Digital Marketer Salary

brahmajit-mohapatra-f8fe5582 · 12 May 2021 14:13

Digital Marketer Salary: How Much Do They Make?

With this rise of the digital age, the way people shop has changed. Business owners can’t rely on newspapers, radio, and television to market their products anymore. Instead, they need to turn to digital marketing.

Digital marketing is all about being able to connect with potential customers via clever digital ad strategies, catchy social media posts, email campaigns and much more. Business owners and digital marketers use digital technology paired with marketing strategies to promote products and services to specific consumers.

The digital marketing industry is booming and there’s been a surge in demand for marketers. If you’re looking to kick off a career in digital marketing and you have the required skills to be a digital marketer, you’ll find plenty of options ahead.

Even better? Jobs in this industry are high-paying and come with several perks and benefits. But before we get into the salary of digital marketers, we need to be clear on the roles in the digital marketing industry.

Job Titles in Digital Marketing

As mentioned before, half of the world is on the internet. And it’s estimated that in the next few years, every business – big or small, will have an online presence. This will create a huge amount of career opportunities for digital marketers. The career options in this domain are:

Digital Marketing Manager: Digital marketing managers are tasked with creating awareness about their brands among potential customers using digital platforms. They plan, implement, and manage marketing campaigns to market products. Digital marketers may become marketing managers after gaining a couple years of experience.
SEO Manager: Search engine optimization is an area that every digital marketer is familiar with. Some choose to specialize and focus exclusively on boosting a site’s search ranking. SEO managers are responsible for developing efficient Search Engine Optimization techniques. They optimize the keywords that are most likely to be typed in the search bar. Keyword optimization is done to increase the ranking of the website on a search result page and subsequently increase the website’s traffic. They make use of Google Analytics for compiling performance reports and also deal with off-page as well as on-page optimization.
Content Manager: Content managers are responsible for creating a brand identity and online presence through the creation and dispersal of multimedia content. These professionals typically deal with a company’s blog, copywriting, email communications, video and audio marketing, and guest blogging. If you’re drawn to the more creative aspects of your work as a digital marketer, you might ultimately forge a career in writing and managing content.
Copywriter: Some digital marketers choose to flex their creative muscles and focus on writing. Copywriters refine the content developed by the content team, which helps a company get more responses. They also help social media managers and search engine marketers choose suitable words for their content.
Social Media Manager: Digital marketers who are especially skilled at getting Likes, reeling in followers and spotting shareable content will excel as social media managers. Simply put, they’re responsible for enhancing the presence of their companies on social media platforms.

Digital Marketing Salaries

As mentioned above, how much you could earn as a digital marketer depends largely on your area of expertise, experience, and geographic location. But we can help you get a sense of where your salary might land. Below are a few popular digital marketing titles, and how much they typically earn.

Digital Marketing Manager Salary

Digital marketers who are able to lead a team and tailor campaigns from top to bottom will quickly move up the ranks to digital marketing manager.

According to PayScale, a digital marketing manager earns an average salary of $66,381 per year. This information was updated on July 15th, 2020, after receiving input from over 4,000 individuals. This earning varies with the level of experience of the digital marketing manager.

A young graduate aiming to start a career as a digital marketing manager can expect to earn an average of $44,407 per year. Digital marketing managers with 1 to 4 years of experience take home a sum of $59,092 per year, while those in their mid-career earn $71,247 per year. Senior managers with over 10 years of experience earn somewhere around $82,516 per year, while the ones with more than 20 years of marketing experience make an average of $86,516 per year.

The salary varies with the location as well. According to PayScale, digital marketing managers in San Francisco make 34% more than the national average. Their counterparts in Seattle make 16% more than the national average. In New York, digital marketing managers earn 7% more than the national average, while the managers in Denver earn the least amount of money at 9% less than the national average.

You may have to gain experience as an entry-level digital marketer before earning a management position. But if you have a varied portfolio, you could be in the running for more senior positions regardless of your professional experience.

SEO Manager Salary

Digital marketers often rely on Google and Bing to send traffic and potential customers to their page. So search engine optimization (SEO) has become a popular career track within marketing.

According to PayScale.com, a Search Engine Optimization Manager earns an average compensation of $68,658 a year, and the average hourly rate is $23.38. Like the compensation package of a digital marketing manager, the compensations that SEO managers get also varies with experience.

An aspiring SEO Manager aiming for an entry-level job can expect to earn an average of $49,435 per year. SEO Managers with 1 to 4 years of experience make around $60,801 per year. While senior managers with 10 or more years of experience earn an average of $77,086 per year. Digital marketers who can prove their SEO efforts impact the bottom line could easily bring in higher salaries.

Needless to say, the compensation of SEO managers varies with geographical location. According to PayScale, SEO Managers in San Francisco make 46% more than the national average. In New York, SEO Managers make 18% more than the national average, while their counterparts in Philadelphia earn 16% less than the national average.

Social Media Manager Salary

Social media is a popular focus area for digital marketers who enjoy building an audience and creating a connection with followers. According to PayScale.com, the average compensation of a social media manager in the United States is $50,952 per year. Of course, this varies with experience and location.

Social media managers with little (less than a year) or no experience can expect to earn an average of $39,987/year, while those with 1 to 4 years of experience make around $48,729 per year. Social media managers in their mid-career earn $60,529 per year. The ones with 10 or more years of experience earn an average of $65,483 per year. If you’re looking to become a digital marketer and also relish seeing follows, shares, and likes flow in on your personal Instagram and Facebook, then you may have already found your niche.

Going by location, social media managers in San Francisco earn the highest at 50% more than the national average. In Chicago, social media managers earn the least at 3% lower than the national average.

Content Manager Salary

Content management has become a popular subspecialty for digital marketers who are also strong writers. According to PayScale.com, the average compensation of a content manager in the United States is $59,070 per year, as reported by over 1,400 individuals. As with most careers, the compensation that a content manager gets varies with experience and location.

An entry-level content manager may make $43,929 per year, while the most senior content manager can average at $89,119 per year. A content manager in mid-career earns an average compensation of $63,999 per year, while a more experienced content manager (over 10 years of experience) takes home an average of $72,110 in a year.

Employees in San Francisco, Boston, and New York earn more than the national average at 37%, 12%, and 10%, respectively. Content managers in Washington, D.C. earn the lowest at 1% less than the national average.

Copywriter Salary

According to PayScale.com, as reported by 2,472 individuals, the average compensation of a copywriter in the United States is $51,549 per year. And of course, the compensation varies with experience and location.

An entry-level copywriter may make over $40,488 per year, while senior copywriters take home around $74,776 per year. A copywriter in their mid-career earns an average compensation of $63,999 per year.

Digital marketers who specialize in copywriting and are based in San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles earn more than the national average – 40%, 20%, and 18% respectively. Copywriters in Dallas, Texas earn the lowest at 7% less than the national average.

If you choose to focus on copywriting rather than working more broadly as a digital marketer, you could increase your earning potential by learning about SEO, which often influences an organization’s content goals.

Start Your Career in Digital Marketing

In addition to the above-mentioned careers, there are other digital marketing job profiles that specialize in specific domains. These are Pay Per Click Specialists, Email Specialists, CRM Consultants, and Influencer Marketers. Whether you’re creative or tech-savvy, focus on clicks and sales or brand recognition, you’ll find a rewarding career track for you in digital marketing.

If you commit to learning the current tech skills, then you could enjoy a high-paying, rewarding career as a digital marketer. You can count on plenty of growth opportunities as more and more companies see the potential of effective digital ads, social media marketing and improved search rankings.