8 Best Entry-Level Digital Marketing Jobs (2023)

This is a great time to get an entry-level digital marketing job — according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, an average of about 35,000 advertising, promotions, and marketing manager openings are projected each year from now through 2031. At the same time, the pandemic spurred people to shop online significantly more, driving companies to hire digital marketers to help them compete.

This is good news for you because opportunities for entry-level digital marketers, including freelancers, have never been better. And many positions offer the flexibility of working remotely from any location.

It’s easier than you might think to learn how to get started, and you don’t need a college degree or experience. Let’s take a look at eight of the best entry-level digital marketing opportunities.

What are the Best Entry-Level Marketing Jobs?

1. Run Facebook and Instagram Ads

In contrast to creating printed advertising — like newspaper ads and billboards — a digital marketer creates advertising online through social media, websites, email campaigns, apps, and more. The job title of digital marketer encompasses dozens of different specialized roles from the creative to the analytical, but let’s focus first on running ads on two of the world’s biggest platforms for reaching customers: Facebook and Instagram.

What skills do I need?

For this entry-level digital marketing job, you’ll need to learn how to create effective ads for local businesses and set them up to run on Facebook and Instagram. You will also need to know how to land clients, but once you get the first one it generally gets easier to build your business.

How do I get started?

You don’t need a marketing degree or experience to get going, but you do need some core skills. We definitely recommend taking an online course to learn the ropes. 

2. Social Media Marketing 

In addition to running ads, companies hire social media marketers to set up their profiles and oversee the way a brand is presented across multiple social platforms.  These managers also plan a schedule for posting and may produce videos, shorts, or visual content like Pinterest boards or infographics.

What skills do I need?

Social media managers do more than create eye-catching posts that get likes and shares. They also analyze data to see what types of posts are getting results in a constantly changing market. You’ll need to learn applications like Google Data to see what’s trending, and then lean on your storytelling and trust-building skills to help maintain relationships with your clients.

How do I get started?

If your own social media presence could use some updating, start there to make sure you are marketing yourself in an appealing and consistent way across major mediums like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Depending on the type of client you want to work for, you may also want to tweak your LinkedIn or TikTok profiles.

To get clients, social media marketers can create a profile on job sites like FlexJobs, Upwork, or Fiverr. Check out our reviews of FlexJobs and Upwork to learn more. 

3. Email Marketing

When customers subscribe to mailing lists, businesses email them with company news, product releases, and more. It might surprise you how effectively this leads to sales. Entry-level email marketers write and format these types of emails but they also use applications to test click rates, and other measures of effectiveness. 

What skills do I need?

You’ll need to learn email automation software so you can schedule emails to send regularly. It helps to get familiar with email templates so you can generate branded emails quickly and consistently. You’ll also need to learn tracking software to help companies know what’s working. Some common tools are MailChimp or ActiveCampaign.

How do I get started?

This work can get pretty technical, but you can find dozens of free tutorials online to help you. You can also learn on the job, especially if you have already built a relationship with a business doing other digital marketing duties. Bone up on how to start freelancing, too, to find email marketing  jobs that let you set your own hours and work from home. 

4. SEO Specialist or SEO Writer

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the practice of designing a website, article, blog, or other digital channel to maximize how quickly it comes up in a search on Google or other search engines. Digital marketers study keyword trends and user intent to know what will generate a high ranking and maximum visibility.  

SEO writing is another aspect of this work, in which you produce written content usually at the direction of an SEO specialist or editor.

What skills do I need?

Marketers who focus on SEO will need to be comfortable with Ahrefs and SEMrush. You may also need a good working knowledge of Google Analytics and Google Search Console.

How do I get started?

Take a look at SEO courses online. Some are free and some require a small investment but they may save you time on the learning curve. We recommend  SEO for Writers, especially if you want to specialize in SEO for bloggers.

5. Content Marketing 

Content marketing is also known as Content Specialist, Content Creator, and Content Producer, all of which are variations on this concept: creating written information about a company’s brand, products, or services. 

The content you prepare for this entry-level digital marketing job could take the form of website copy, blog articles, emails, videos, social media posts, e-books, white papers, and more. 

As you gain experience, you may work into the role of Content Strategist and will focus more on creating an overall marketing plan for getting customers, as opposed to creating content.

What skills do I need?

Your writing and editing skills and your understanding of SEO optimization will help you compete for these jobs. In addition, it helps if you get familiar with data analytical tools like Google Data Studio, Ahrefs, and Datorama. You can dive into free tutorials or invest in a certification course online to set yourself apart from the competition.

How do I get started?

“Content” is such a broad term, so take the time to think about what you might already be able to specialize in. If you’re great at photo captions, then you might focus first on Instagram posts rather than long-form blog articles. Build your profile on freelance sites and check out well-known job sites like FlexJobs, especially if they review all the listings to make sure they’re legit.

6. Influencer Marketing

This entry-level digital marketing job is about connecting social media celebrities with your brand. Influencers know how to get attention but companies need help from an influencer manager to initiate and maintain these business relationships and set clear expectations and strategic goals. 

What skills do I need?

Strong communication, organizational talents, and relationship-building skills are critical. If you also have a knack for working with big personalities, that goes a long way. Combine that with your talent for maximizing social media strategies to drive traffic toward your client’s brand, and you’ll be indispensable. 

How do I get started?

To build effective influencer campaigns, take a look at who you follow and click on over and over. If you can identify why people keep coming back to that influencer, you can craft outreach strategies that work. You can list your services on freelance websites and on social media and start with a small local business and a local personality.

7. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is an entry-level digital marketing job built on partnerships. You team up with a company to market products or services. When potential customers click on the link you provide, you earn a commission. Or you can work as the manager of affiliate relationships, helping to find the right influencers to promote your client’s brand.

What skills do I need?

Relationship-builders will thrive in this niche, especially if you are great at identifying and recruiting talent. The goal is to grow the number of affiliates but also protect the brand.

How do I get started?

Like all of these entry-level digital marketing opportunities, you’ll need to have your own strong online presence to compete, especially if you don’t have experience or a college degree in the field. Build a compelling personal website and then direct clients to it via your freelance profile and professional sites like LinkedIn.

8. Pay-Per-Click Marketing

You make money through Pay-Per-Click (PPC) marketing when internet users click on digital ads they find through their search engine. 

What skills do I need?

This role is sometimes called a Paid Ads Manager or Entry-Level Paid Search Coordinator, but the mission is the same: you use Google Ads, Bing Ads, and Facebook ads as well as keyword research to create ads that get clicks.

How do I get started?

You can get certified in search engine ads online and then seek out an apprenticeship with a PPC manager. It also pays to do some research before launching this or any new digital marketing business to get pro tips from successful entrepreneurs.

Final Word

You probably already have a lot of the skills you need to start making money in digital marketing, so focus on your strengths first. If you’re great at social media, you can market yourself to business owners who need to expand their brand on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and TikTok. If writing or editing comes easy for you, email and content marketing might suit you best. 

Succeeding over the long-term in digital marketing will require leveling-up your skills and knowledge of analytical tools like Google Data. You can learn some of these higher skills on the job but it’s worth investing the time in tutorials and e-courses to master the tools of the trade.