What Does a Digital Marketer Actually Do Day to Day?
Oct 04, 2026
A digital marketer plans, runs and measures marketing on channels like search, social media, email and paid ads. A typical day mixes writing, building or checking campaigns, reading results and reporting to a manager or client. The mix depends on the role: an in-house coordinator covers many channels, while an agency specialist goes deep on one.
If you are weighing up a marketing degree, a TAFE course or a short course, it helps to know what the work actually involves first. This page describes it plainly. For the study options themselves, see our guide to studying digital marketing.
The official description
Jobs and Skills Australia's profile of Marketing Specialists, based on the ABS 2021 Census, describes the occupation as one that "researches potential demand and market characteristics for new goods and services and collects and analyses data" and "advises on all elements of marketing such as product mix, pricing, advertising and sales promotion" (Jobs and Skills Australia, checked 30 September 2026). It counted 71,700 people in the occupation, with a median age of 35, and 76% working full time hours.
That description covers marketing broadly. Digital marketing is the part of it that happens on websites, search engines, social platforms, email and online ads, and many marketing roles now include some of it.
The work, channel by channel
| Channel | What the day to day work looks like | Common tools |
|---|---|---|
| Search engine optimisation | Researching what people search for, writing and updating pages, fixing technical issues, checking rankings | Google Search Console, Google Analytics, keyword tools |
| Paid search | Building and adjusting ad campaigns, choosing keywords, watching budgets, reporting cost per result | Google Ads |
| Social media | Planning a content calendar, writing and scheduling posts, replying to comments, reporting on reach | Meta Business Suite, scheduling tools, Canva |
| Paid social | Setting up audiences and ads, testing creative, managing spend | Meta Ads Manager, TikTok Ads |
| Email and SMS | Writing newsletters and automated sequences, managing lists, checking consent and deliverability | An email platform such as Mailchimp or Klaviyo |
| Analytics and reporting | Setting up tracking, building dashboards, explaining what changed and why | Google Analytics 4, Looker Studio, spreadsheets |
| Content and AI tools | Drafting copy, images and video, then checking facts and brand fit before anything is published | AI writing and image tools, CapCut, Canva |
Nobody does all of this every day. In a small team one person may touch most rows each week. In a large team or an agency, each row can be a full time job.
An illustrative week
The week below is an illustration of a marketing coordinator's work, put together to show the rhythm of the job. It is not a real person's diary, and every workplace differs.
- Monday. Check last week's results across the website, ads and email. Write a short summary for the manager: what worked, what did not, what to change.
- Tuesday. Plan next month's social media calendar. Brief a designer on two graphics. Draft the posts.
- Wednesday. Adjust a Google Ads campaign: pause keywords that spent money without results, add negative keywords, check the landing page still loads quickly.
- Thursday. Write and test the monthly email newsletter. Check the list for bounced addresses.
- Friday. Update two web pages that are close to page one in search results. Meet the sales team to hear what customers are asking about, and add those questions to next month's content plan.
In-house, agency or freelance
| Setting | What it is like | Suits you if |
|---|---|---|
| In-house | You market one organisation. You cover several channels and get to know the audience well. | You like variety and seeing a brand grow over time |
| Agency | You work across several clients, often in one channel. Deadlines are frequent and you learn fast. | You want depth in one skill and a fast pace |
| Freelance | You sell a specific service to clients. You also handle quoting, invoicing and finding work. | You already have a skill clients will pay for and like running your own time |
How the work changes as you progress
Early on, most of the day is doing: scheduling posts, building campaigns from a plan someone else wrote, pulling numbers into a report. With a year or two of experience, more of the day is deciding: which channel gets the budget, what to test next, why a result changed. Specialists go deep on one channel and are trusted with larger budgets or harder technical problems. Managers spend more time on planning, briefing other people and explaining results to the rest of the organisation, and less time inside the platforms themselves.
Whatever the level, two habits stay constant. You write a lot, from ad copy to reports, and you check numbers a lot, because every channel reports on itself. If you enjoy both, you will probably enjoy the work at every stage.
How to try the work this week, for free
- Pick any public website and look at it the way a search engine does. Our free SEO Lens Chrome extension shows the page title, headings and other signals in one click.
- Take the free foundational certifications on Google Skillshop (Google Skillshop Help, checked 28 September 2026) and see whether the material holds your interest.
- Write a month of social posts for a business you know, as practice. Notice whether planning and writing them feels like work you would want to do every week.
Is it the right work for you?
You will probably enjoy digital marketing if you like writing, are comfortable reading a report, enjoy testing an idea and seeing what happens, and do not mind that the tools change every year. You may not enjoy it if you want work that stays the same, dislike deadlines, or would rather not look at numbers at all. Most roles need some of each.
A low cost way to find out is to try the work before committing to a degree or diploma. Our Essentials course ($499, over 50 lessons of about 20 minutes) covers the main channels and ends with a practice brief: an audit and 90 day plan for a fictional business. If you decide you want a recognised qualification afterwards, our comparison of study options sets out the fees and what each route does better.
Frequently asked questions
What does a digital marketer do?
A digital marketer plans, runs and measures marketing on digital channels such as search, social media, email and paid ads. The official description of marketing specialists includes researching demand and market characteristics, collecting and analysing data, and advising on product mix, pricing, advertising and promotion (Jobs and Skills Australia).
Is digital marketing a desk job?
Mostly, yes. Most of the work happens at a computer: writing, building campaigns, checking results and meeting with colleagues or clients. Some roles include events, photo or video shoots, or visits to clients.
Do digital marketers work full time?
Most do. Jobs and Skills Australia reports that 76% of marketing specialists work full time hours, based on the 2021 Census (Jobs and Skills Australia, checked 30 September 2026). Part time roles and freelance work also exist.
What skills does a digital marketer need?
Clear writing, comfort with numbers and reports, the ability to plan and keep to deadlines, and working knowledge of the main platforms, such as Google Ads, Google Analytics, Meta and an email platform. Curiosity matters too, because the tools keep changing.
Is 20 Minute Marketing accredited?
No. Our courses are not accredited and are not nationally recognised training. You receive a Certificate of Completion, which records that you completed a self paced online course. If a role lists a formal qualification as essential, a TAFE or RTO course is the right choice. Many learners collect free certificates from Google Skillshop and HubSpot Academy alongside our courses.
Try the work first
Essentials is $499, paid once, with over 50 lessons of about 20 minutes, a portfolio brief, expert tutor support from the founder and 12 months access. 30 day money-back guarantee from the date of purchase.
See Essentials Compare study optionsSources
Figures on this page were read on the source's own website on the date shown. Records and prices change, so check the source before you rely on a figure.
- 1. https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/data/occupation-and-industry-profiles/occupations/225113-marketing-specialists, checked 30 September 2026.
- 2. https://support.google.com/skillshop/answer/14746215, checked 28 September 2026.
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