Considered working as an Internet Marketing Manager? This interview will take you through the ups and downs you can expect in the position, what it takes to land the job, what you can expect to earn and more. This is a true career story as told to MarketingJobs.org (for the Gr1innovations blog) and is one of many interviews with marketing professionals which among others include Marketing & Media Relations and VP Marketing.
What is your job title and what industry do you work in? How many years of experience do you have in that field?
My career position includes creating and executing marketing plans for small businesses that are mostly web-based. I spend roughly 8-10 hours a day creating web copy, researching search trends and creating marketing plans. Many people think that web marketing is just about using the right keywords to get web traffic but our jobs are much more than that.
On a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate your job satisfaction? What would it take to unleash your full enthusiasm, talent and productivity?
On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate my job satisfaction at a 10. I enjoy what I do and I get to use the full range of my creativity. Sometimes it doesn’t even feel like work.
Does this job move your heart? Feel like you found your calling or sweet spot in life? If not, what might do it for you?
I definitely feel that this job is my calling. I started out looking for a career as a writer, and with the evolution of the Internet, becoming skilled in marketing just followed naturally. I love what I do and I look forward to learning about the new changes in web marketing every day.
Is there anything unique about your situation that readers should know when considering your experiences or accomplishments?
The one thing that is unique about my experience is that I didn’t start out looking to go into marketing. With my journalism background, however, the opportunity just seemed to fit naturally. Careers sometimes happen that way. From fields you never expected to enter.
How did you get started in this line of work? If you could go back and do it differently, what would you change?
I initially wanted to be a newspaper reporter but found that the newspaper market was difficult to break into. I started taking freelancing jobs in writing and found that I had a natural talent for it. If there is anything I would do differently, it would have been to take more classes in business management. Freelancing is a lot like running a business and those skills would have helped me tremendously.
What did you learn the hard way in this job and how did that happen?
I learned the hard way that it’s not enough to just be good at something. There are a lot of people who are better than you, more talented and more skilled than you are. You have to learn to sell yourself, especially in competitive markets. I learned to create a personal brand and market it.
What don’t they teach in school that would’ve been helpful to you?
The single most important thing I’ve learned outside of school about the working world is that you can’t limit yourself to one skill. You have to be versatile and multi-talented. You have to be able to fulfill many roles and do a lot of jobs. The days of getting one job and performing one task are over.
What’s the strangest thing that ever happened to you in this job?
The strangest thing that ever happened to be in this job was doing a marketing event for a celebrity client. We had a limited time to get everything done and we had to meet a lot of demands. I had to run all around the city looking for one of those big checks for their ribbon cutting ceremony. It was stressful at the time but now that I look back on it, it was big fun.
What’s the most rewarding moment you’ve experienced in this position? Of all the things you’ve done at work, what are you most proud of?
I get up and go to work every day with a smile on my face. I get paid to do something I love. How many people can actually say that? I always feel proud when something I’ve written or created helps a business earn more money. I like helping small business owners.
What’s the most challenging moment you’ve experienced? What would you prefer to forget?
Every day brings a new set of challenges. There are those clients that don’t understand how we work and get upset when they don’t see instant results. Then there are those times when we have to try several different methods to get things to work the way we planned. It gets rough some days.
How stressful is your job? Are you able to maintain a comfortable or healthy work-life balance?
Overall, I would say that my job is pretty low-stress. We all wear jeans to the office and a lot of us work from home part-time. We have a basketball hoop in our office and we take frequent coffee breaks. It’s fun.
What’s a rough salary range for the position you hold? Are you paid enough and/or happy living within your means?
As a marketing manager, my salary range is between $55,000 and $85,000. I live in a major metropolitan city so that generally skews the range upward. For people who work for themselves, that figure can easily be doubled.
How much vacation do you take? Is it enough?
I generally take about two to three weeks of vacation time per year. Sometimes I take my laptop and work from the beach. When I do that, I can take an extra week of vacation time.
What education and skills do you need to get hired and succeed in this field?
Generally you need a bachelor’s degree in business or written communication to succeed in Internet marketing. However, many Internet marketers are self-taught and are more skilled than their more educated counterparts. When you’re studying toward a career in marketing, it helps to take courses that specifically address Internet marketing techniques.
What would you tell a friend considering your line of work?
If I had a friend considering Internet marketing as a career, I would definitely tell them to go for it. The field is only expected to grow in the future. With new advances in social media marketing and mobile marketing, there is a huge demand for professionals that can assist small businesses in their marketing efforts. You don’t necessarily have to get a four-year degree to learn internet marketing. There are many conferences, webinars and internship opportunities that will assist you in learning the craft. If I had a friend considering Internet marketing, I would let them know that the time to act is now.
If you could write your own ticket, what would you like to be doing in five years?
If I could write my own ticket, I would be retired in five years, sitting on a beach.
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