Are you interested in pursuing a career as a marketing professional?

The marketing industry is constantly transforming to fit the demands of a fast-paced and high-tech consumer base. As a result, job trends in the industry tend to rely on more than just marketing know-how.

Today’s professionals must be able to intertwine digital advertising and promotional skills to develop an effective internet-based marketing plan that competes with the highest ranked brands and businesses.

Although the position comes with a fair share of challenges, its skills are among the hottest in demand.

A report by Forrester Research estimates that digital marketing spending will top $100 billion and account for 35% of all marketing spending by 2019. Overall, the demand for these skills has doubled over the past five years, according to Burning Glass Technologies.

Want to break into the growing field of internet marketing?

Here’s what to expect as an online marketing consultant!

Considering a Career as an Online Marketing Consultant?

There are a lot of reasons to consider a job in the digital marketing arena.

If you have the skills, finding work probably won’t be too difficult. As more and more companies attempt to integrate traditional advertising with the growing number of digital marketing channels, the need for digital marketers is on the rise.

64% of recruiters report a shortage of skilled marketing professionals. This means that there are plenty of jobs available for workers seeking to break into the field.

FlexJobs lists marketing as one of its top seven fields among remote work opportunities.

Due to the high demand for workers and the flexibility offered to employees, Forbes describes digital marketing as a top career pick for those craving a favorable work-life balance.

As a marketing pro, you have the power to change and grow business for others, impacting their success, while adding to your own.

But, before you decide if this is the right career for you, it might help to know what a day in the life of an online marketing consultant looks like.

How a Digital Marketing Professional Spends Their Day

Although an online marketing consultant may not always be able to follow the same daily schedule, it’s important to have an established routine that includes major tasks and responsibilities. Just keep in mind that a client’s urgent request or a critical deadline can cause your routine to veer off-course.

First Things First

Many of today’s online marketers work remotely. But whether you work from an office or from your own home, it’s crucial that you set a time to start your workday.

Three things that a digital marketer should do to start their day includes:

• Prepare, plan, and prioritize your day
• Check and return emails and phone calls
• Make a daily to-do list

It’s always a good idea to spend the first few minutes planning and preparing for the day ahead. Review any upcoming deadlines, appointments, and necessary tasks that need to be tackled.

Next, check emails and phone calls. Return any that require correspondence or make a note of those that need to be returned at a later time.

A short to-do list each day can help you to prioritize what needs to be done and make sure that it gets accomplished.

Social Media Management

Make a habit of incorporating morning posts into your social media management strategy. This ensures that you maintain an active social media presence and that followers receive regular updates from you in their feeds.

Content

Creating content can be one of the more time-consuming tasks in your day. If you set a tentative deadline to begin mid-morning and wrap up around lunch time, you will be free for clients and other projects in the afternoon.

When you have several clients that you produce content for, you have to make sure that you’re techniques are time-efficient. If you get stuck, set the piece aside and come back to it later so that your day isn’t wasted working on one item.

Website/ SEO Maintenance

After lunch, it’s time to review client’s websites and make improvements.

This block of time includes incorporating SEO strategies so that clients sites will climb rankings. If you don’t produce rankings and traffic, your clients won’t be satisfied and you risk losing them to a competing online marketing consultant.

During this time, you’ll research and insert links, images, keywords, descriptions, and titles so that the site is performing at its maximum potential.

Review the content that you have written and edit if necessary. Then post and share any content to be included that day.

Customer Relations

Spend the last part of your day building customer relationships. This may include reaching out to clients, analyzing data, shifting your strategy, or whatever needs your attention in order to get your clients results.

Because you may be dealing with several clients at any given time, you may need to prioritize which clients should receive the highest priority.

New clients should always be prioritized so that you establish your competency. Also, you want to be sure that you pay attention to your major clients and make sure that they are getting the results promised.

What’s Next?

You can get a head start on the next work day by organizing your workspace, filling in your calendar, and making note of any major tasks you have looming.

One of the best things about being an online marketing consultant is that you have the freedom to create a schedule that works for you. If you have a family, an active social life, or other activities that you are involved in this can be a huge plus.

This career is great for people who are results-driven, self-disciplined, and can effectively manage time and meet deadlines.

Want to find out more about the digital marketing industry?

Check out this post on today’s top digital marketing trends!