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What is a digital marketing consultant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted experts
Dr. Gail Hudson Ph.D.,
Michelle R. Eubanks
introduction image

Despite a marketing team's best efforts, they may still need help with the digital marketing aspect of their processes. This is where a digital marketing consultant comes in. They help companies create more effective digital marketing campaigns, identify weaknesses, develop best digital marketing practices, and formulate solutions for existing areas for improvement.

A big part of this job is telling what other people should do to meet their goals, but it also involves a lot of collaboration with the different teams of the company, especially the marketing team. That said, a digital marketing consultant spends most of their time communicating with relevant team members, helping them understand the problems, and assisting them in the implementation of the solutions.

The typical minimum requirement for this job is a bachelor's degree in marketing, communications, or something similar. As a consultancy job, this also requires years of industry experience to prove credibility and reliability to clients.

A digital marketing consultant may work independently or as part of a business consultancy firm. Either way, their average salary is around $31 an hour or $67,000 per year.

What general advice would you give to a digital marketing consultant?

Dr. Gail Hudson Ph.D.Dr. Gail Hudson Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Director, College of Business Internship Program, Arkansas State University

As the world has shown us most recently, we need to be flexible as the marketplace can change, without warning.
The need to differentiate yourself from others will always be necessary, so keep learning while you are in school and beyond.
I believe that technology and social media skills will continue to be necessary. Seek and achieve as many certifications as possible to hone these skills and differentiate yourself in the market.
ScoreDigital Marketing ConsultantUS Average
Salary
5.6

Avg. Salary $71,064

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
4.9

Growth rate 19%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
3.0
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.13%

Asian 10.21%

Black or African American 5.14%

Hispanic or Latino 12.27%

Unknown 4.99%

White 67.26%

Gender

female 42.04%

male 57.96%

Age - 34
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 34
Stress level
4.9

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.2

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
4.6

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Digital marketing consultant career paths

Key steps to become a digital marketing consultant

  1. Explore digital marketing consultant education requirements

    Most common digital marketing consultant degrees

    Bachelor's

    76.0 %

    Master's

    13.4 %

    Associate

    7.1 %
  2. Start to develop specific digital marketing consultant skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Digital Marketing31.26%
    Social Media Marketing4.46%
    CRM3.83%
    Email Marketing3.46%
    Customer Service3.29%
  3. Complete relevant digital marketing consultant training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New digital marketing consultants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a digital marketing consultant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real digital marketing consultant resumes.
  4. Research digital marketing consultant duties and responsibilities

    • Manage the flow of data from website channels into the CRM to ensure accuracy and effectiveness.
    • Manage a $250K media budget to produce over 210K app installs using PPC, CPE, and CPM advertising.
    • Process and manage contact information in CRM software applications.
    • Develop and optimize results-driven social marketing and branding initiatives while managing budget and tracking ROI.
  5. Prepare your digital marketing consultant resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your digital marketing consultant resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a digital marketing consultant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable digital marketing consultant resume templates

    Build a professional digital marketing consultant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your digital marketing consultant resume.
    Digital Marketing Consultant Resume
    Digital Marketing Consultant Resume
    Digital Marketing Consultant Resume
    Digital Marketing Consultant Resume
    Digital Marketing Consultant Resume
    Digital Marketing Consultant Resume
    Digital Marketing Consultant Resume
    Digital Marketing Consultant Resume
    Digital Marketing Consultant Resume
  6. Apply for digital marketing consultant jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a digital marketing consultant job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first digital marketing consultant job

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Average digital marketing consultant salary

The average digital marketing consultant salary in the United States is $71,064 per year or $34 per hour. Digital marketing consultant salaries range between $49,000 and $101,000 per year.

Average digital marketing consultant salary
$71,064 Yearly
$34.17 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do digital marketing consultants rate their job?

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Digital marketing consultant reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2020
Pros

The ability to do tasks in a lot of different areas of marketing

Cons

Having to work with clients


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019
Cons

Unreasonable deadlines.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2019
Pros

I love being able to analyze large amounts of data and present it in simple ways to management.

Cons

I don't like how much I have to stare at a computer. But, that's the world we live in now - ruled by Digital Media!


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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