9 Digital Marketing Jobs + How to Get One

Digital marketing refers to using the internet and digital technologies to reach audiences. It is a rapidly growing and evolving industry. 

According to HubSpot’s 2024 State of Marketing Trends Report, the top three marketing channels for business-to-consumer (B2C) brands are social media, email, and web/blogging [1]. Echoing this trend, Statista reports that digital advertising made up 67 percent of global ad revenue in 2022 [2]. The projection is set to rise to 73 percent by 2028 [2].

Benefits of becoming a digital marketer

Digital marketing can be a rewarding career for several reasons, including: 

• Using the latest marketing technology and methods

• Leveraging a broad range of skills and experience, including creativity and strategic thinking 

• Having a variety of career options with attractive salaries 

Read on to discover nine digital marketing jobs and steps you can take to land a position you love. 

9 digital marketing jobs 

The following list highlights digital marketing jobs in Canada by level of seniority—entry-level, mid-level, and senior—to give you an idea of the variety of job titles and potential for career development in the digital marketing industry.

For each digital marketing career, you’ll find the average Canadian salary (not including additional pay such as commission, profit sharing, or cash bonuses), typical responsibilities, and required qualifications. This data is sourced from Glassdoor, Salary.com, ZipRecruiter, Job Bank Canada, and Indeed as of November 2024. Use this list as a model to help guide your research process. 

Entry-level digital marketing jobs 

1. Digital marketing assistant 

What they earn: $56,606 CAD [3]

What they do: Support the digital marketing manager and team; conduct research and report findings; help craft digital marketing campaigns. 

General qualifications: Degree in marketing, communications, or a related field; familiarity with digital marketing, social media, and e-commerce. 

2. Search engine optimization (SEO) writer 

What they earn: $47,655 CAD [4]

What they do: Develop SEO content for websites; conduct keyword research; update existing content; monitor web page rankings in search engine results.

General qualifications: Degree in marketing, English, or related field; knowledge of search engine optimization and how search engines work; knowledge of SEO research tools; writing and blogging skills; familiarity with social media.

2. Social media specialist 

What they earn: $46,517 CAD [5]

What they do: Create and publish social media content on behalf of an organization; maintain an organization's social media pages; track analytics; build relationships with social media followers.

General qualifications: Degree in marketing, communications, or related field; understanding of business applications of social media platforms; knowledge of social media metrics. 

Mid-level digital marketing jobs

4. SEO/SEM (search engine marketing) manager

What they earn: $65,024 CAD [6]

What they do: Research and implement methods to increase website traffic; monitor competitor SEO/SEM strategies; refine a website’s keywords, layout, and content; execute PPC (pay-per-click) techniques.

General qualifications: Degree in marketing, business, IT, or related field; analytical skills; understanding of SEO/SEM tools; writing and communication skills. 

5. Content manager

What they earn: $58,416 CAD [7]

What they do: Create content to raise brand awareness; manage a content team; gather data about target markets; implement content marketing strategies.  

General qualifications: Degree in marketing, English, or related field; agency experience; understanding of SEO best practices; knowledge of content management systems. 

6. Digital marketing manager 

What they earn: $56,833 CAD [8]

What they do: Oversee an organization’s digital marketing strategy; manage marketing campaigns and evaluate performance; develop new digital marketing strategies.

General qualifications: Degree in marketing, business, or related field; experience using content management systems; project management skills; certifications in social media and Google AdWords (preferred). 

Senior-level digital marketing jobs  

7. Digital marketing director

What they earn: $56,606 CAD [9]

What they do: Oversee an organization’s entire digital marketing strategy; analyze the success of marketing campaigns; stay current on marketing trends. 

General qualifications: Degree in marketing, business, or related field; data analysis; comprehensive knowledge of digital marketing, from social media to e-commerce.

8. Executive director of marketing 

What they earn: $100,281 CAD [10]

What they do: Oversee marketing operations; manage an annual budget for allocating marketing resources; build and manage relationships with media outlets; set marketing department goals; implement new technologies. 

General qualifications: Degree in marketing, business, or related field; team leadership; marketing management; marketing technology knowledge.

9. Chief marketing officer 

What they earn: $148,686 CAD [11]

What they do: Oversee an organization’s marketing program; supervise marketing managers; establish departmental procedures; drive strategy and planning; maintain marketing industry knowledge.

General qualifications: Degree in marketing or related field (MBA often preferred); leadership experience; extensive marketing knowledge.

How to get a job in digital marketing 

1. Obtain a marketing education. 

Taking courses in digital marketing or getting a certification can be a great way to learn in-demand skills and earn a credential employers value. For some digital marketing positions, employers may emphasize experience and skills over post-secondary degrees.

2. Gain digital marketing experience. 

In addition to getting a marketing education, you’ll also need to gain some experience in digital marketing, even for entry-level positions. Common ways to gain experience include getting an internship and working freelance or on a contract. 

To find contract or freelance work in digital marketing, you can:

• Contact your network to ask for referrals and discover opportunities to offer digital marketing services. 

• Search job sites like Workopolis, Monster.ca, Indeed.ca, or LinkedIn specifically for contract and freelance opportunities. 

• Create a profile on freelance platforms to promote your services and find gigs. Start by exploring these sites: MediaBistro, Mayple, Upwork, and Fiverr.

TIP: To keep up the momentum, ask clients for referrals and testimonials for each contract or freelance project you complete.  

3. Build digital marketing skills. 

Through your education and experience, you’ll want to build in-demand digital marketing skills. Jelly Academy surveyed the skills that are most in-demand by professional digital marketers. The most difficult-to-fill positions involved search engine optimization, website development, and ad campaign management [12]. Featuring these skills on your resume can set you apart from other applicants. Jelly Academy also found that 24 per cent of the hiring managers they interviewed were looking for creative problem-solving in potential new hires [12].

Read digital marketing job descriptions for roles that interest you to discover additional skills tailored to your interests. Then, prioritize the skills you want to focus on.  

4. Compile a digital marketing portfolio.

An online portfolio makes it easy to showcase your digital marketing experience in an easy-to-share, visually appealing manner. Basic portfolio components include: 

• An “About” section

• Samples of your work and/or case studies 

• Contact information 

You’ll find several platforms available for building a portfolio website in various price ranges and with a variety of features and templates: 

• Weebly

• Wix 

• Squarespace

4. Optimize your online presence. 

As a job seeker and digital marketer, optimizing your online presence is essential in your job search process. Your online presence is your personal brand and has the potential to express your values, interests, abilities, and what you can offer a potential employer.

Outlined below are five ways to optimize your online presence:

• Use your social media profiles to post content about digital marketing and remove any outdated or irrelevant content to your job search. 

• Shift social media content to posts about your industry, general digital marketing trends, experience, or create. 

• Update your LinkedIn profile with your experience, education, and skills. 

• Consider expanding your portfolio into a more extensive website or blog.

• Link everything to your resume so potential employers can explore your online content. 

5. Look for digital marketing jobs. 

For digital marketing positions, search general job sites such as Workopolis, LinkedIn, Indeed, and Glassdoor. You can also search sites that focus more specifically on marketing or creative jobs, such as Behance, the Canadian Marketing Association (CMA) job board, and Marketing Jobs.   

Collect job listings matching your experience level, career goals, and salary expectations. Gather everything you need to complete applications. Create a schedule for applying. How many jobs will you apply to each week? What tasks must you complete for each one, including tailoring cover letters to each position or producing work samples? 

Build digital marketing skills with Coursera

You can enhance brand recognition through digital marketing and turn target audiences into paying customers. Online courses can be a great way to build skills in digital marketing, discover career opportunities, and become job-ready. Below are three options you can consider to get started: