Digital Marketing Salary: What Can You Expect in 2024?

Digital marketers use a variety of digital channels to promote products, build brand awareness, draw in consumers, design advertising campaigns, and more. Digital marketers are integral members of marketing teams, and companies often look to their digital marketers to gain key insights to make company decisions. Successful digital marketers must often use creative and analytical skills, and many people are drawn to it because of the position’s fast-paced and rewarding nature.

If you’re beginning your digital marketing job search or considering a new career in this field, you might be wondering how much digital marketers make in 2023 and beyond. The good news is digital marketers in the UK often make salaries above the national average, which was reported to be about £33,000 in 2022 by the UK Office for National Statistics [1]. According to Glassdoor, London's average digital marketing manager salary is £53,961, nearly £20,000 higher than the national average [2]. 

Digital marketing salaries can vary from one role, company, or industry to another, especially considering the range of functions within digital marketing. According to Hubspot’s 2022 State of Marketing report, the top channels include social media, web/blog, email marketing, content marketing, influencer marketing, and SEO marketing [3]. 

Digital marketing salaries in 2023

Depending on your role and preferred channels, the job title may vary. For example, if you primarily use social media to reach consumers. In that case, your job title may be “social media manager,” while a digital marketer who works with influencers might be considered an “influencer marketing manager.” 

Your average salary may vary depending on your job title and responsibilities. For common job titles within digital marketing, here is what you can expect to make on average living in London, UK:

Digital marketing manager

Median annual salary: £53,961 in London, UK [2]

Key job responsibility:  Implementing a company’s digital marketing strategies to reach target audiences.

Social media manager

Median annual salary: £39,619 in London, UK [4]

Key job responsibility:  Maintaining a company’s social media presence and overseeing social media marketing campaigns.

Content manager

Median annual salary: £48,108 in London, UK [5]

Key job responsibility:  Overseeing the development of strategic content to inform and attract audiences.

Influencer marketing manager

Median annual salary: £54,149 in London, UK [6]

Key job responsibility:  Building influencer partnerships for a company and optimising influencer marketing campaigns.

SEO manager

Median annual salary: £48,171 in London, UK [7]

Key job responsibility: Overseeing a company’s SEO practices and optimising a site to attract more organic traffic.

Read more: 9 Digital Marketing Jobs + How to Get One

What factors affect your digital marketing salary?

Now that you have an idea of salaries for different roles and a framework for exploring your options, you’ll want to consider factors that may affect your earning potential. These include: 

Education

For some digital marketing jobs, having a bachelor’s degree, postgraduate degree, or certifications in high-priority skills leads to a higher salary.  However, many job postings will list “or equivalent experience” for candidates with a non-traditional path.

Experience

Your background in digital marketing may play a role in your earning potential. Experience may include employment, contract or freelance work, or even marketing your own business. Typically, earning potential will grow as you gain more experience.

Role 

Advanced positions in digital marketing, such as senior digital marketing manager (£65,391 [8]), tend to command higher salaries than entry-level or individual contributor positions, such as digital marketing specialist (£48,749 [9]).

Skills 

Having critical digital marketing skills may make you a more attractive job candidate with higher earning potential. Be sure to read job descriptions for required and preferred skills. ZipRecruiter’s Career Keyword Mapper has identified that social media, Google Analytics, search engine optimisation, user experience, and collaboration are among the top skills employers are listing in job descriptions as of November 2022 [10]. 

In addition, talk to recruiters and hiring managers about how your skill set might affect your salary offer.  

Company

Salaries will vary depending on a company’s size, marketing budget, and business goals. For example, large and established companies like Amazon are likely to pay higher salaries on average, while nonprofits or smaller organisations may have lower budgets.

Industry 

The industry you work in could have a large influence on your salary. For example, private sector employees were reported to earn higher wages on average than public sector employees by the UK Office for National Statistics [11]. 

City 

Salaries tend to vary city by city. For example, Glassdoor indicates that a digital marketer in Manchester, UK, can expect to make, on average, £38,140 [12], while someone with the same job title in Gloucester, UK, could make an average of £41,496 [13]. 

4 Digital marketing salary best practices 

As you conduct your job search and advance your digital marketing career, empower yourself with the following salary best practices. By taking consistent action, you can increase your earning potential and career options: 

1. Refine your job search methods.  

Research digital marketing job listings on various career platforms to stay informed about the job market. Here are some questions to guide your research:

• What are the typical digital marketing salaries for this role?

• What are the typical salaries in various industries? 

• What companies are hiring for this role, and how do employees rate them on Glassdoor and other job sites? 

• What can I learn about different companies from reviewing their social media profiles, websites, and customer reviews? 

Take time to explore different job openings and how salary expectations vary. By doing this, you can ensure your expectations align with the role you are pursuing and you can tailor your time intentionally to help you reach your goal.

2. Build skills and gain experience in digital marketing. 

Whether you’re looking for a job or professionalising in your current role, continuing your digital marketing education is always a good idea. Doing so can lead to a more robust resume, higher salary, and greater exposure to organisations’ evolving needs.  

Common ways to continue your education include:

• Taking courses

• Getting certified

• Downloading industry reports and other resources from digital marketing leaders 

• Taking on freelance or contract work, such as designing an email marketing campaign or writing web copy

Read more: 13 Key Marketing Skills to Boost Your CV

3. Build a digital marketing network. 

Having a solid network of fellow digital marketers can make it easier to discover career opportunities, learn about the latest industry trends, find a support system, and gather feedback on your digital marketing projects and endeavours. 

Here are some ways to build your network:

• Follow content creators on social media and reach out to them with questions or ideas. 

• Join professional organisations such as the Data and Marketing Association (DMA).

• Attend conferences and networking events. 

• Participate in online forums and discussion groups. 

• Reach out to digital marketing course instructors and classmates. 

4. Monitor digital marketing trends. 

Industry trends in digital marketing are important to watch because they can signal shifts in consumer behaviour and opportunities to market to consumers more effectively. For example, Hubspot’s Marketing Trends report indicates that influencer marketing was the top emerging trend of 2022 [3].

Ask yourself these questions: 

• What connections exist between digital marketing trends, job openings across industries, and salaries? 

• Are companies allocating more of their marketing budget to hiring digital marketers with expertise in what’s trending? 

• How might I discuss with my current employer ways our team can respond to trends and improve our marketing strategy? 

• What marketing methods can I practice on my own, or when taking on a freelance project, to increase my value for employers? 

Build digital marketing skills with Coursera.

Online courses can be a great way to learn more about digital marketing, discover career opportunities, and become job-ready. By learning top digital marketing skills, you can set yourself out to employers and increase your chances of landing your first gig. Become job-ready with SEO, SEM, email marketing, e-commerce, and more skills with the Google Digital Marketing and E-Commerce Professional Certificate.