Top 10 Highest Paying Digital Marketing Skills in India

I. Introduction

Digital Marketing is the fastest growing market in India right now. With the rise of the internet, it has changed the way brands do marketing. Key digital marketing strategies include search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, content marketing, email marketing, pay-per-click advertising (PPC), affiliate marketing, and marketing automation. In this blog, we will look at the top10 highest paying skills in digital marketing and how you can acquire these skills to get a high-paying digital marketing job.

II. What Is Digital Marketing?

We all know that digital marketing is the marketing of products or services using digital technologies mainly on the internet. It involves leveraging digital channels like search engines, social media, emails, websites etc to connect with current and potential customers. For B2B companies, digital marketing focuses more on lead generation, while for B2C, the focus is more on accelerating sales cycles and driving website purchases. Both B2B and B2C companies can benefit from digital marketing by identifying audiences and creating valuable online content tailored to them

Thus building the necessary skills in digital marketing is highly important for modern marketing professionals.

III. Who Can Start a Career in Digital Marketing?

The following groups of people can benefit from gaining the highest paying skills in digital marketing.

• Marketing professionals – Whether working in-house or at agencies, marketing professionals can stay relevant by upskilling in digital marketing. This will help them advance their careers.
• Entrepreneurs & business owners – In-demand Digital marketing skills allow entrepreneurs and small business owners to cost-effectively promote their business online and reach new audiences.
• Students – Students pursuing business, marketing, communications or IT-related fields can become more employable by developing digital marketing knowledge.
• Career switchers – People looking for a career change can gain high paying digital marketing skills to move into marketing roles as demand grows in this field.
• Sales professionals – Understanding digital marketing can help salespeople optimize their sales and marketing funnels and identify new customer touchpoints.
• Managers – Managers can educate themselves on digital strategies to guide marketing decisions and support their teams better.
• Freelancers – Freelance professionals can offer digital marketing services to businesses as a source of income. Basic digital skills and excellent communication skills are required.
• Non-profit organizations – Digital marketing skills allow non-profits and social enterprises to further their cause and reach more donors cost-effectively

IV. Top 10 Highest Paying Skills in Digital Marketing 

We will now look at some of the top 10  in-demand digital marketing skills in 2023.

A. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Description: This is the process of optimizing a website to “rank” higher in search engine results pages, thereby increasing the amount of organic (or free) traffic to your website. The channels that benefit from SEO include Websites, Blogs, and Infographics. 

Why it’s valuable: Most online experiences begin with a search engine, and most users never go past the first page of search results. Therefore, being on the first page of search results can significantly increase a website’s traffic, leading to more opportunities for conversions and sales.

Potential Salary: The average salary for an SEO Specialist in India is around INR 3-4 lakh per annum for beginners. With more experience and advanced skills, the salary can rise to INR 10-12 lakh per annum. Globally, the average salary for an SEO specialist can vary from USD 40,000 to USD 100,000 annually depending on the level of expertise and location.

Resources to Learn SEO:

1. MOZ Blog: One of the most popular SEO blogs out there. It provides a plethora of articles on various topics related to SEO.
2. Search Engine Journal: A comprehensive online platform that covers the marketing world daily by reporting industry trends, updates, and guides.
3. Google Search Central Blog: Google’s own resource for helping you understand how its search engine works and how to optimize your website accordingly.
4. Neil Patel’s SEO Blog: Neil Patel is a renowned digital marketing expert, and his blog provides valuable insights and tips on SEO.

B. Marketing Automation

Description: Marketing automation refers to the use of software and technology to automate repetitive marketing tasks. These tasks can include emails, social media posts, and other website actions. The goal is to nurture leads with personalized content and increase marketing efficiency.

Why it’s valuable: Marketing automation saves time and improves efficiency by automating repetitive tasks. It also enables personalized communication with customers at scale, which can lead to increased customer engagement and conversions.

Potential Salary: In India, the average salary for a Marketing Automation Specialist is around INR 5-8 lakh per annum for beginners. With more experience and advanced skills, the salary can rise to INR 12-15 lakh per annum. Globally, the average salary for a Marketing Automation Specialist can vary from USD 50,000 to USD 90,000 annually depending on the level of expertise and location.

Resources to Learn Marketing Automation:

1. HubSpot Blog: HubSpot is a leader in the marketing automation space, and their blog provides a wealth of information on the topic.
2. Marketing Automation Times: This site offers news and articles on marketing automation, including best practices and strategies.
3. Marketo Blog: Marketo, another major player in the marketing automation field, has a blog that shares insights and tips on the subject.
4. Pardot Blog: Pardot is a marketing automation solution by Salesforce, and their blog provides a lot of useful information on marketing automation.

Marketing automation is a complex field that requires a deep understanding of various tools and strategies. Continuous learning and staying updated with the latest trends is key to mastering this skill.

C. Social Media Marketing

 This practice promotes your brand and your content on social media channels to increase brand awareness, drive traffic, and generate leads for your business. The channels you can use in social media marketing include Face book, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Snap chat, Pinterest, and Google+.

Why it’s valuable: With billions of people using social media platforms globally, social media marketing is a way to reach a vast audience. It can improve brand awareness, lead generation, and even direct sales. It also allows for direct interaction and engagement with customers.

Potential Salary: In India, the average salary for a Social Media Marketing Specialist is around INR 3-5 lakh per annum for beginners. With more experience and advanced skills, the salary can rise to INR 10-15 lakh per annum. Globally, the average salary for a Social Media Marketing Specialist can vary from USD 40,000 to USD 80,000 annually depending on the level of expertise and location.

Resources to Learn Social Media Marketing:

1. Social Media Examiner: It’s a comprehensive online resource that offers original and detailed articles on the latest trends, tips, and strategies in social media marketing.
2. Buffer Blog: A blog that offers a mix of strategic advice and practical tips for social media marketing.
3. Hootsuite Blog: Provides insights into the world of social media marketing along with case studies, industry trends, and practical advice.
4. Sprout Social Insights: A social media information hub offering a mix of in-depth guides, strategy articles, and data-driven insights.

D. Email Marketing

Companies use email marketing as a way of communicating with their audiences. Email is often used to promote content, discounts and events, as well as to direct people toward the business’s website. The types of emails you might send in an email marketing campaign include Blog subscription newsletters, Follow-up emails to website visitors who downloaded something, Customer welcome emails, Holiday promotions to loyalty program members, tips or similar series emails are also used for customer nurturing

Why it’s valuable: Despite the rise of social media and unsolicited spam (which is never a good marketing strategy), email remains an effective way to nurture leads and boost customer loyalty. It’s also cost-effective, offers a high return on investment, and is easy to measure and adjust to get better results.

Potential Salary: In India, the average salary for an Email Marketing Specialist is around INR 3-6 lakh per annum for beginners. With more experience and advanced skills, the salary can rise to INR 10-14 lakh per annum. Globally, the average salary for an Email Marketing Specialist can range from USD 45,000 to USD 85,000 annually, depending on the level of expertise and location.

Resources to Learn Email Marketing:

1. HubSpot’s Email Marketing Guide: A comprehensive guide by HubSpot that gives you step-by-step instruction on how to create an email marketing plan.
2. MailChimp Resources: MailChimp provides a wealth of resources from email design tips to marketing strategies and more.
3. Campaign Monitor Blog: This blog provides insights and tips on all aspects of email marketing, from design to strategy, deliverability, and more.
4. Email on Acid: A great resource for email testing and analytics. Their blog provides valuable insights on email marketing best practices.

Email marketing can be highly effective when done right. Stay on top of email marketing best practices, continually optimise your campaigns, and you can achieve significant results.

E. Content Marketing Specialist

A Content Marketing Specialist is responsible for the planning, creation, and sharing of valuable content to attract and convert prospects into customers and customers into repeat buyers.  The channels that can play a part in your content marketing strategy include Blog posts, EBooks and whitepapers, Info graphics, Online brochures and look books. 

Why it’s valuable: Content marketing is a strategic approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action

Potential Salary: In India, the average salary for a Content Marketing Specialist is around INR 3-6 lakh per annum for beginners. With more experience and advanced skills, the salary can rise to INR 10-16 lakh per annum. Globally, the average salary for a Content Marketing Specialist can range from USD 45,000 to USD 85,000 annually, depending on the level of expertise and location.

Resources to Learn Content Marketing:

1. Content Marketing Institute: They provide a wealth of resources including blogs, research, and webinars that cover every aspect of content marketing.
2. Copyblogger: This site offers a variety of articles, podcasts, ebooks, and forums to help you improve your content marketing and copywriting skills.
3. HubSpot’s Marketing Blog: HubSpot’s comprehensive blog provides a wide range of tips and strategies for content marketing.
4. Neil Patel’s Blog: Neil Patel offers a wealth of knowledge on content marketing, SEO, and digital marketing in general.

A Content Marketing Specialist needs to have a blend of creative and analytical skills to create compelling content that resonates with an audience, and also understand performance metrics to measure the effectiveness of their content marketing strategies.

F. Video Marketing Specialist

Description: Video Marketing is a forward-facing marketing strategy that integrates engaging video into your marketing campaigns. Video marketing can be used for everything from building customer rapport, to promoting your brand, services or products.

Why it’s valuable: Video content is one of the most engaging forms of content and can be shared across multiple platforms. Consumers prefer it because it’s easy to digest, entertaining and engaging, and marketers like it because it can give a potentially huge return on investment (ROI) through many channels.

Potential Salary: In India, the average salary for a Video Marketing Specialist is around INR 4-7 lakh per annum for beginners. With more experience and advanced skills, the salary can rise to INR 12-18 lakh per annum. Globally, the average salary for a Video Marketing Specialist can vary from USD 50,000 to USD 90,000 annually depending on the level of expertise and location.

Resources to Learn Video Marketing:

1. Wistia’s Learn Center: An incredible resource for video marketing tips and best practices.
2. Vidyard’s Blog: A great source of video marketing articles, including strategy, production tips, and case studies.
3. YouTube Creator Academy: YouTube’s own resource for learning how to create compelling video content and grow your audience.
4. Buffer’s Video Marketing Blog: Buffer’s blog is packed full of practical advice and tips for video marketing on social media.

Video Marketing is a powerful tool that personalizes your brand and increases conversions. To be successful, it’s important to understand your audience, create engaging content, and measure your results.

G.Funnel Building Specialist

A Funnel Builder or Funnel Marketing Specialist helps businesses convert their website visitors into leads and ultimately into customers through a structured marketing model known as a sales funnel. They design and implement a step-by-step process that leads a prospect towards a desired action.

Why it’s valuable: Sales funnels help guide customers through their buying journey. A well-designed and optimized funnel can increase conversion rates, leading to more sales and higher revenue. It also helps businesses understand their customers better, giving insights into where they’re coming from, what they want, and what motivates their buying decisions.

Potential Salary: In India, the average salary for a Funnel Building Specialist is around INR 4-8 lakh per annum for beginners. With more experience and advanced skills, the salary can rise to INR 12-20 lakh per annum. Globally, the average salary for a Funnel Building Specialist can range from USD 50,000 to USD 100,000 annually, depending on the level of expertise and location.

Resources to Learn Funnel Building:

1. ClickFunnels Blog: ClickFunnels provides a wealth of resources on funnel building, including blog posts, guides, and webinars.
2. Neil Patel’s Blog: This blog offers a lot of valuable information on digital marketing, including funnel building.
3. Russell Brunson’s Books: The co-founder of ClickFunnels, Russell Brunson, has written several books on the subject of funnel building, including “DotCom Secrets” and “Traffic Secrets”.
4. HubSpot’s Marketing Blog: HubSpot provides a variety of articles and guides on sales funnels and other aspects of digital marketing.

Funnel building is a critical skill for any digital marketer. It requires an understanding of customer psychology, an ability to analyze and optimize for results, and a creative approach to lead generation and conversion.

H. Pay Per Click (PPC)

Description:  PPC is a method of driving traffic to your website by paying a publisher every time your ad is clicked. One of the most common types of PPC is Google Ad Words, which allows you to pay for top slots on Google’s search engine results pages at a price “per click” of the links you place. Other channels where you can use PPC mainly include Paid ads on Face book, Promoted Tweets on Twitter, Sponsored Messages on LinkedIn. 

Why its valuable: Advertisers only pay when someone clicks their ad, so there is no waste from ad impressions that don’t generate interest. This makes PPC one of the most cost-efficient advertising methods.

Potential Salary: 

PPC salaries vary based on factors like location, experience, qualifications and company size. Some typical PPC salary ranges based on experience is given below:

• Entry-level PPC specialists – $30,000 to $50,000
• PPC account managers – $45,000 to $80,000
• Senior PPC managers – $65,000 to $120,000
• PPC directors at agencies – $90,000 to $150,000+

Certifications (e.g. Google Ads certification) can also boost PPC salaries. Overall, PPC offers lucrative potential for digital marketing careers.

I. Affiliate Marketing

This is a type of performance based advertising where you receive commission for promoting someone else’s products, services on your website. Affiliate marketing channels include hosting video ads through the YouTube Partner Program and posting affiliate links from your social media accounts.

Why it’s valuable: Affiliate marketing allows businesses to leverage the networks of others to expand their reach and drive more sales. It’s a cost-effective strategy as businesses only pay for results (typically a sale or lead), making it a safe investment with a high potential return.

Potential Salary: In India, the average salary for an Affiliate Marketing Specialist is around INR 3-7 lakh per annum for beginners. With more experience and advanced skills, the salary can rise to INR 10-20 lakh per annum. Globally, the average salary for an Affiliate Marketing Specialist can range from USD 40,000 to USD 80,000 annually, depending on the level of expertise and location.

Resources to Learn Affiliate Marketing:

1. Affiliate Summit: A leading global affiliate marketing conference. They also offer resources and networking opportunities.
2. Affilorama: Offers video lessons, interviews, and step-by-step guides to mastering affiliate marketing.
3. Commission Junction University: An educational portal from the affiliate network, Commission Junction.
4. Amazon Associates Blog: Amazon runs one of the biggest affiliate programs in the world. Their blog offers useful tips and success stories.

High-Ticket Affiliate marketing is a performance-based marketing strategy that can be a profitable avenue for businesses. By becoming proficient in high-ticket affiliate marketing, you can help companies expand their reach and boost their revenues.

Also Read: How to Master High-Ticket Closing 

J. Programmatic Advertising

A Programmatic Advertising Specialist uses technology to automate the buying, placement, and optimization of media inventory, in real-time, to engage specific target audiences. This process uses artificial intelligence (AI) and real-time bidding (RTB) for inventory across mobile, display, video, and social channels – even making TV and out-of-home placements.

Why it’s valuable: Programmatic advertising allows marketers to deliver personalized ads to audiences at a scale that manual processes would never allow. It also provides a wealth of data that can be used to optimize campaigns, improve targeting, and better understand audience behavior. This often results in higher engagement rates, greater conversion rates, and improved ROI.

Potential Salary: In India, the average salary for a Programmatic Advertising Specialist is around INR 5-10 lakh per annum for beginners. With more experience and advanced skills, the salary can rise to INR 12-25 lakh per annum. Globally, the average salary for a Programmatic Advertising Specialist can range from USD 60,000 to USD 100,000 annually, depending on the level of expertise and location.

Resources to Learn Programmatic Advertising:

1. ExchangeWire: Provides global data and insight on Programmatic Advertising, Data and Technology.
2. AdExchanger: A leading resource that delivers news, analysis, and events dedicated to the data-driven, digital marketing space.
3. IAB’s Programmatic Playbook: A comprehensive guide provided by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) about programmatic advertising.
4. Google’s Programmatic Advertising Guide: An insightful guide from Google that covers the basics of programmatic advertising.

Programmatic advertising is a rapidly growing field in the digital marketing space. It combines the power of automation, data, and machine learning to create effective, highly targeted advertising campaigns, making it an in-demand skill for digital marketers to acquire.

Other High-Paying Digital Marketing Skills in 2023

Attribution Modeling

An effective digital marketing strategy combined with the right tools and technologies allows to trace all sales back to the customer’s first digital touch point with your business is called attribution modeling. It allows identifying trends in the way people research and buying your product, helping you to make more informed decisions about what parts of your marketing strategy deserve more attention, and what parts of your sales cycle need refining.

Data-Driven Advertising

Users generate lot of data in every step they take on the path of customer journey and Brands can now use that data to activate their known audience with data-driven programmatic media buying. Without exposing customers’ privacy, users’ Data can be collected from digital channels (e.g.: when customer visits a website, reads an e-mail, or launches and interact with brand’s mobile app), brands can also collect data from real world customer interactions, such as brick and mortar stores visits and from CRM and Sales engines datasets. Data-driven advertising is empowering brands to find their loyal customers in their audience and deliver in real time much more personal communication, highly relevant to each customer’s moment and actions. 

Remarketing

Remarketing plays a major role in digital marketing. This tactic allows marketers to publish targeted ads in front of an interest category or defined audiences, generally called searchers in web speak, they have either searched for particular products or services or visited a website for some purpose.  

Online PR

Online PR is the practice of securing earned online coverage with digital publications, blogs, and other content-based websites. It’s much like traditional PR, but in the online space. The channels you can use to maximise your PR efforts include: Reporter outreach via social media to publish in online publications, guest blogs on influencer websites, engaging online reviews of your company, and engaging comments on your personal website or blog.

 V. Best Companies for Digital Marketing Jobs

These companies offer excellent opportunities to start or advance digital marketing careers in India. The roles span strategy, content, social media, data analytics, and more.

• Dentsu
• Digitas
• Isobar
• AdGlobal360
• Logicserve
• FoxyMoron
• 22Feet Digital
• AWS Digital
• Mirum
• DigiDarts
• Kinnect

VI. Conclusion

Digital marketing will be a highly evolving field in the years to come with increasing personalisation, growth of video marketing and focus on influencer marketing. Thus gaining the highest paying skills in digital marketing will become increasingly important for career success and maximising earning potential. 

To stay ahead of the curve and take advantage of the most lucrative opportunities, digital marketing professionals will need to commit to ongoing education and skills development. The digital landscape shifts rapidly, so being proactive about learning new platforms, channels, and strategies will be a must. 

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VII. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)