2024 has been a good year for digital marketing professionals when it comes to career outlook. After a sluggish year for job creation in 2023, January saw the field reach an all-time high after the addition of 2,000 new roles across the United States. This mirrors the findings of Coursera’s Job Skills of 2024 report, which put digital marketing among the workplace skills with the fastest growing demand.
One factor in this job creation is that digital marketing is a diverse field, encompassing a range of tasks and skills that drive growth for businesses across industries. This variety of roles can also lead to confusion for professionals entering the field. Understanding digital marketing roles and responsibilities can help digital marketers of all experience levels to plot their career path and focus their skill development. Here are some of the most common digital marketing job titles for each career stage, along with their typical duties and the key skills required to succeed in them.
Entry-level digital marketing roles
When it comes to digital marketing job titles, “entry-level” is an indication that it’s a position you can land without prior experience that is an individual contributor role without management or leadership responsibilities.
This isn’t to say these roles are always only the first step on marketing career paths, though. With some of these job titles, especially creative ones like copywriter or graphic designer, it’s very possible to build a lucrative career without significantly changing that job title.
With that caveat, the job titles below generally call for 0-2 years of professional experience, making them a good starting point for young professionals, career switchers, or others seeking digital marketing career opportunities.
Digital Marketing Intern
Average salary: $47,000 per year
The day-to-day responsibilities of an intern show the most variety of all the job titles listed here. This is because an internship is primarily an educational opportunity more than a professional one, meaning these individuals often get hands-on experience with a range of techniques, tools, and tasks.
Some common tasks often assigned to marketing interns include creating content like social media updates or email newsletters, managing the company’s social media accounts, conducting keyword research, analyzing campaign data, and providing administrative support like maintaining databases or organizing and preparing digital assets.
Marketing Assistant
Average salary: $52,000 per year
This is one of the true entry-level positions in the digital marketing job hierarchy, and is a common role for professionals to take after finishing an internship. Marketing assistants help with the planning, execution, and management of marketing campaigns. This includes a mix of administrative work (managing content calendars, taking meeting minutes, maintaining databases, etc.) and creative work (creating flyers and brochures, writing ad or post copy, creating or acquiring graphics and images, etc.).
Marketing assistants should be proficient in tools like Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite, and marketing platforms like Mailchimp, HubSpot, or Hootsuite. They should also be familiar with Google Analytics and marketing metrics in general, and have strong communication skills as well as time management, organization, and attention to detail.
Marketing Associate
Average salary: $60,000 per year
Depending on the size and scope of the company, these positions may be more specific and focused on one area of marketing. For example, someone might work as an Email Marketing Associate or SEO Associate. Across variations, associates hold a similar place in the digital marketing team structure to Marketing Assistants, though often with more autonomy and unique responsibilities.
Marketing associates are often frontline representatives of a company, focused on building relationships with customers and driving engagement from the target audience. Common responsibilities include supporting the sales team by identifying potential customers, following up with leads, fostering loyalty with clients, conducting market research, maintaining records of customer interactions, and assisting with the execution of marketing campaigns or promotional events.
Junior Marketing Analyst
Average salary: $67,000 per year
As you might guess from the word “analyst”, this is a role focused on data. A Junior Marketing Analyst supports the broader marketing team by gathering, analyzing, and reporting on data they can use in their decision making. This can include conducting customer surveys, analyzing market data to identify trends, monitoring marketing campaign performance, and preparing dashboards or visualizations other marketers can use to turn these findings into actionable strategies.
Analytical skills are central for success in these roles. These professionals need to be proficient with platforms like Microsoft Excel, Google Analytics, Power BI, and Tableau. They should also have strong knowledge of statistics, basic knowledge of languages like SQL and Python, familiarity with key marketing metrics, and the ability to translate this technical information into clear language for non-technical audiences.
Copywriter
Average salary: $59,000 per year
While other digital marketing roles may be responsible for generating text for ads, newsletters, blog posts, and other materials, in many organizations this task falls to a dedicated copywriter. These are also common roles in digital marketing for freelancers.
The most important skill for a copywriter is obvious: they need a strong command of the written language. This goes beyond basic grammar and spelling knowledge to include concepts like tone, voice, persuasive language, and tailoring content to the target audience. It’s also helpful for copywriters to have a basic understanding of SEO and the content or format guidelines of social media platforms.
Graphic Designer
Average salary: $58,000 per year
Similar to copywriters but on the visual side, graphic designers create the images used in advertisements, social media posts, and other marketing materials. They work across visual mediums, including photos, digital art, and illustrations for print ads, online platforms, or to be included in videos. Depending on the company, they may also be responsible for developing the concept of visuals or overseeing the layout of assets like brochures.
This work requires a blend of creative, technical, and interpersonal skills. This starts with a strong grasp of visual composition and layout design, along with proficiency in tools like Adobe Creative Suite, Sketch, and Canva. They also need strong communication skills to both understand client requirements and convey the brand and messaging through their designs.
Mid-level positions in digital marketing
In general, mid-level positions are suited for those with 2-6 years of professional marketing experience. At this level, these roles may be individual contributors or can involve some oversight of other team members, though they typically still aren’t in a primary decision-maker position. Here are some typical titles and job descriptions for digital marketers at the mid-level.
Digital Marketing Specialist
Average salary: $61,000 per year
Similar to entry-level titles like Associate, larger marketing teams may have more specific Marketing Specialist roles that each handle a different area of the marketing landscape. In this case, the job’s responsibilities will be similarly focused in that area. For example, a Content Marketing Specialist duties will include things like managing the posting calendar for the company blog, securing guest blog and backlink opportunities, and coordinating the writers and graphic designers who create content (or, in some cases, creating that content themselves). In contrast, an SEO Specialist job responsibilities will include things like researching and analyzing keywords, optimizing page descriptions, headers, meta data, and content, and implementing link-building strategies.
In general, these professionals design, implement, and optimize digital marketing campaigns, either across channels or within the specific domain of their title’s focus. This often includes every stage of the process, from conducting initial market and keyword research through launching, testing, optimizing, and analyzing the performance of campaigns. They should have technical expertise in SEO tools and paid ad platforms, be familiar with content management platforms like WordPress, have knowledge of social media platforms and scheduling tools, and have strong project management and organization skills to keep everything running smoothly.
Digital Marketing Analyst
Average salary: $74,000 per year
The key role of a Digital Marketing Analyst is to interpret data that will be used to optimize marketing strategies. The tasks that go into this work include things like gathering data from various platforms, conducting market research or A/B testing to identify trends and customer preferences, monitoring metrics like website traffic and conversion rates, and creating reports, dashboards, and visualizations to convey these insights to decision makers.
Analytical skills are the first key competency marketing analysts need to have. They should also be familiar with concepts like customer journey mapping, funnel optimization, SEO, and PPC. In many cases, employers also look for professionals with expertise in platforms like Google Analytics and HubSpot, as well as a working knowledge of Python and SQL.
Social Media Coordinator
Average salary: $52,000 per year
You may also see this referred to as a Social Media Manager role, which has the same basic responsibilities on a digital marketing team. Their main objective is to build brand awareness, drive traffic, and engage audiences on social media platforms. They oversee the entire social media presence of an organization, from developing a content calendar to creating, curating, and editing posts, ensuring a consistent brand voice across platforms.
In-depth expertise in social media is the first key qualification for Social Media Coordinator roles. This includes overall knowledge of social media strategy as well as understanding of the specific tools and features of the ones the company uses. They also need analytical, organizational, and time management skills, along with exceptional written communication.
Content Strategist
Average salary: $81,000 per year
A Content Strategist plans, creates, and manages content for digital marketing outlets. As the name implies, they take a strategic approach to this process, starting by defining the goals for the content and tailoring their post calendar and content development approach to match. They’ll also often conduct research on their market and target audience, creating audience personas to understand their needs, preferences, and pain points.
Success in these roles requires expertise on both the creative and the analytical side of marketing content. These individuals are usually strong writers or graphic designers, and may get their start in that kind of role. They should also have expertise in SEO, project management, and technical skills like proficiency in content management systems and working knowledge of HTML and CSS.
Senior digital marketing positions
The definition of a senior role is somewhat nebulous, but it typically refers to a position someone will get after accruing 6 or more years of experience and a deep level of expertise in their specific domain. It is common for senior positions to have some leadership, management, or mentoring responsibilities, as well as the agency and authority to make high-level decisions that affect their specific area.
There are a wide variety of job titles at this level, including many alternative titles used for some of the roles already described here. Here are some key digital marketing job titles and their specific responsibilities at the senior level.
Digital Marketing Manager
Average salary: $88,000 per year
The responsibilities of a Digital Marketing Manager are often wide ranging. They’re the ones who create and implement the organization’s digital marketing strategies, determine the KPIs that will be used to gauge success, plan and manage campaigns across platforms, allocate the marketing budget, and manage the other members of the digital marketing team, just to give an idea of some typical responsibilities.
Strategic thinking, and the ability to develop and execute long-term plans, is the core competency for these roles. Going along with this, these professionals should be strong decision-makers and goal-setters, with the leadership skills to guide and motivate teams and coordinate efforts across functions. From a technical standpoint, they need to be proficient in Google Analytics, paid ad platforms, CMS platforms, email marketing tools, and concepts like SEO and SEM.
Digital Strategy Lead
Average salary: $149,000
Like Marketing Managers, Digital Strategy Leads focus on the big picture. Their objective is to develop and execute marketing strategies that achieve organizational goals like driving innovation, ensuring a cohesive digital transformation, and improving the customer experience. One place this role often differs from Marketing Managers is in scope, and Digital Strategy Leads frequently modernize and update the technology used within a business, or encourage a broader digital transformation, in addition to their work with digital marketing.
This is a data-driven role, and professionals in these positions need to be proficient with tools like Tableau, Power BI, and Google Analytics, as well as content managers and customer relationship management (CRM) software. Exceptional communication skills are also critical since they’re often the one who aligns the strategies developed by executives with the on-the-ground work of individuals across teams. Other key skills include strategic thinking, strong delegation, knowledge of customer journey mapping and predictive analysis, and experience with change management.
Demand Generation Manager
Average salary: $94,000 per year
Another strategic role, Demand Generation Managers create and execute strategies to generate leads and interest in a company and its products and services. This is a role that often extends beyond marketing, though digital marketing is a key aspect of it. Responsibilities of the role include identifying target audiences, developing tailored campaigns for each customer segment, testing and optimizing marketing campaigns, setting up and managing marketing automation systems, and monitoring and analyzing performance metrics.
Experience managing budgets is helpful for Demand Generation Managers since paid search and paid media often fall under their purview. It also helps if they have a customer-centric mindset and are adept at conducting audience research. From a technical standpoint, they need to have proficiency in a similar set of tools as other senior marketing talent, including automation platforms like HubSpot and Marketo, content management systems like WordPress, CRM tools like Salesforce, and experience with ads on platforms like Google Ads, LinkedIn, and social media.
Brand Manager
Average salary: $110,000 per year
This is another role whose responsibilities often extend beyond just digital marketing, though that’s certainly a large part of their work. Brand Managers develop, shape, and maintain the overall identity of a company, ensuring consistent messaging across channels. They do this by developing an overarching brand strategy, often including style guides or content standards for other marketers on the team to follow. They also work with a variety of different teams, taking the requirements, values, and mission set by executives and translating it into functional initiatives for the sales, marketing, and product development teams.
Strategic thinking, project management, communication, and presentation skills are core competencies for Brand Managers. Analytical skills are beneficial, too, allowing them to uncover trends in the market and customer needs, then adjust campaigns to match.
Content Marketing Manager
Average salary: $81,000 per year
You may also see this role referred to as a Managing Editor or variation of that title. Both job titles are descriptive of what this role entails. These professionals plan, create, and manage all of the digital content from the business, with the aim of driving brand awareness, generating new leads, and encouraging audience engagement.
This is another role where a strategic mindset is an advantage. While they normally manage teams of writers and designers, rather than creating content themselves, they should still have strong writing and proofreading skills, and it’s common for these managers to start in content creation. The main difference is they also need strong project management skills and experience with automation, scheduling, and content management systems. Other useful skills include SEO expertise, data analysis skills, and experience allocating and managing marketing budgets.
Executive-level digital marketing job titles
Executive roles are a special category of senior-level positions that are primarily defined by their decision making authority. These leaders are empowered to make high-level decisions that can impact the entire company. They are also directly involved in the organization’s policy development and strategic planning, and oversee the middle managers within their domain. There are a few job titles related to digital marketing at the executive level. Here are some of the most common.
Director of Digital Marketing
Average salary: $125,000 per year
The Director of Digital Marketing is essentially the next step up from a Digital Marketing Manager, and they perform many of the same responsibilities at a higher level. They set and prioritize the strategic objectives for digital marketing activities, as well as the benchmarks and metrics to evaluate them. Along with this, they define the roles and responsibilities of the marketing team, recruit and train new marketing hires, lead and mentor the organization’s marketers. They’re also usually the ones who select and implement the digital marketing tools and platforms that will be used by the team.
A combination of marketing expertise and leadership skills is necessary for Director of Digital Marketing roles. They should also be excellent communicators with strong interpersonal skills and high emotional intelligence. Critical thinking, problem-solving, decision-making, and resource management are other beneficial skills.
Creative Content Director
Average salary: $128,000
Creative Content Directors oversee the creation and execution of all marketing content. They lead the teams that develop these materials, ensuring everything they make aligns with the brand’s vision and guidelines and is effective at engaging their target audience. Once they set the strategy, timelines, expectations, and objectives, they delegate the work of designing, implementing, and managing that content to members of their team.
This role is often the top position for those who start as content creators, and a strong creative or artistic vision is beneficial for a Creative Content Director. They also need to be effective leaders, motivators, and project managers, with a deep understanding of concepts like brand positioning and content optimization strategies for various platforms.
Head of Digital Strategy
Average salary: $136,000 per year
This leadership role oversees the development and execution of the organization’s entire digital strategy, ensuring these initiatives support the core objectives and optimizing their entire online presence. They also often play a prominent role in digital transformation efforts, identifying new technologies and tools that will improve business processes and directing their adoption.
Along with the leadership and communication skills all executive leaders require, a Head of Digital Strategy should have a thorough understanding of SEO, SEM, content marketing, social media, and digital advertising. In short, they should be knowledgeable about the entire digital ecosystem and how to best position their company within it.
VP of Digital Marketing
Average salary: $177,000 per year
A Vice President (VP) of Digital Marketing is a senior executive role often found in organizations with a large marketing team. Similar to other marketing executives, they set the long-term goals and big-picture strategy for the marketing department, then oversee its development and execution, along with providing guidance, mentorship, and motivation to the members of their team.
VPs often collaborate closely with other senior leaders to ensure seamless communication between these functions and determine the best way to allocate budget and other resources across the organization. They should have a broad set of skills and knowledge, including areas like market research, digital transformation, brand building, crisis management, marketing analytics, data-driven decision-making, and marketing automation.
Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)
Average salary: $180,000 per year
This C-level executive is the visionary leader of the digital marketing domain. They oversee all aspects of the organization’s marketing strategy, not just the digital side of things, though that is an increasing share of most businesses’ marketing efforts today. Their goal is to ensure consistency and effectiveness of marketing efforts across channels and formats, using their expertise in the needs of customers to drive engagement with the company’s products, services, and general brand.
Chief Marketing Officers need to be expert brand managers and people managers. This is an increasingly data-driven position, as well, from customer research prior to campaign development through analysis of how marketing efforts perform. Along with skills like financial acumen, strategic thinking, and crisis management, an effective CMO understands how to hire, train, and develop the talent on their team to unlock their full potential.
Steps on the digital marketing career path
This is certainly not a comprehensive list of digital marketing roles and job descriptions. That kind of round-up would be a very long post because of the variety of job titles in this field, many of which are highly specialized in a specific area or channel. A lot of these roles listed above also exist at multiple levels, which are differentiated with words like Junior, Senior, or Lead in front of the core title. With that said, though, this list does give you an idea of how broad the field of digital marketing is, and how many different options professionals in this sector have as they build their career path.