What a Digital Marketer Can Earn: Salaries for Digital Marketers
When assessing what a digital marketer can earn, consider a number of factors. Digital marketer salaries can vary by experience, track record, geography, and area of expertise. Here we have gathered some average ranges that give you a good idea of digital marketer income earning potential.
What a Digital Marketer Can Earn as a Manager
Starting with general management, entry-level jobs offer a digital marketing manager salary of around $56,765, according to Payscale. Some firms offer profit sharing, which can boost that about $5,000. Your work will revolve around executing digital marketing projects and require a basic understanding of some of the key digital marketing topics (see more at What a Digital Marketer Needs to Know).
A mid-level digital marketer salary can rise to between $85,541 and $122,729, according to Salary.com. For more senior positions, from Vice President on up, salaries are north of $187,000, according to Glassdoor.com. As the field of digital marketing matures and expands, career paths are leading higher into organizations—with salary levels rising apace.
Specialist Digital Marketer Salaries
Beyond the generalist manager positions are digital marketing jobs that specialize in a specific area:
Web Developer: Payscale lists the average web developer salary at $64,491, but salaries vary dramatically. An engineer at Facebook can command salaries that start at $124,000 and up. Join the right start-up with stock options, and you could emerge a millionaire.
Graphic Designer: Your earning potential is highly variable in this field. Freelancers start around $17 an hour and lower level designers get about $24,000. It is possible to get up to six figures, however.
Copy Writers: Some are paid by the page, with an average around $100/per page. A Glassdoor survey of digital copy writer salaries shows a range between $38,000 and $102,000 a year. Competition is fierce in the field, which keeps income low. And you absolutely need to be as good at SEO as you are with language.
User Experience Designer: Experts in UX earn on the higher end of digital marketer salaries. SKillcrush pegs the entry level UX design salary range at between $75,000-$80,928. Senior designers enjoy salaries over $110,000.
Search Engine Optimization: Managers in this field are also highly sought after. While beginners barely crack $13,500 a year, mid-level leaders can bring in over $112,000 annually, according to Zip Recruiter. SEO is a specialist area that has spawned dedicated agencies providing the service. If you are entrepreneurial, the sky is the limit when it comes to earning potential.
Pay Per Click Specialist: PPC work is not going to net you big bucks in relative to other digital marketing salaries. Payscale pegs the average at $49,745. Like specialists in SEO, you have a much higher income potential as an agency leader that a doer/practitioner.
Social Media Manager: Managing social media profiles, posts and paid advertising can be a lucrative niche. Salary.com lists comparative digital marketer salaries across a range of job titles, with some earning over $100,000. If you have experience and marry it with marketing strategy chops, you may find leadership positions that increase what you can earn over $150,000 in some markets.
Email Specialist: This is yet another area where doers don’t earn very much, but strategic leaders and agency heads can command six figures. Zip Recruiter puts the average salary at $53,000. If you know a customer relationship management system like Salesforce or Hubspot, your marketplace value increases considerably. A leader of a major market email agency can easily bring in over $200,000.
CRM Consultant: If you are truly Salesforce-savvy, you are in six figure territory. A technical architect can earn $130,000 specializing in implementing Salesforce. Consultants can earn $114,000. Project managers are in high demand, with salaries, topping $94,000. AT the low end are administrators at $64,000, according to the Run Consultants blog. Consultants adept at other customer relationship management platforms, like Hubspot, earn similar salaries.
Influencer Marketers and Brand Partnership Managers: People, brands, and companies whose opinions matter are highly sought after in influence marketing campaigns. Managers of these campaigns and relationships are high earners. A mid-level Influencer Marketing Manager at JP Morgan, for example can earn over $130,000 a year.
What a Digital Marketer Can Earn Selling Products and Services
What a digital marketer can earn doesn’t necessarily depend on having a job in digital marketing. Sure, digital marketing salaries are attractive, but they are not the only way to earn income as a digital marketer. Selling products and services online requires digital marketing expertise. Our blog on How to Sell Products Online gives you a pretty good overview on how to use digital marketing to build a business. When using digital marketing to attract customers and maintain loyalty, you aren’t limited by prevailing digital marketer salaries. Your income depends on the effort you put out and the effectiveness of your strategies.
Digital Marketing Income on the Rise
In a field that is evolving as quickly as the digital marketing industry is, entrepreneurial opportunities abound. If you are interested in starting your own business, digital marketing offers opportunities in technology, tools, specialist areas, service providers and agencies, as well as general management and consulting.
Digital marketing gets measurable results. Companies are increasing activities and spending as a result. Demand for these skills is high and going higher. If you are looking for job security, wide open career paths, and opportunities to earn a significant salary, consider working in digital marketing.
