Best Digital Marketing Jobs for Introverts
Everyone shines, given the right lighting.
― Susan Cain, “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking.”
Introverts can be brilliant innovators and creative makers, meaning that some marketing jobs are simply meant for them.
They are curious and driven to explore the topics in-depth; they are keen observers and listeners; they also have a fantastic ability to build quality relationships with others.
After all, these are the skills that helped Eleanor Roosevelt, Mahatma Gandhi, Albert Einstein, Rosa Parks, Dr. Seuss, and many other introverts make history.
If you’re a shy person but don’t feel like becoming a prominent scientist or politician, don’t worry—you are perfect the way you are. And with your “introvert superpowers,” you can have a fantastic career in the digital marketing field.
In this article, we’ll explore different digital marketing jobs that are suitable for introverts.
We’ll also talk about the benefits and salary potential for each of these jobs, the marketer’s qualities, as well as the strategies introverts can apply to make their day-to-day work more comfortable and effective.
Benefits of a Digital Marketing Career for Shy People
Digital marketing skills are in high demand, and the job market is booming.
According to Google Trends, the general interest in this field has grown by 2,000 % over the past five years in the US alone.
The trend proves that people realize the potential of digital marketing and look for information to learn about it, either for their new careers or to run a businesses more efficiently.
Digital marketing is experiencing exponential growth because consumers search for everything using the Internet, including educational content, products, services, and entertainment.
This has created an enormous need for many skilled professionals who can turn the interest of online users into revenue.
But what’s in it for the job seekers? Apart from the huge demand, what benefits can they expect from working in this field, and what makes marketing a good choice for introverts?
Let’s find out.
Choose from a variety of roles
There’s a vast diversity of roles in digital marketing and plenty of space to maneuver for people who want to pivot their careers or get their first experience in the industry.
Each of the jobs varies in terms of required skill sets, aptitude, and natural abilities.
You can put your skills to good use as a member of a creative team (graphic designer, content marketer), tech (data analyst, SEO), management (team leader, manager), social media, and others.
Explore emerging jobs
Digital marketing is a very dynamic field that responds quickly to the newest digital technologies and trends.
If there’s a popular channel among the customers or a new one is gaining traction, digital marketers will find a way to use it.
Consequently, marketing professionals will need to learn new skills or shift and apply their current skill set in a different context.
For example, conversational marketing requires content writers to use their skills to write natural and engaging dialogues for chatbots, and design conversation flows between the chatbot and customer.
Work from the comfort of your home
When it comes to digital marketing, there’s no need to move places looking for job opportunities.
You can complete your tasks and communicate with your colleagues online, which means you can work from any location you want, including your home. For many introverts who don’t feel comfortable being surrounded by many people daily, it could be a huge perk.
Be your own boss
If you have skills and some entrepreneurial spirit, you can choose to work for yourself either full-time or for extra income.
Since you can do your job remotely, you can look for clients anywhere across the globe using popular freelance platforms such as Upwork or Remoteok.
You can launch your digital brand and use your skills to market your services. With some diligence and patience, you’ll build a good portfolio of clients.
Gain and develop new skills
Working in the digital space, including marketing, means that you need to stay abreast of the latest technological advances and trends.
If you love to learn and care about personal development, a career in digital marketing could be the right bet.
With the abundance of online sources available, you’ll have no problems finding informative blog posts, online courses, webinars, and a marketing community that encourages knowledge sharing and peer mentoring.
Achieve work-life balance
Work-life balance means less stress, less overtime, higher productivity, job satisfaction, and a healthy career.
If these factors are important for you, you’ll be happy to hear that many professionals who enjoy high levels of work-life balance happen to work in digital marketing.
The following six marketing-related roles made it to the top 25 jobs for the work-life balance list:
- no. 2 – Marketing Assistant
- no. 4 – Web Designer
- no. 9 – Content Manager
- no. 12 – Marketing Manager
- no. 14 – Creative Manager
- no. 15 – Data Analyst
Enjoy upward mobility opportunities
Finding upward mobility in traditional industries can be challenging—luckily, not in digital marketing.
Many companies often expand their digital marketing teams or build new ones. For that reason, they’ll look for suitable candidates to lead their teams and take the marketing operations to the next level.
For an experienced and skilled marketer who would like to move up the hierarchy ladder, there’s plenty of room for advancement.
Earn good money
Despite the economic slowdown, the demand for skilled professionals to fulfill roles in digital marketing is still strong.
And where’s a demand, a good pay follows.
Based on the HMA report, 81% of digital marketers have an annual salary higher than the American median personal income of $31,099, as stated by the U.S Bureau of the Census in 2016.
The highest paying digital marketing specialization in the United States is CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization)—nearly 26% of professionals with that skill receive a salary above $100,000.
Similar enumeration receives 18.5% of content marketers and 16.6% of SEO specialists. Those salaries can be higher for marketers who earn extra income through freelancing.
(We’ll look at salaries for individual digital marketing roles later in this article.)
7 Qualities You Need to Become a Successful Digital Marketer
The role of a digital marketer is to promote a company through digital media. They need to understand the customers’ needs to personalize and communicate a value proposition to them.
Naturally, if one expects to work in this field and be successful, they should possess certain skills and qualities.
Below are some of the most important characteristics of successful digital marketers.
1. Communication skills
As a marketer, you’ll need to communicate the right message to the right audience. You’ll need to know what your customers want and how to speak to them to achieve the desired results.
Thus, your communication skills will decide whether you’ll succeed in selling the product, as well as building relationships and trust with your customers. As a team member, you’ll also be expected to communicate with your co-workers and other stakeholders who may be involved in your project.
2. Proactiveness
Digital marketing is a team effort which means that generating and suggesting new ideas, challenging the tried approaches, and supporting your colleagues is a shared responsibility.
So, you’ll need to keep your eye on what’s going on inside the team and be the first to act if you notice anything worth improving or implementing. For instance, if you happen to come across a trending meme or slogan on social media, you may suggest using it in your coming ad campaign or email blasts.
3. High adaptability
Digital marketing never stands still. Tools, approaches, strategies—they all change at a rapid pace. If you got well accustomed to some app or platform, don’t be too surprised if, one day, your management introduces a new one.
The same goes for customers. Their expectations and needs change as well, so you’ll have to swiftly respond to those changes with new marketing strategies.
And finally, you also need to be aware that some of the ideas you or your colleagues introduced may not work the way you expected. Also, not every campaign will work straight away and you should be comfortable with iterative processes.
4. Love for learning
The need for adaptability goes in pair with the need for curiosity and a love of learning.
Technology and trends today change fast, which means that digital marketers should also adapt to the ever-changing Google algorithms and new tools. If you are a naturally curious introvert who loves to learn, you’ll be up to the task.
5. Being comfortable with data
Data is one of the most valued assets in every company. Regardless of your role, you’ll have to know how to interpret statistical data and use it to achieve expected results.
This can include monitoring sales, website visits, how your audience responds to your content, how they interact with your content and campaigns, etc. You don’t have to be a data whizz or math genius, but you’ll be expected to be able to read data and draw meaningful conclusions.
6. Creativity and open-mindedness
In digital marketing, creativity is as important as data. It allows you to develop new campaign ideas and deal with unsatisfactory campaign results through the innovative plan you’ll generate in response.
Creativity is a skill that means that you can practice it and get inspired. For instance, by following popular digital marketing blogs and reading books on creativity (e.g., “Steal Like an Artist” by Austin Kleon).
You can also create a collection of ideas with Pinterest or Evernote apps. This way, you’ll be able to come back to your inspirational boards anytime you need.
7. Patience
In digital marketing, you won’t see immediate results often. This field is focused on processes that may take many months, such as ranking on SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) or increasing organic traffic.
The results largely depend on trial and error, which may only prolong the process and put the fruit of your labor even farther away from you. Moreover, since the results aren’t instantaneous, you’ll need to be comfortable taking potential failures and constant uncertainty and learn to perceive them as opportunities for growth.
Best Online Marketing Jobs for Introverts
Many digital marketing roles are a natural fit for introverts. That’s because they give them the freedom to capitalize on their strengths and don’t require them to expend too much energy dealing with public presentations or crowds of people. They are also one of the best at-home jobs for introverted people who are looking for remote jobs worldwide.
1. Content marketer
Content marketing includes writing blog posts, social media posts, ebooks, and emails, as well as creating infographics, podcasts, and videos.
Role description:
Your job will be to use the power of word, image, and video to raise awareness of the brand and connect with potential customers to persuade them into taking action.
The content you’ll be creating should entice someone with valuable, engaging, and relevant information. You’ll also be expected to evaluate the efficacy of the content and strategies you have applied by using various metrics.
Why this role is a good fit for an introvert:
Content marketers spend most of their time working without any supervision. They’ll have an opportunity to exercise their creative muscles to develop content that connects the brands with their audiences.
Introvert content marketers will also have an opportunity to develop relationships with their audience through helpful and educational content they produce with the user in mind.
2. SEO specialist
The purpose of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is to help a website or piece of content rank on Google (or other search engines). SEO uses organic methods to appear in search results.
Role description:
As an SEO specialist, you will test, analyze, and apply any necessary changes to a website to ensure that the search results are relevant, create a positive user experience and drive organic traffic and leads.
Typically, you will be using various SEO tools to conduct keyword research, look for broken links, and manage website CMS. You’ll also be expected to understand four tiers of SEO: technical, on-page, and off-page SEO, as well as the principles of content marketing.
Why this role is a good fit for an introvert:
SEO specialists must be comfortable with analytics so they can tweak SEO strategies based on measurable results.
Detail-oriented introverts who prefer working on their own and enjoy solving problems might find this marketing career just what they’re looking for.
3. SEM specialist
SEM (Search Engine Marketing) is an approach that uses paid tactics to gain visibility on the search engines. It’s also known as PPC (pay-per-click).
Role description:
SEM specialists have a broad skill set that includes SEO and paid search advertising (e.g., Google Ads).
Typically, as an SEM marketer, you’ll begin a paid campaign by doing comprehensive keyword research and collecting insights about your competitors. Then, you’ll create targeted campaigns that would place your products or services at the top of the results page.
Why this role is a good fit for an introvert:
This role is great for introverts due to their drive to explore topics in-depth.
As SEM marketers, they’ll manage, track, and test marketing campaigns using PPC advertising. They’ll also write ad copies and perform keyword research. SEM is a perfect job for an analytical and creative introvert.
4. Social Media Manager
A social media manager is responsible for the social media presence of a brand, product, service, person, or corporation. This role is similar to a community manager of a website forum or PR (public relations) representative.
Role description:
Social media managers (SMM) lead social media strategy to boost the brand’s visibility and customer engagement.
As an SMM professional, you’re going to wear many hats—you’ll be a marketer, strategist, copywriter, designer, analyst, and customer service representative. This role requires strong core skills (e.g., data analysis) and soft skills (e.g., communication), as well as continuous learning to keep those skills sharp.
Why this role is a good fit for an introvert:
As an SMM, you’ll be sharing company news and updates, writing and planning engaging posts, and communicating with your brand followers.
However, all these tasks will be performed from behind the screen, so you won’t be expending your energy on face-to-face social interactions. You’ll also use your skills in building relationships to retain your online followers and keep them engaged.
Marketing Success Strategies for Introverts
Introversion is one of the personality traits, not a flaw.
Just like people displaying other traits, introverts have a range of valuable qualities and certain weaknesses.
However, those “weaknesses” are not something introverts should fight but instead turn them into strengths. After all, all our characteristics make us unique and let us complement each other.
That’s why, instead of trying to fit in the dynamic world of digital marketing and drain your batteries on social interactions only to be like others, you should learn how to make this profession fit you—not the other way round.
So, let’s go ahead and look at some strategies that tend to work reasonably well for introverts in marketing.
Focus on low-interaction methods of marketing
Although all introverts are not the same, they typically share one common characteristic: social interactions deplete their batteries which they can recharge only when they’re alone.
What it means is that some marketing strategies that involve direct contact with customers will exhaust introverts. These include running webinars, podcasts, and interviews.
In the long run, overexposure can lead to poor work performance and eventually burnout. Luckily, many other marketing techniques require very little to none of the real-time interaction:
- Email marketing (direct emails and campaigns)
- Content marketing (blogging, guest posting, infographics)
- Video marketing (tutorials, explainers, promo videos)
- Outreach and market research (to a certain extent)
If, however, you don’t mind working intensively for a short time with one or two people, then podcasts and interviews might work for you.
Capitalize on your strengths
You need to know what your weaknesses are and how to take advantage of your strengths.
You surely have some natural gift that makes you great at something. This could be an analytical mind, a passion for writing, researching, problem-solving, and building genuine relationships on a one-to-one level.
If any of those sounds like you, think about how you could use them in digital marketing.
For example, if research is your thing, you could run an email survey to get new insights about your products or write a killer data-driven article to earn backlinks.
Manage your energy
A digital marketer’s role may sometimes demand from you to own a project, completing which will mean putting yourself in a not very introvert-friendly situation.
When that happens, you’ll need to figure out what tasks are more important than others so you can prioritize and budget your energy accordingly.
Another tactic would be to take the most energy-draining tasks first and then continue with the tasks that will allow you to recharge. You could also alternate between the draining and recharging tasks to retain the energetic balance.
Also, you can automate some routine activities to save your time. For example, you can prepare an invoice template to avoid creating new one from scratch for every client.
Remember that as an introvert, you can perform any task an extrovert would—it’s all about budgeting and managing your energy.
Digital Marketing Jobs Pay Scale
Can a field of digital marketing offer high-paying jobs to introverts? Absolutely.
Just like in many other fields, the pay will depend on your skills, experience, seniority level, company size, and location.
We’ll break down the salaries by role, seniority level, and geography.
Digital marketing specialist
According to LinkedIn, digital marketing specialists and content creators are among the top 10 most in-demand jobs. It’s a very general job title but can give you an overall idea of the current marketing pay scale.
In the US, the average salaries for digital marketing specialists are as follows:
- 0 to 1 year of experience – $41,000 per year
- 1 to 4 years of experience – $49,000 per year.
- 5 to 9 years of experience – $57,000 per year.
- 10 to 19 years of experience – $63,000 per year.
When it comes to other countries, the average salaries for specialists also tend to be above the national average:
- UK – £26,045 per year.
- Germany – €42,595 per year.
- Australia – AU$65,236 per year.
- Canada – C$50,920 per year.
- India – ₹346,382 per year.
Digital marketing specialist salary by specialization
Naturally, some skills and specializations are more in demand than others, which directly impacts on how much marketers can earn.
Let’s take a look at the four marketing specializations for introverts we have talked about earlier.
- SEO specialists can earn up to $149,000, but only a small percentage can achieve $200,000 and over. Such an income comes with 20+ years of experience. The most common salary range is $50,000 to $75,000 per year.
- Content marketers can receive over $100,000 but that income is achieved by less than 19 percent of specialists working in the field. The most common salary ranges between $37,000 and $80,000.
- The average enumeration for SEM specialists is estimated at $74,040 per year. The most experienced SEM specialists in senior positions can earn up to $140,000 per year.
- The compensation for social media managers is $71,067 on average.
Introverts in Digital Marketing: Summary
Is marketing a good choice for introverts? Yes.
Digital marketing, in general, can be a great fit for introverted people as marketers often focus more on data than talking directly to people.
Moreover, introverts typically display several qualities that are especially valuable in the digital marketing field that will help them excel.
Their focus and eye for detail make them great analysts and researchers. Listening and patience help them establish quality relationships, while creativity and problem-solving are needed for any marketing position.
In short, introverts can become prolific digital marketing specialists if they learn how to capitalize on their strengths, budget their energy when needed, and focus on the marketing techniques they are best suited for.
Agnieszka is a content writer at Digital Marketer’s World. She’s on a mission to create content that inspires and helps online entrepreneurs grow their businesses.