How to Start a Career in Digital Marketing
With over half of the world’s population using social media and TikTok trends taking over, it is no surprise that a career in digital marketing is proving to be a popular choice for many people. With the continuous development of smartphones, software, new technologies, and audience behaviour digital marketing skills are in high demand from employers.
With many options available for someone looking to start a career in marketing, it can be difficult to take the first step. In this blog, we explore the different routes available to someone looking to launch a digital marketing career, helping you decide which route is best for you.
Digital Marketing Apprenticeship
An apprenticeship is a tried and tested route to launch a career in a specific field, combining both practical work experience and education. With an apprenticeship, you spend time learning on the job whilst working towards an industry recognised qualification all whilst earning a wage!
Our Level 3 Digital Marketing Apprenticeship offers a complete training package for aspiring marketers, helping build the skills and knowledge needed to launch a long-term career in this sector. This programme offers exposure to different areas of digital marketing such as content creation, social media management, SEO, and advanced analysis, providing you with the tools you need to become a complete marketing professional.
An apprenticeship may also ignite your passion for a particular area of marketing. Upon completion of the programme, you may realise you enjoy content creation and want to become a Content Marketing Executive, or you may be interested in analytics and want to specialise as a Digital Marketing Analyst; an apprenticeship can open many doors for you.
An apprenticeship in digital marketing is a fantastic option if you are looking for a long term career in the sector, building specialist skills that employers need most. From a financial perspective, apprenticeships are fully funded by the government and employers. You’ll be studying towards a qualification worth £11,000 without worrying about hefty tuition fees and student debt.
MARKETING DEGREE
We understand that an apprenticeship may not always be the best option for someone, you may feel that you are not ready to commit to working full-time or want to challenge yourself by moving away to study and a degree certainly provides a challenge!
Like an apprenticeship, you can study a marketing degree in a traditional classroom environment or remotely through The Open University. Different universities offer different courses, so we’d recommend attending open days and weighing up the benefits of attending a local university, studying a degree online, or relocating to a new city.
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to choose between university and an apprenticeship. Many of our current digital marketing apprentices are graduates looking to start their career journey, and apprenticeships offer a fantastic entry level route into the field. On the other hand, your learner journey doesn’t have to stop with an apprenticeship, many apprentices choose the go on to study marketing at degree level as part of their professional development.
online marketing courses
When it comes to apprenticeships and university, you are committing to a minimum of 12 months in full time education which isn’t a viable option for everyone.
To get a taster of digital marketing training and find out if it’s the right path for you, online courses can be a great place to start. From here, you can learn the basics and start practicing your skills or build up a portfolio for apprenticeship applications or university interviews.
Here are a few of our favourites:
Google Digital Garage
When we think of influential companies in the digital marketing realm, Google certainly springs to mind. To help people master the basics of digital marketing, Google has designed a free, self-study fundamentals of digital marketing course that comes with a Google certification.
Hubspot Academy
HubSpot is a popular CRM system used by marketing teams across the globe. To help people grow their digital marketing career, HubSpot developed the HubSpot Academy which offers a range of short courses to enhance your skillset. These courses range topics from an overview of digital marketing to more niche training options such as SEO, digital advertising, and website optimisation.
Other online course options include:
Although these online courses are a great way to boost your skills and enhance your CV, they aren’t industry recognised qualifications and employers may look for more when hiring a marketing professional.
NEXT STEPS: APPLY FOR A DIGITAL MARKETING APPRENTICESHIP
Deciding on your next steps is no small task and needs serious consideration.
If you have decided that an apprenticeship is the perfect way to launch your digital marketing career, we have employers across the country looking to recruit their next digital marketing professional check out our latest vacancies.
If you’re still undecided, hear what our digital marketing learners had to say about completing an apprenticeship with Baltic.