Career Paths to Pursue After Earning a Digital Marketing Diploma

If you possess strong communication skills, analytical abilities, and creativity, a career in digital marketing may be the perfect fit for you. 

A career in digital marketing is often appealing to those looking for a dynamic and fast-paced profession in an ever-changing and creative environment. Earning a diploma in digital marketing sets students up with the skills and experience needed to excel in this rapidly growing field, opening them up to the possibilities of high wages, flexible schedules, and working with cutting edge technology. In this article we will discuss three of the promising career paths you can pursue within the digital marketing realm, post-graduation:

• SEO Specialist
• Social Media Manager
• Content Marketer

Additionally, we’ll explore how Sundance College can play a pivotal role in kickstarting your journey into the field of digital marketing.

Anyone looking into joining the world of digital marketing should expect to use a combination of the technical and creative parts of their brain, with some roles requiring more analytical skills and others requiring more out-of-the-box thinking. With that in mind, let’s explore some of those entry-level job roles:

Become an SEO Specialist with your Digital Marketing Diploma

An SEO (Search Engine Optimization) specialist is a professional with expertise in optimizing websites to improve their visibility on search engines like Google and Yahoo. This often includes researching keywords and analyzing competitors to attract organic traffic and enhance overall online presence. They are often required to possess a deep understanding of search engine algorithms and best practices and are expected to keep on top of industry trends to help websites rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). 

Taking SEO specialist diploma courses qualifies individuals to entry-level SEO specialist jobs such as: 

• SEO Assistant
• SEO Coordinator
• Junior SEO Specialist
• SEO Analyst

These roles often play a supporting part in the overall marketing team and require different levels of technical SEO knowledge. As individuals gain more experience and expertise in this area of digital marketing, they may progress their search engine marketing (SEM) careers to titles like SEO specialist, SEO strategist, or SEO manager.

Apply Your Digital Marketing Diploma as a Social Media Manager

All businesses today use at least one social media channel to promote their brand. This means that they need the expertise of a social media manager to implement, oversee, and monitor campaigns to produce reports and provide insights into how to gain followers, reach a wider audience, and ultimately promote their product or service. The role of a social media manager often involves metric analysis, social media strategic planning, and content creation. This is one of the most diverse roles in the marketing team, as social media relies equally on technical knowledge and creativity.

A social media manager course will train individuals in the basics and best practices to successfully run social media accounts. Before reaching their goal of becoming social media managers, diploma-holders should expect to get their first start in this field as a social media coordinator or social media assistant. With more experience and skills, their social media marketing careers can progress to social media manager or social media strategist positions. 

Pursue a Career in Content Marketing with your Digital Marketing Diploma

Upon completing a digital marketing diploma, graduates can choose to specialize in the creation, distribution, and promotion of valuable and relevant content aimed at engaging the specific target audience that their company is looking to reach. This role is commonly referred to as a content marketer.

The role of a content marketer is to research, plan, and generate the content that will lead to profitable customer actions. For example, writing blogs that will draw more visitors to the company website, or producing webinars that will help to give potential customers more information about the products or services the company provides. 

The actions taken by content marketers are often driven by one of three goals: increasing brand awareness, generating leads, or fostering customer loyalty. They use different mediums across multiple platforms and are expected to use their creative skills daily, while also having good technical knowledge of analytics and metrics. 

Entry-level content marketing opportunities such as content marketing assistants and content coordinators may progress to roles with titles such as content marketing specialist, content marketing manager, or content strategist as their experience and expertise increases.

Why Pursue a Digital Marketing Diploma?  

A digital marketing diploma program should be on an individual’s radar as it equips them with essential knowledge of digital marketing. It also teaches contemporary techniques, and foundational technical knowledge. It allows students to enhance their creative skills and positions them for success in a high-demand industry that offers good earning potential.

Is There A Demand For Digital Marketers? 

The digital marketing industry has been expanding and growing for quite some time and shows no signs of slowing down. In 2022, the digital marketing industry in Canada recorded $14.7 billion in ad revenue. This financial milestone highlights the trend of businesses shifting their focus towards marketing on digital platforms to keep up with the changing world and the preferences of online users.  As such, job opportunities in digital marketing for qualified professionals are expected to increase to keep up with the demand.

What Are The Opportunities Available After Obtaining A Digital Marketing Diploma? 

The digital marketing industry offers abundant post-digital marketing diploma jobs spanning across all sectors including healthcare, retail, finance, and technology. As well as the three professions previously mentioned in this article, a diploma in digital marketing may help qualify individuals find roles within the following disciplines:

• Email Marketing
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Copywriting
• Content Writing
• Social Media Marketing
• Advertising
• Search Engine Marketing (SEM) 

In today’s competitive job market, individuals possessing the necessary skills in these fields are highly sought after. Among the most coveted roles are SEO specialists, social media managers, and content marketers.

How Much Can I Earn Through Digital Marketing? 

Digital marketing diploma graduates can anticipate promising earning potential.  

The following provides some examples of current average base wages. Remember, salaries will vary depending upon the industry, the province and city, and, of course career advancement: 

Social Media Coordinator

• A Social Media Coordinator can expect to earn an average base salary of around $55,361 in Alberta and $54,960 in B.C.
• When promoted to Social Media Manager in Alberta, the salary increases to around $62,897, while it is $64,389 in B.C. 

SEO Specialist

• An entry-level Junior SEO Specialist can expect an average base pay of around $48,632 depending on the province that they are working in.
• When promoted, an SEO Specialist can earn $67,403 in Alberta and $67,851 in B.C.

Content Marketer

• A content writer in B.C. can expect to earn $62,223 and $58,377 in Alberta. 
• Once promoted to a Content Strategist, salaries can increase to $73,644 in Alberta and $79,453 in B.C. 

Holding a digital marketing diploma opens doors to entry-level inbound marketing careers within the field, and as professionals gain experience, opportunities for promotion often result in an increase of earnings.

How Can I Prepare for a Career in Digital Marketing?

Aspiring digital marketers should look to cultivate 11 crucial skills for success, increasing their digital marketing career options. A digital marketing diploma serves as a valuable resource for acquiring these competencies and to begin creating a digital marketing portfolio. 

When seeking a digital marketing diploma program, prioritize courses that offer fundamental knowledge encompassing:

• data analytics in digital marketing
• search engine optimization and rankings
• social media dynamics
• and web marketing.

These digital marketing courses equip individuals for entry-level employment and success in this rapidly evolving landscape. An ideal program typically spans about a year, incorporating practical work experience to allow students to apply industry experience, as well as theoretical knowledge, effectively in their new roles. 

Earn Your Digital Marketing Diploma with Sundance College

Sundance College’s Commerce: Digital Marketing and Social Media Management program is designed to guide students in creating a brand, whether it be a store, service, or concept, from inception through to execution and management, bringing it to life through comprehensive and well-designed marketing plans.

The curriculum in our program is purposefully designed to develop the skills essential for career success, encompassing design elements like branding and logo creation, research, website development, social media strategy, and analytics.

This flexible program can be completed in-person or online in less than a year, offering a blend of theory-based courses delivered in small class sizes by industry-experienced instructors. This is followed by five weeks of practicum training at an established firm to gain practical industry experience. 

Sundance College graduate Randa M., remarked, ” At first, I thought it would be difficult to do all of my Digital Marketing coursework on time with two children, My instructors are really nice and always happy to help when I need it. All the course materials are well-organized, so I never felt lost locating anything. I had a fantastic year as a student at Sundance College.” 

Take your first step toward a career in Social Media Management, Content Marketing, or SEO Analytics by filling out our information request form, and our admissions advisors will reach out to discuss this opportunity further.