Digital marketing salaries explained

Digital marketing roles can be incredibly varied, which means the salaries that go along with them can be varied too. Researching the spectrum of salaries can get a little confusing since there’s so much to see. 

In this article, we’ll talk about whether digital marketing is a good job or not, and we’ll explore the range of salaries within digital marketing. We’ll also discuss a little bit about the skills needed to be a digital marketer and the career path within digital marketing.

What is digital marketing?

First, let’s give a little background about what digital marketing means. As mentioned in our introduction to digital marketing blog post, digital marketing is the process of promoting and selling via online or digital channels. Unlike traditional marketing, digital marketing lets you see results and work more efficiently.

With the world rapidly changing and adapting to more digital methods in every area, it’s only natural that marketing does the same. Digital marketing encompasses various methods, including social media marketing, affiliate marketing, and content marketing.

Is digital marketing a good career? 

So, is digital marketing a good career? The answer to this is simple – yes! There are many reasons why digital marketing is a great career choice. Let’s look at some: 

Opportunities to specialise 

There are many different areas of digital marketing to explore. If you are drawn to a particular channel, you can choose to specialise in this area and potentially gain a higher salary. This is also great because, with so much variety for you to choose from, you’ll have more opportunities to try something new.

Allows for creativity 

Most digital marketing channels allow for a lot of creativity which is a desirable job trait. Namely, social media marketing and content marketing involve a lot of creativity and writing tasks, but all areas generally have some creative elements.

Job opportunities

The digital marketing landscape is a promising one – digital marketing spending increased by 9.6% between 2021 to 2022 in the UK alone. More and more businesses are turning to digital methods to promote their products, so there are an increasing number of career opportunities.

Remote working 

One of the many perks of pursuing a career in digital marketing is the opportunity to work remotely. While not all companies provide this option, it’s perfectly possible to work remotely in this sector. This could allow for working whilst travelling abroad or even just cut out the cost and time of your daily commute.

Competitive salary 

Now for the best part – the salary opportunities. Depending on the channel and your experience, you may secure a high salary in the digital marketing industry. We’re going to explore this in more detail throughout the article. 

Digital marketing career path

What can you expect from your career path when you pursue a digital marketing career? Once you are familiar with the fundamentals of digital marketing, you can start by securing an entry-level digital marketing role. 

An entry-level role such as a digital marketing assistant is an excellent opportunity for those interested in the industry to get some hands-on experience. You can then choose to specialise in a specific area of digital marketing. Alternatively, you can find a digital marketing internship or apprenticeship.

Once you’ve mastered digital marketing, you could progress into a senior digital marketing specialist role or even head of digital marketing. For those with lots of experience, you could even delve into digital marketing consulting. There is lots of room for career development in this industry, and opportunities to work in adjacent roles such as sales or UX design if you enjoy the sound of them.

It’s also important to note that freelancing is a common option for digital marketing specialists. Freelancing involves a lot of freedom since you’re essentially working for yourself, but you’ll need experience before you can jump into freelancing.

Digital marketing salaries explained:

Now, let’s get into the salaries of some digital marketing roles and discuss some frequently asked questions.  

What is the highest digital marketing salary?

It’s always good to know the potential of your future salary when choosing an industry to work in. One of the highest paying roles within the industry is that of a digital marketing director. We’ll look at the exact salary for this role in more detail shortly. 

What is the average digital marketing salary?

Since there are many different areas of digital marketing, it can be tricky to pin down an exact average for the general industry. However, according to Payscale, the average annual salary based on digital marketing skills is £31,000 in the UK.

What is the digital marketing entry-level salary? 

Salaries are largely dependent on experience, so an entry-level wage will be lower than other roles. A digital marketing internship is a great opportunity to get started in digital marketing. We’ll discuss the salary for this position in just a moment. 

Types of digital marketing roles and their salaries

Now we know what an exciting and promising career lies in digital marketing, let’s explore some of the digital marketing roles and their salaries. Keep in mind that all salaries listed are averages, and those with more experience can earn much higher. All salaries listed are from Payscale.com.

Digital marketing intern salary

Although a digital marketing intern’s salary will typically be lower than other digital marketing roles, it’s an important position. This role will teach you the basics of digital marketing skills as you support experienced coworkers. The average marketing intern salary is as follows: 

• £19,706 in the UK
• $39,355 in the US
• 34,077 in Canada
• $46,243 in Australia

Digital marketing specialist salary 

This digital marketing specialist role is for those with experience in the industry. They will typically be responsible for reviewing market trends, maintaining campaigns, and pulling data. The average digital marketing specialist salary is as follows: 

• £26,333 in the UK
• $50,622 in the US
• $51,293 in Canada
• $65,954 in Australia

As we mentioned above, you may choose to specialise in a certain field within digital marketing. Let’s take a look at some of the options available and the salaries that come along with them: 

SEO salary 

Search engine optimisation, or SEO for short, is the process of getting organic traffic and implementing ways to rank higher on search engines. This role involves a lot of reporting and analysis as well as optimising website content. The average salary for a search engine optimisation specialist is as follows: 

• £23,873 in the UK
• $47,954 in the US
• $49,182 in Canada
• $60,367 in Australia

Social media specialist salary

Within this role, specialists maintain social media channels on behalf of the brand or business. Social media specialists will often arrange and post content as well as monitor and track performance. The average salary for a social media specialist is as follows:

• £25,016 in the UK
• $46,259 in the US
• $45,285 in Canada
• $61,817 in Australia

Email marketing specialist

The role of an email marketing specialist involves creating and monitoring email marketing campaigns. This includes designing emails, writing content, and reviewing campaign success. The average salary of an email marketing specialist is as follows: 

• £28,966 in the UK
• $54,792 in the US
• $55,928 in Canada
• $73,217 in Australia

Digital marketing manager salary

A digital marketing manager is responsible for developing, implementing, and overseeing marketing strategies as well as managing other members of the marketing team. The average digital marketing manager salary is as follows: 

• £33,530 in the UK
• $44,658 in the US
• $67,218 in Canada
• $83,099 in Australia

Digital marketing director salary

Digital marketing directors are responsible for developing wider marketing plans for the business and managing all marketing channels. The average digital marketing director salary is as follows:

• £71,216 in the UK
• $98,641 in the US
• $101,260 in Canada
• $121,356 in Australia

How to get into digital marketing: 

If the idea of a career in digital marketing appeals to you, you may want to start developing the relevant skills. Whilst many people choose to get a marketing degree before starting their career, it’s perfectly possible to start your digital marketing career without one. 

You could start by learning some digital marketing skills using online courses and resources. Now is the perfect time to upskill and learn a digital skill due to the digital skills gap. We even have a wide range of highly-rated digital marketing courses available for you to kick-start your career on our site.

Once you’re comfortable with the fundamentals of digital marketing, you can begin practicing your skills. Depending on which digital marketing channels you enjoy, this will vary. You could create your own website and work on it yourself to develop key skills or offer your help to other sites. 

When you’re ready, you can start applying for entry-level positions like the ones we mentioned above. Like most digital sectors, the digital marketing industry moves fast. You should do your best to keep up with industry trends and stay up to date with relevant tools and techniques.

If you do want to kickstart your marketing career with a degree, why not do so online? We have a range of marketing degrees online, allowing you to earn a degree from top universities around other commitments.

Skills needed for digital marketing

While getting started with digital marketing, you should also develop some other key skills. Let’s look at what skills are beneficial within a digital marketing role:

• Analytics. The majority of the roles we’ve listed will require marketing analytics to some degree. Navigating analytics tools and thoroughly understanding data are key skills to develop. 
• Eye for detail. When working with analytics, you’ll also need to analyse your data to make informed decisions. To do this effectively, you’ll need to have a strong eye for detail and take note of any anomalies. 
• Writing skills. Some of the digital marketing roles lean more towards writing-based tasks. Whether writing emails, blogs, or social media content, you’ll need to have strong digital storytelling and communication skills.
• Problem-solving. Many marketing tasks involve finding solutions to problems and creating methods to draw in new customers or traffic. Problem-solving skills are advantageous in a digital marketing role because they tie in with many tasks.

Final thoughts

The digital marketing industry is filled with a wide range of opportunities to earn competitive salaries. We hope this article has provided you with a deeper understanding of what salaries are available within the industry.

If you’re eager to start your digital marketing career, why not check out our Get Started with Digital Marketing course?