How to start a career in Internet Marketing?

Saurabh Tyagi

In recent years, the data-driven online marketing industry has acquired an explosive growth. In the US alone the industry stands at about $62billion (October 2013) as per a recent study published by the Direct Marketing Association. The survey has revealed one thing very clearly; a career in internet marketing is going to be one of the hottest choices for the future.

Online marketing is becoming exponentially important for every business now. As per the March 2013 data of International Telecommunication Union, the number of internet users is 2,749 millions, which means 38.8% of the total world population is now connected through and to the web. This statistic reveals the huge potential that internet marketing holds. Thus any business that employs online marketing tactics to promote his or her business has the ability to reach an audience as big as 38.85 of the world’s population. Currently the average brand visibility of a product is far lesser. Here comes the role of skilled professionals who don the hat of an Internet Marketer or Digital Marketer to make such impossibility a reality. If you possess the ability to persevere and an unquenchable thirst to learn, find yourself a career in this field.

Where to start?

Unlike all other careers that you might have heard of, a career in Internet Marketing doesn’t mandate any degree or educational qualification. Most experts would tell you get out there and get your hands dirty. That means to start with a career in this field you will have to rub your nose against the door of various established internet marketing agency and convince them to give you a chance as a volunteer.

If you think that your first job as an online marketing expert will make your pocket overflow with cash then you are probably at the wrong place. Try something more glamorous like trading in stock or gambling. For others, an unpaid internship with an established agency or a stint an experienced professional will be the best place to start. Moreover, experience is far more preferred than any kind of degree. If the prospective employer knows that you have experience in working hands-on with the technology he will be far more willing to take you as his future employee than a person with a graduate degree but zero experience.

There must be a reason why all great techie wizards gave their college a pass. It doesn’t mean that you should not have any educational qualification to support your career. However, a Google Adwords certification would be even more valuable than any Internet marketing degree. Some other expert advice on starting a career in online marketing is:

Theory is useless; be hands-on

The biggest problem with all the books published on Internet marketing is that a great deal of information included in these books becomes outdated till they reach their end destination. Internet marketing is akin a moving target and reading theory would only be able to help you with the basic concepts. Google and Facebook, the two Internet giants surrounding which a big part of the industry revolves change algorithms and add new features without notice. New social networks pop up overnight and old social networks disappear altogether from the scene. The point is, what might seem relevant at this minute might not be relevant the next moment. Therefore bookish knowledge is of little help.  It is the experience that counts most. Even if you spend a couple of hours experimenting with your own blog, that will be far more useful for securing an internet marketing job.

Gain writing skills

Almost all internet marketing experts are unanimous on the importance of good writing skills. Since more than 50 percent of the websites are in English language, therefore it is natural to have good English writing skills. Not everyone is gifted with creative writing skills. For them, joining a creative writing course is an appropriate action. Your ability to think and write creatively will make you stand out of the crowd.

Learn Excel

Although this is not a promotion of a particular brand but the truth is that there is no better alternative to Microsoft Excel for making report. Report making will form a major part of your daily work responsibilities in this career of an Internet marketing expert. Creating spreadsheets, tweaking and analyzing as per the latest changes will require you to have knowledge of formulas, charts, graphs and other excel functions.

The above discussed points, if kept in mind, will serve as a prologue to a successful career in this field.

Saurabh Tyagi has accumulated exclusive insight on the various trends while working in the digital marketing industry for the last 4 years. His knowledge in the domain of career in internet marketing and particularly job opportunity in SEO is excellent as seen in the article written above.