What Is a Digital Marketing Specialist? Tasks, Skills, and How to Become One

Key takeaways

• Digital marketing specialists develop strategies to promote products and services across various digital marketing channels.

• Depending on the company's size, you may oversee one specific channel, such as email or social, or handle several.

• From this role, you can advance to become a digital marketing manager or other senior marketing professional.

Learn more about what digital marketing specialists do, the skills you'll need to be successful in this role, and how to become one. Afterward, build your marketing knowledge with the Adobe Marketing Specialist Professional Certificate, where you'll learn the fundamentals of digital marketing.

What is a digital marketing specialist?

A digital marketing specialist is an experienced professional who develops marketing strategies to promote a company's products and services across digital channels like email, social, and SEO. While some digital marketers work broadly on all available channels, others specialize in a specific one. When you specialize, you may come across postings for specific titles, like email marketing specialist or content marketing specialist.

Digital marketing specialists typically perform market research to identify customers' needs and competitor offerings. They then work with other marketers on their team to develop the best campaign for the channel they oversee.

Areas that digital marketing specialists oversee

Depending on a company's size, you may be tasked with overseeing multiple marketing channels or focusing on just one. Digital marketing specialists tend to be responsible for one or more of the following:

• Social media

• Email

• Search engine optimization (SEO)

• Search engine marketing (SEM)

• Pay-per-click (PPC)

• Content

• Influencer

• Affiliate

Digital marketing specialist responsibilities

Digital marketing specialists create, monitor, and maintain a business’s marketing campaigns and efforts online. The specific tasks of a digital marketing specialist might include:

• Researching competitors and new advertising trends

• Developing written or visual content

• Measuring digital traffic and site performance

• Reporting on campaign results to the C-suite and stakeholders

• Conducting market research and tests

Important skills to succeed as a digital marketing specialist

Digital marketing specialists need technical and workplace skills to effectively plan, execute, and analyze digital marketing campaigns while working efficiently within a team and organizational structure.

Technical skills:

The list below is comprehensive. If you focus on a certain channel, you may not be responsible for having in-depth knowledge about the workings of all other channels.

• Search engine optimization (SEO)

• Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising

• Social media marketing

• Content creation

• Email marketing

• Marketing analytics

• Digital advertising platforms

• Marketing automation tools

• Customer relationship management (CRM) systems

• Graphic design

• A/B testing

• Data analysis

Workplace skills:

• Communication

• Project management

• Time management

• Creativity

• Analytical thinking

• Problem-solving

• Collaboration

• Strategic planning

Digital marketing specialist: salary and job outlook

In the US, the median total pay for a digital marketing specialist is $72,997, according to Glassdoor [1]. Learn more about the various factors that can affect how much you earn as a digital marketing specialist.

Since many businesses are increasing their marketing efforts online, digital marketing specialists and related jobs are expected to continue to grow. According to Expert Market Research, the digital marketing market is expected to grow by 9 percent between 2025 and 2034 [2]. 

How to become a digital marketing specialist

Digital marketing specialists typically have a few years of experience in marketing or a related field. To qualify for this role, you'll need a combination of education and experience. Follow the guidance below.

Education

According to Zippia, about 76 percent of digital marketing specialists have a bachelor’s degree [3]. Even though it's possible to get started in marketing without a college degree, you may need one as you advance in your career. It's common for digital marketing specialists to major in marketing, English, communication, or business.

Skills

As you might have seen from the list above, this role requires several technical skills. If you know you want to focus on digital marketing, it's a good investment to build your skills in that area and become familiar with the common tools.

You can also work on more general skills, such as data analysis, marketing analytics, and communication, which are applicable no matter the channel you focus on.

Experience

Because of the varied nature of a digital marketing specialist’s job, previous experience in marketing, advertising, content creation, or social media management can help you meet your job expectations. Experience with SEO or data analysis can also be helpful.

Portfolio

It may be helpful to build a website or portfolio that showcases the work you've accomplished in your area. It can help potential employers see your creativity and strategic thinking. You can feature sample copy, campaigns, and other marketing materials that help demonstrate your background. 

Career advancement opportunities

After you've gained experience as a digital marketing specialist, you can consider advancing to the following roles:

• Digital marketing manager: This role involves overseeing all digital marketing efforts, developing strategies, managing teams, and coordinating with other departments. They are responsible for the overall digital marketing performance and budget allocation.

• Content marketing manager: This position focuses on developing and implementing content strategies across all digital platforms. They oversee content creation, distribution, and measurement to ensure it aligns with business goals and resonates with the target audience.

• Marketing analytics manager: This role involves leading data-driven marketing initiatives, interpreting complex datasets, and providing insights to guide marketing strategies. They work closely with various teams to optimize marketing performance based on data analysis.

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