The internet has had a profound impact on businesses. It has made the shift to building a digital presence more important than ever. As a result, new digital marketing agencies are popping up daily. This can lead to a highly lucrative career in the future.

But getting a job in this industry can be a challenge. Many agencies will be looking for someone with experience. This has led many people to assume, incorrectly, that getting into this industry is too difficult. But, if you know what to do, you can get a great job without a lot of technical skills. Here are some of the tips that you will need to apply.

There are plenty of things that a digital marketing company will be looking for. These can be split into two categories, hard skills, and soft skills. Hard skills will require some form of education. A good example will be your ability to perform SEO or run a campaign. Soft skills, on the other hand, will be determined by your personality. This can be things like your ability to communicate clearly or your personability.

Unlike hard skills, you won’t be able to take a course to improve your soft skills. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t techniques you can use to boost these aspects of your personality. It can be a good idea to talk to people from all backgrounds. The more interaction you have, the better you will become. If you are nervous in social situations some groups aim to help you address this. For example, you can join Toastmasters to practice your public speaking.

Like many other employers, the leaders in a digital marketing agency will want to choose someone easy to get along with. During the interview, focus on building a relationship. Make them feel comfortable talking to you. This lets them know that, if they hire you, there is no risk that you will disrupt the company dynamic.

Take a Course

Though soft skills are important, it is still important to know the basics of digital marketing. One of the best ways of doing this is by taking a course. The good news is that you don’t need to pay thousands of dollars or attend a university. There are plenty of great online courses to explore. Many of these will be free. Some of the best ones to try will be:

• Google Academy of Ads. This will teach you the basics of Google Analytics. This will teach you to use user data to gain useful behavioral insights.
• Inbound Marketing from Hubspot. This course will teach you how to attract leads and what to do once they are on your landing page.
• Facebook Blueprint. Today, social media plays a critical role in the way that ads are delivered. This course will teach you the tools you need to have a successful campaign on Facebook and Instagram.
• Hootsuite Academy. This site covers a range of important topics. For example, it will teach you how to write a more engaging blog post or how to grow an audience on social media.

It should be noted that these aren’t the only free resources you can use. You can also check out sites like Udemy, which offers excellent courses for a reasonable fee. Just make sure that come with a certification, which shows that you completed the course.

While you are doing this, it’s important to think about what type of career path you want to pursue. Some of the most popular include:

• Content Marketing
• Analytics
• SEO
• Social Media
• Affiliate Marketing
• Marketing Emails
• Web Development

Often, you’ll need to mix and match, so it can help to know a little about each. But you can pick a few to specialize in and learn in more detail.

Do Some Freelancing Work

After you have completed some courses, it’s time to put your skills to good use. You can start applying for jobs during this period. But, without any experience at all, don’t expect to get too many offers. Instead, you should try doing a few smaller freelancing roles. If possible, try to work with local small businesses that don’t have any web presence.

At this stage, your focus shouldn’t be on making money. This will come when you join an agency and have the resources to go after bigger projects. Instead, you should be focusing on learning how to apply your skills in the real world.

Doing this kind of work will be excellent on your resume. It shows that you can communicate with clients, delivering what they want. Plus, you’ll be able to put together a strong portfolio. Seeing practical examples of your work will make agencies much more likely to hire you.

Look for Internships

There is an alternative to freelancing. You can apply for an internship. This is a great chance to learn more about the industry and get hands-on experience. This industry experience is going to make your resume stand out, giving you a much better chance of landing a job in the future.

How much you will be paid for this work will depend on the internship. Usually, though, it will be a fraction of what you would earn from a full-time job. The wage, though, isn’t the most important thing to focus on. At this stage, you should be prioritizing the chance to get real-world experience.

Building a Social Media Presence

By now, you should be getting some good feedback from local businesses. This means that it’s time to build a social media presence. In particular, you’ll want to focus on LinkedIn. This platform will allow recruiters to see your skills and who you have worked with. It’s a good idea to put your resume on your LinkedIn page.

If you want to take things to the next level, you can create a website. This is a place for you to display your resume and contact information. More importantly, though, it’s a place for you to showcase your portfolio. Show off the work that you have done in the past.

Preparing for an Interview

Hopefully, these tips will allow you to catch the attention of recruiters. But, before you get offered the position, you need to be able to nail the job interview. There are a few tips you can use to do this.

First, it’s important to do some research on the company. When was it founded? Who created it? Who runs it now? Is it a local agency? Employers will be pleased to know that you’ve done your homework. Plus, it will give you a better insight into the way that the company will function.

You’ll also want to learn about the role and what it would entail. You’ll then be able to tailor your resume to suit the position. Highlight the areas that will make you look the best. Just remember not to lie.

Next, you’ll need to make sure that you are making a good first impression. Remember, employers aren’t just looking for someone with technical skills. They also want someone with soft skills. Make sure that you are speaking clearly and concisely. Shake hands and be prepared to make them feel at ease.

During the interview, you can try to guess some of the questions that you will be asked. It’s more than likely that you will be asked a situational question. For example, they might ask you what strategy you would take or how you would respond to a situation. These are testing both your character and knowledge. Acing these questions will be key to landing the job.

Finally, you might be asked to do a digital marketing assessment. This is a fairly common task. In this case, you will be given a PDF containing a series of tasks that you need to complete. You’ll often be given a few days to do this. If you don’t know how to do something, feel free to Google it.

Negotiating Salary

Once you have passed through the interview you are in the final stage of landing a job, negotiating your salary. But you still need to be careful. If you accept the first offer, there is the potential that you could be leaving money on the table, even if it looks like a good deal.

A good way of checking how much you should be earning is by using LinkedIn Salary. This tool will compare your salary with other similar positions in your local area. You can use this as a bargaining chip to get more money. Generally, an entry-level digital marketer will be earning around $50,000 per year.

Final Thoughts

Digital marketing jobs are set to explode in the future, with a 63 percent increase in marketing jobs advertised on LinkedIn after the pandemic. This is an industry that is open to anyone. There are lots of free resources that will help you learn. Recruiters for agencies are very active on sites like LinkedIn, scouting out anyone with potential. So, put these tips into practice to make sure that you stand out from the pack.