How to get hired at a top Digital Marketing Agency
Agency life. We’ve all seen the photos posted on social media – the cool offices, the unique culture, the Silicon Valley…
04.12.23
How to get hired at a top Digital Marketing Agency
Agency life. We’ve all seen the photos posted on social media – the cool offices, the unique culture, the Silicon Valley-like perks, the cool clients. What the photos don’t show are the long days, the fast pace, the constant learning, the ability to wear many different hats for different clients and the defeat of having your ideas and work picked apart by clients.
Takes a special breed to not only work at an agency, but to thrive and succeed. While some prefer the ability to hyper-focus on one brand and one specific task like many client-side jobs provide, we love the rush that agency life brings. But hey, we are that the special breed.
Are you serious about getting into an agency? At Vital, we are looking for go-getters that set themselves apart and show (not just say) that they have a passion for digital marketing. Here are just a few of the things that we are looking for and the questions you need to ask yourself in order to best position yourself for a successful career within an agency.
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Are You a Life-Long Learner/Self Educator?
Digital marketing changes at the speed of light. To be successful, you need to be a self-educator that builds self-education into your daily practice and ritual. We aren’t just looking to see what you’ve been formally taught, we are interested in what you do day-to-day to better yourself.
If you’re new to the industry, the first place to start is taking advantage of all of the free online resources and specifically the free certificate-based programs. We are listing a few here, but your career aspirations and interests should dictate what paths you pursue (SEO, PPC, SEM, copywriting, technology, project management etc.)
- Google Analytics Certification – Google Analytics is the most widely used web analytics service on the internet. They offer a variety of trainings and certifications.
- HubSpot Inbound Certification – This is a core certification that every potential digital marketing professional should acquire. In addition, HubSpot offers other relevant certifications and trainings.
- Copyblogger Membership (Free) – Copyblogger is one of the leaders on content marketing theories and principles. Great for not just copywriters, but digital marketers in general. They offer free trainings and curriculums.
Everyone learns differently and there are literally thousands of great resources available for all types of learners (listeners, readers, watchers, visualizers). We can’t tell you what will work for you, but here are 10 resources that we would start with. Following these 10 blogs will lead to a whole new world of exploration that works for you as you develop new habits and daily practices necessary to be successful now and in the future.
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Are You an Active Participant in Your Future Profession?
The idea of “showing and not telling” is crucial in landing a career in today’s marketing world. It’s easy to say you are doing something, but is far more impactful if you are able to show it instead. A good example is having a blog. Simply saying “yeah I like to blog” is no longer enough. These days agencies want to see you have a blog and want to know that you’re continually making an effort to update it.
While web design and development can be very complicated, setting up your own blog does not have to be. Anyone can setup a personalized blog quickly and easily using WordPress.
Think of your blog as your own personalized sandbox to try new things, see what works and improve your overall knowledge of digital marketing. It will teach you the basics of content strategy, understanding analytics, conversion, list building and content distribution.
The number one question that everyone asks is what do I write about? The answer to this question will depend on where your passions and interests lie. Love craft beer? Start a blog about craft beer. Love yoga? Start a blog about yoga. The goal isn’t to build the world’s best blog about yoga; it’s to learn and build the daily practice needed to succeed at an agency. Still not sure what to write about, use it as a personalized journal of what you are learning and how it relates to your goal of finding your dream job within an agency.
