What to expect from your first job in a digital marketing agency

As a student leaving university, searching for your first job can be daunting. As a marketing student in Sydney, Australia the idea of a career in digital marketing sounds simple, yet when you enter the digital marketing space, you’re exposed to things that are unheard of. Pay Per Click (PPC), Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) are amongst the many areas which as a graduate you aren’t familiar with.

When I began my career at a digital media agency, I couldn’t keep my nerves hidden. The fast pace, the clients and what seemed to be unrealistic expectations, were all new to me. It was scary and yet somewhat satisfying knowing the impact I as an upcoming digital marketer can have on one’s business. It was also great knowing that over time my nerves will settle, and like my colleagues I’d be able to execute a campaign to the best of my ability without the sweaty palms.

Working in digital marketing the first thing you notice is how quickly things change. I began my career working closely with the Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) team, analyzing backlink profiles and identifying areas which we could improve to rank higher on the search engine results page(s). By the end of my first week we noticed that there was a Google algorithm update. Curious as to what that means, I did a quick search and simply put, I discovered that Google algorithm updates happen quite often and are implemented so that the most relevant results to a user’s search query appears. These algorithm changes can significantly influence the ranking of one’s website. 

What you’ll also notice early on in your career is the needs of a client. The needs of a client changes quickly, their decision can be influenced by anything. In the digital world, with ever-changing technology comes ever changing needs. As a digital marketer, your ability to react to change will impact your success.

In such a competitive world, markets are always changing especially when new competitors are introduced. This can have a significant impact on many aspects of digital marketing, in particular, Paid Search. When running Google ads campaigns, a competitor’s ad can appear overnight with no warning, significantly influencing the number of consumers being drawn to your site. Again, your ability as a digital marketer to adapt to this change will determine not only your success but the success of your campaign.

The reach of the internet is endless, the fast pace of the digital world is exhilarating. Regardless of being new to the marketing space or a long-time veteran, the feeling of running a successful campaign for yourself or a client is very rewarding. The never-ending learning, the ever-changing consumer and the competitiveness of the market ensures that no two days are the same.