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What is a digital media strategist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted experts
Kimberly Pichot,
Dr. Veronica Radeva Dawson Ph.D.

The digital media strategist helps companies stay fresh and on top of the latest trends in advertising. As consumer attention moves away from traditional media such as radio and print, the advertising dollar will follow. The digital media strategist makes sure that the ad campaigns are effective and maintain a company's brand.

From analyzing potential client demographics to designing and placing campaigns to tracking their effectiveness, the digital media strategist is involved with every step of a digital advertising campaign. They need to stay on top of the hottest social media and online platforms as well as technological tools like SEO and DoubleClick.

The digital media strategist needs to have the perfect mix of a creative and technically minded brain in order to execute effective ad campaigns online. Most digital media strategists have a bachelor's or master's degree in communication or marketing. However, many of the skills needed to succeed come from on-the-job experience.

What general advice would you give to a digital media strategist?

Kimberly PichotKimberly Pichot LinkedIn profile

Associate Professor of Marketing, Andrews University

If connections were meaningful before, now they are more than crucial. Find ways to connect with marketing professionals, join the American Marketing Association, and join a local chapter. Take the time to build a strong portfolio, develop your brand, and stay out there, no matter how hard it is. And consider starting a side hustle that utilizes your most treasured part of marketing - starting and running a small business while you job hunt will give you some extra skills and push you to new levels.
ScoreDigital Media StrategistUS Average
Salary
4.9

Avg. Salary $62,947

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
7.3

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
6.6
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.59%

Asian 5.33%

Black or African American 10.26%

Hispanic or Latino 12.13%

Unknown 5.11%

White 66.58%

Gender

female 57.76%

male 42.24%

Age - 40
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 - 40
Stress level
7.3

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.8

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
3.8

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Digital media strategist career paths

Key steps to become a digital media strategist

  1. Explore digital media strategist education requirements

    Most common digital media strategist degrees

    Bachelor's

    87.2 %

    Master's

    6.6 %

    Associate

    2.9 %
  2. Start to develop specific digital media strategist skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Digital Marketing13.96%
    Client Facing9.57%
    Search Engine Marketing5.44%
    Campaign Performance5.19%
    Facebook4.65%
  3. Complete relevant digital media strategist training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New digital media strategists 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 media strategist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real digital media strategist resumes.
  4. Research digital media strategist duties and responsibilities

    • Manage, analyze and optimize ROI for partner campaigns.
    • Manage company website including photography of all images, update images and information as necessary.
    • Offer PPC, SEO, SEM Google programs, and websites.
    • Train in audience exchange segments for mobile and digital including CPC, SEO, SEM, and
  5. Prepare your digital media strategist resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your digital media strategist 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 media strategist 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 media strategist resume templates

    Build a professional digital media strategist 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 media strategist resume.
    Digital Media Strategist Resume
    Digital Media Strategist Resume
    Digital Media Strategist Resume
    Digital Media Strategist Resume
    Digital Media Strategist Resume
    Digital Media Strategist Resume
    Digital Media Strategist Resume
    Digital Media Strategist Resume
    Digital Media Strategist Resume
  6. Apply for digital media strategist jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a digital media strategist 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 media strategist job

Zippi

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Average digital media strategist salary

The average digital media strategist salary in the United States is $62,947 per year or $30 per hour. Digital media strategist salaries range between $44,000 and $89,000 per year.

Average digital media strategist salary
$62,947 Yearly
$30.26 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do digital media strategists rate their job?

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Digital media strategist 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 Oct 2019
Cons

I love my work. I don't love who I work for. They do not understand the steps involved in social media. And keep asking for analytics. I send them in a thoughtfully presented report. And they just don't get it. Sales thinks I jack around all day on social media. That is my job. Then there's the fact that I have to be paid to monitor the work and campaigns I shoot down the feeds. Ugh. Run for your life unless you work for a corporation.


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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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