As the workplace becomes increasingly digital, the need to be in the same physical office as your coworkers is becoming less vital by the year. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of people doing at least some of their work remotely rose from 19 percent of American workers in 2003 to 24 percent in 2019.

Driving the trend are practical business considerations like local skills shortages, the rising cost of office space, a huge overhead incurred by traditional companies, and growing evidence that typical workplace configurations like open plan workspaces and cubicles are not a particularly productive way to work. 

Cultural shifts also have a role to play in the rise of the digital workplace, with people becoming increasingly accustomed to using digital communication tools and the well recognized fact that millennials are demanding more flexibility and a better work-life balance.

These factors and more are prompting companies to encourage and even incentivize workers to consider working elsewhere.

Many types of marketing jobs lend themselves to remote work because they involve the development of marketing assets and media (words, images, audio, video, interactive experiences) that can be designed, produced, distributed and consumed digitally, from the ground up, without the need for the people doing the work to be together, or in any particular physical location.

As a result, the marketing workforce is rapidly becoming more digitally-focused, and accepting of remote jobs. Whether you’re looking for an opportunity to apply your unique marketing skills remotely, or to manage a marketing team, the role of remote work and the associated expertise will only become more important over the next few years.

There are two distinct types of remote marketing jobs that are being enabled by advancements in information technology and digital media. Firstly, digitally-enabled marketing jobs, and secondly, digital marketing jobs.

Digitally-enabled remote marketing jobs

These are traditional marketing jobs that have been around since before the Internet became ubiquitous. They include all the roles that are required to develop and run marketing programs and campaigns that use more traditional offline marketing channels like print, TV, radio and out-of-home and to some degree those supporting efforts in digital marketing such as social media marketing, inbound and content marketing, and e-commerce. Some digitally-enabeld remote marketing jobs include...

Though the nature of these jobs hasn’t changed fundamentally, the tools that allow marketers to find and execute the work involved are becoming increasingly digital. These tools include online job marketplaces, email and instant messaging, video conferencing, online collaboration and project management platforms, graphic design software, digital file storage and distribution platforms, digital content authoring and management software and online consumer research tools. 

Access to these digital tools that enable remote jobs in marketing is becoming increasingly convenient and affordable. Businesses large and small are able to make use of them to identify and collaborate with marketing professionals from all corners of the globe. Forget not being in the same city, not being on the same continent is no longer a show-stopping barrier to the creation and execution of world class marketing work. At an accelerating pace, remote teams and distributed workplaces are producing a greater share of the marketing output that people and businesses around the world consume every day.

Remote digital marketing jobs

Remote digital marketing jobs are a different beast from the jobs described above which are more traditional, long-standing roles that can now be done remotely due to advances in technology. Instead, digital marketing jobs include a host of new marketing positions that didn’t exist before the rise of the Internet. They are new roles that have grown in demand because people are consuming content in radically different ways than they did just a few years ago. The Internet itself, and digital platforms like Facebook and Google, and their subsidiaries (Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube) are diverting eyeballs and attention away from traditional media like TV, newspapers and radio at an unprecedented rate.

For marketers, who need to be able to reach and engage people wherever they spend time, this has led to the need to adapt, or face the prospect of becoming irrelevant. Out of this need a host of new skills and expertise have arisen to empower marketers to use digital platforms to win the hearts, minds and attention of digital audiences in a globally-connected world. Since these jobs inherently involve the use of digital platforms with worldwide reach, they naturally lend themselves to remote work. Most digital marketing jobs can be carried out extremely effectively no matter the location of the teams or individuals involved, as long as they have a sufficiently speedy Internet connection.

Digital marketing jobs share many basic similarities with traditional marketing jobs. Digital marketers need to effectively identify an audience and understand their needs so they can be connected to relevant products and services. The key difference is that digital marketing jobs are focused on identifying, reaching, and engaging audiences as they consume online content. Since the way people search, navigate and experience digital content on websites, apps and games is fundamentally different from offline media, the way marketers identify and communicate with them also has to be radically different.

The large number of people consuming digital content and the variety and complexity of digital platforms means there are lots of opportunities to specialize in many disciplines within the digital marketing space. Some of the more common digital marketing job types include:

Digital Marketing Generalists (e.g. Digital Marketing Strategists, Managers and Coordinators).

These peeps need to have broad knowledge of the digital marketing landscape, and understand the fundamentals of the full range of digital channels and platforms appropriate to the organizations they work for. They don’t need to know exactly how all the work is done in each of the channels or platforms, but they do need to know why it is important and who are the best specialists to get it done.

Digital Advertising Specialists (e.g. Google Ads Manager, Facebook Ads Manager, Programmatic Ads Manager).

These digital marketers tend to specialize in producing and managing advertising on one or a few digital ad platforms such as Google Ads, Facebook Ads and programmatic platforms. It takes a lot of skill to run effective advertising campaigns on any one of these far-reaching and complex systems, and a digital marketer can make a career out of focusing on just a single platform. Also, because the various platforms are so different in the type of content they distribute, the way users interact with their content, and the way their advertising software works, much of the knowledge of how to advertise on one platform cannot be directly transferred to another.

Content Marketing Specialists (e.g. Content Strategists, Content Marketing Managers, Information Architects, Bloggers, Vloggers, Podcasters, Social Media Managers).

Content Marketing is the discipline of creating compelling content for a specific audience that encourages them to interact with your organization in desirable ways. The content can be based on text, video, audio or interactive experiences. Although Content Marketers are generally considered Digital Marketers, the strategies and content they produce can be leveraged across all channels, both digital and offline. Content marketing plays an important role in both inbound and outbound marketing initiatives because it helps an organization create and distribute consistent, high quality content that is aligned with its brand and that resonates with its target audiences.

Marketing Optimization Specialists (e.g. SEO – Search Engine Optimization Specialists, Conversion Rate Optimization Specialists, Marketing Analytics Specialists).

Optimization Specialists work to understand the audiences with which an organization would like to communicate, and improve the outcomes of that communication. They use analytics techniques and software to identify desirable audiences, understand how they interact with various digital touchpoints (websites, apps and social media content), and systematically improve the quality of those interactions to achieve business objectives such as traffic, lead generation, transactions, and customer success.

Marketing Technology Specialists (e.g. Marketing Automation Specialists, CRM Specialists and Web Content Managers).

Marketing technology is now the largest single component (29%) of marketing budgets according to Gartner. Marketing Technology Specialists are the professionals responsible for the development, deployment, configuration, and management of the technology stack that all modern marketing operations depend on. Marketing Technology Specialists are responsible for the effective deployment of tools that streamline marketing processes, and automate the most time-consuming and repetitive marketing tasks.

The job market for remote jobs in marketing is growing rapidly and changing as fast as marketing itself is evolving with the advent of new technologies and practices. We’ve outlined some of the fundamentals for you below.

Below we’ve outlined some of the main strategic approaches to help you show potential employers why you are the best candidate for the job.

Investing a bit of time and energy to develop a strategic approach to finding awesome remote marketing jobs will put you ahead of the competition. Unearthing the right tools and resources to take your job search to the next level is a step that will drastically increase your chances of landing the remote marketing job you’ve always wanted. Luckily for you, we’ve done a lot of the heavy lifting to put together a list of the best resources out there to help you land that dream job and advance towards your long term career goals.

Job boards

Searching for remote jobs online can be a minefield of wasted time, or worse, scammers who are out to take advantage of a naive job seeker’s enthusiasm for working from home. There are many more “work from home” job scams out there than there are legitimate postings for remote jobs. Be wary of job postings that offer large sums of money for very little effort. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Scammers are getting increasingly sophisticated so even experienced remote job seekers are at risk. One of the best ways to minimize the risk of being scammed is to make use of reputable remote job boards. While some of the larger sites like LinkedIn or Indeed include many marketing job listings, niche sites that focus on remote jobs tend to have better quality listings and are usually much more efficient to search. Learn more about the best sites for remote jobs in Marketing.

Career and job search coaching

Career guidance professionals are an often-overlooked resource to help you navigate the complex process of securing a great job. Some services assist you through the entire process, from finding and apply for desirable jobs, to interview preparation and salary negotiation. These professionals understand all aspects of the job search and so can provide a personalized job search strategy that drastically improves your odds of landing the best remote jobs in marketing.

Resume and Cover Letter Development

Marketers can be skeptical of the need for someone else to help them write and design their resume and cover letter. After all, writing and design are two core marketing skills. This can be a serious missed opportunity. Resume writing and design is a highly specialized discipline that people can spend their entire career perfecting. A resume is a communication medium in itself, with its own set of constraints, audiences, distribution platforms and considerations. A good resume writer will work to understand your professional strengths and weakness and help you tell your story through your resume and cover letter as effectively and strategically as possible. They understand how to write and design your resume and cover letter to have the greatest possible positive impact on the hiring manager or committee and help secure you an interview. 

Personal Brand Development

As a marketing professional you are already aware of the fundamental power of brands in building awareness and trust. The power of branding is not just effective for companies and organizations, it is also a formidable tool in your career development arsenal. Making an investment in articulating and developing your personal brand will help you to position yourself against those competing with you for the most desirable jobs. It is especially important for professionals looking for  remote jobs in marketing, because if done correctly, it will create a sense of familiarity and trust with potential employers well before they meet or talk to you. 

Personal website design and development

Having your own personal website is the biggest asset you can invest in to elevate your online presence to new heights. There is no question that it will give you a leg up against the competition. In case you had any doubts, I’m here to tell you that ALL recruiters and potential employers will Google you. Taking control of their first impression with a high quality personal website that showcases your skills, experience and creativity will give you a huge advantage. A personal website gives you more flexibility than any other medium to tell your story and showcase your marketing prowess. You can use text, images, video, audio and interactive elements to wow potential employers and convince them that you are the person they need on their team. 

Interview preparation

This type of service is a no-brainer given its obvious impact on your ability to convince interviewers that you are the right person for the job. It is something that is impossible to effectively prepare for yourself. So, having an expert in your corner who knows what to look for and how to ensure you are fully prepared to make the best possible impression can be the difference between landing that dream job and dreaming about landing a job. Interview preparation can include a variety of activities and processes, including developing an interview strategy, communication style drills, analysis of mock interviews, and many more. If you have your heart set on a remote marketing job, ensure your interview preparation professional has expertise in preparing candidates for remote interviews, over the phone and on video.

Marketing Certifications 

Having the appropriate certifications for your remote marketing dream job can be an important factor in job search success. Being able to show that you have formal certifications for the skills and technologies required to effectively carry out the responsibilities required for the position can provide a potential employer with an additional level of comfort. For some positions particular certifications may be a requirement, but they can also be beneficial if you have limited experience in certain aspects of the job by helping to reassure the employer that you will be able to handle the work.