Although digital strategy careers are quite sought after, there is lot of confusion regarding what they are exactly. Alongside understanding the definition of digital strategy, there are differences that separate it from close relatives. These two relatives being content strategist and social media strategist. Gaining a full understanding of the differences regarding these three will help separate you from heading into a career you may not have thought it was set to be. I will touch on all of these points and even give some helpful pointers given to make sure you will be well on your way to a career in digital strategy.
Seeing what goes into digital strategy is the first part of understanding the career altogether. In short, digital strategists are the brainstormers. Thus, it is of the utmost importance that discoveries are made to reach consumers through their market research. Once the consumer need is discovered, digital strategists begin to create market concepts and strategies for the digital products. The average digital strategist salary is around $67,000 per year however can go up from there. Becoming a digital strategy director allows that range to go up towards roughly $75,000 – $110,000 per year.
Ade McCormack, a digital strategist spoke with BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT in 2015. McCormack described his position as focusing on “advising his companies on how the world is changing, and how they can capitalize on these changes.” (BCS, 2015).
Digital Strategy Careers vs. Content & Social Media Strategy Careers
A Content Strategist is the person behind content generation not only online, but offline. Unsurprisingly, a Digital Strategist, however, has their content stay specifically online. Furthermore, Digital Strategist are far more prone to connect the space that exists between the digital and traditional marketing realms.
Altogether, with Social Media Strategists, their career is comprised of having a “deep understanding of how to use social media to reach goals.” (Sims, 2015). Social Media Strategist and a Digital Strategist may seem like one and the same thing. More often, someone who is a well-rounded combination of a Content & Social Media Strategist is considered to be a digital strategist. You should be well versed in all of these aspects, as one employee is often hired to cover all of these bases.
How Do I Launch a Digital Strategy Career?
Much like many jobs in the Communication Studies field, there are ways to find yourself falling into a career like this. Typically employers prefer you to have a degree in Marketing, Business or Journalism (CareerFinder, 2017). A big quality of digital strategy is finding trends in your field and analyzing them to their fullest extent. Looking for a work environment involving information technology, marketing and advertising firms? Then a digital strategy career might be for you. Frankly, if you even want to run the entrepreneurial route, a self-starter could always use a digital strategist.
The Digital Marketing Institute provides some brief pointers for landing an interview. The first is of course preparing, researching and knowing the stuff you need to know. Secondly, you want to get specific with your stories and achievements — no one likes someone who rambles. Lastly, demonstrating your passion is extremely important. Furthermore, the best way to show your passion is by utilizing not only examples, but your personality as well.
Closing Statement:
This brief explanation may seem a tad ambiguous. This is due to a digital strategist wearing quite a few hats. The career title can often be interchanged with such titles as: “account executive, social media manager, web analytics manager, media planner, brand ambassador, financial and/or business analyst, business development associate, or any combination of these roles — and sometimes much more.” (Libero, 2014). So although you may understand the difference between Content Strategist and Social Media Strategist, you still may find yourself doing one or both. Therefore being a Digital Strategist means dedication and passion within your digital content. You need to be able to connect all of the dots. Connecting these dots will bring traditional and digital together to create top-notch content that your consumer/client will love.
References:
Libero, G. (2014, December) What is a Digital Strategist? And What the Heck Do They Do? Retrieved from https://medium.com/@GeneDeLibero/what-is-a-digital-strategist-ae3070433675.
Sims, A. (2015, September). Digital Strategist vs. Content Strategist vs. Social Media Specialist. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/digital-strategist-vs-content-social-media-specialist-ashia-sims-mba.
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3 Digital Marketing Interview Tips to Help You Land Your Dream Job. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/3-digital-marketing-interview-tips-help-land-dream-job.
Digital Strategy Director – The Career. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.marketing-
schools.org/careers/digital-strategy-director.html
How to Become a Digital Strategist (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.careerigniter.com/careers/digital-strategist/
