewards are great and for many digital marketers, being able to work for themselves is the best thing about digital marketing.
#3. You Can Be Yourself
Generally, digital marketing agencies have a startup-like atmosphere where creativity and uniqueness are valued. They sometimes have relaxed dress codes and unconventional offices both of which help to create an environment where employees feel comfortable and unrestrained. Additionally, they often hire based on well how someone fits into their culture, which is pretty easy to do. Just have a personality and let it show! Being a hard worker and knowing something about digital marketing help also.
Of course, if you work for yourself, rather than an agency, then you call the shots and you can do whatever you want.
#4. Work Anywhere
This benefit only applies if you are working alone. Quite literally, all you need to be a digital marketer is a laptop and a reliable internet connection, plus the know-how. There are a great many digital marketers who work from home, or anywhere they want, for that matter.
The client base of a digital marketer is limitless, bound only by who they can reach and perhaps language. Certainly, local clients are important to digital marketers and having local success stories in their portfolio can help acquire more local businesses as clients, however, it’s common to have clientele spread across a large geographic area, even in different countries.
#5. You Get To Help People
Your success comes only with the success of your clients. Ultimately, you’re doing more than designing or optimizing a website. You’re helping your client to reach their potential customers and build their presence online – two keys to a successful business.
If you have done your job well, your clients should see an increase in traffic to their website which hopefully results in conversions and ultimately new customers. Furthermore, because large companies usually have in-house digital marketing departments, the majority of your clients will likely be small business owners – people like you who have decided to make their passion their full-time job.
#6. Stay Current On Technology
You don’t need to be an expert to know how quickly technology changes. Just consider how often you buy a new phone or laptop. The astonishing speed at which new technologies are developed applies to digital marketing as well.
Perhaps even more so as digital marketers offer an array of services from web design to search engine optimization, and each service has its own set of tools that are constantly competing to offer the next great solution. This competition puts pressure on digital marketers to also be up-to-date with the latest technologies, lest they lose an edge over their competition.
The vast number of technologies and solutions available for digital marketers, are illustrated in this almost overwhelming infographic from chiefmartec.com.
Also from chiefmartec.com, this infographic shows, at a glance, how technology and solutions have grown over the last few years.
#7. Great Pay and Benefits
The gradual and ongoing shift to the digital media landscape as an effective method of marketing, and perhaps eventually the most effective method, from more traditional methods, is affecting virtually every industry. And each company wants the best. This results, as you may have guessed, to very attractive salaries, according to the Digital Marketing Institute.
There’s more good news – organizations are also investing in the skills of their digital marketers, which is a characteristic of a great company. This allows both the company and the digital marketer to “keep pace with a constantly evolving industry.”
#8. Outsourcing Helps You Scale
Scalability is a challenge for any business, regardless of size. However, due to its reliance on the internet, there is a popular solution for digital marketers – outsourcing services.
Outsourcing services allows a digital marketer to focus on building their business further while having a team of experts working in the background to accommodate the more tedious or time-consuming needs of clientele. Oftentimes, these services are white labeled, meaning that the client never knows that the digital marketer or digital marketing agency has outsourced the work. If done properly, it can be a seamless partnership.
#9. Constantly Evolving
Not being challenged or being bored with your job are chief complaints among those who are unhappy at work. It’s a legitimate problem and the most highly sought-after jobs are usually the ones that present a new set of challenges regularly.
Digital marketing offers exactly that. Whether it’s the latest social media trend or an update to Google’s algorithm, there is always something causing a ripple in the industry and creating a need to adjust your strategy. In fact, most digital marketers will tell you that flexibility and a willingness to adapt quickly are required to be successful.
#10. Find Your Passion
For someone who has yet to find their passion in life but might be tech-savvy or have a keen eye for details, becoming a digital marketer is a great idea because the work has a wonderful tendency to become the passion of those who choose it as a profession, for many of the reasons mentioned in this list.
Many digital marketers started designing websites or doing
Final Thoughts
If you’re considering a career change or wondering if you should make your part-time digital marketing gig a full-time job, the tools and knowledge are out there to make your endeavor a success.
If you have already made the jump and are currently a digital marketer, add a comment below and tell us why you love your job!
Image: Shutterstock
