Online marketing is one of the great new genres of marketing to have been born out of the digital revolution. It’s still really in its infancy as degrees and qualifications have only really existed for the last 5 years. That’s not to say that there aren’t candidates out there who have worked for 5 years or more. I know of one candidate who has a 10 year online career incorporating a lot of online marketing elements yet no formal online qualifications. As the online world moves so quickly, this amount of experience is in itself enough for many employers within digital recruitment.

Looking for or enhancing a career in online marketing

So if you’re looking for a career in online marketing or looking to get ahead in your current online marketing role, you’ll need to understand the roles, responsibilities and salaries that are out there. The salaries will vary according to industry, for example you are likely to earn more working in financial services and B2B organisations. Online retail, online travel and pure online players vary depending on the type and size of company. Many corporate clients that I recruit for recognise the need to get good quality candidate on board and as a result are prepared to offer good packages.

Understanding the different online marketing roles

The main focus of online marketing jobs, fall roughly into acquisition and retention or loyalty. Depending on how a team is set up, you may have roles that focus on only one aspect such as PPC Managers, focusing on acquisition or Email Managers tasked with managing retention and loyalty schemes. The majority of online marketing roles cover a broad range of functions that often have dotted lines between acquisition and retention. Some roles also involve looking after part of or the entire website or micro-site, often crossing over with traditional Web Manager roles, but with a less technical focus.

Job title and career expectations within online and digital marketing

From my experience online marketing roles and salaries fall roughly into the following:

• Online marketing assistant

An entry level role and can also be described as; PPC Assistant, SEO Executive, Affiliate Assistant, Digital Assistant, Online Assistant, Online Acquisition Assistant, Email Marketing Assistant.

Salaries anywhere from £15k up to £25k

• Online marketing executive

A step up from an online marketing assistant role that usually involves working closely with the online or offline marketing manager. Other variations may include Digital Marketing Executive, PPC Executive, SEO Executive, Affiliate Executive, Online Advertising Executive, Partnership Executive, Online Acquisition Executive, Email Marketing Executive.

Salaries could range from £25 - £30k

• Online marketing managers

The role may be responsible for a small team or for a website and an online product. The types of roles also include Digital Marketing Manager, SEO & PPC Manager, Search Manager, Email Manager, Acquisition Manager, Retention & Loyalty Manager.

Salaries at this level tend to vary more, usually ranging from £30 - £50k

• Head of online marketing

At this level, a role usually becomes more strategically responsible for spending a marketing budget across all online channels and will often manage a team of online marketing executives/managers. Variations include: Head of Online Marketing, Head of Marketing, Head of Digital Marketing, Head of Customer Acquisition, Head of Online Acquisition.

You can expect a salary in the region of between £50- 70k

• Online marketing director

At this level, you are likely to be responsible for P&L for a website(s), online product and will usually oversee all marketing (acquisition and retention). It is not unusual at this level to include offline/multi-channel and customer services responsibility. Variations include Head of Online, Director of Online, Marketing Director, Director of Direct Sales, Online Sales Director.

Salaries vary from £80k +

So if you’re excited by the prospect of a long term career in online marketing and need to gain more experience in a new role, or want to take the next step up the career ladder, then please get in touch with us at puregenie.com. You may also want to check out our training and qualification page for advice on some of the best courses out there for the digital space. Good Luck!