Do You Need to Come From a Marketing Background to Succeed in an Inbound Agency?

So, you've been searching tirelessly for the perfect inbound marketing role and then, hours later, you see the exact job title you’ve been looking for. The excitement builds up when the location, job and company sound perfect and then all of a sudden, you see they've asked for 'previous inbound marketing experience'.

Ah, b*llocks. Then the search continues. We’ve all probably faced this scenario throughout our careers.  But the truth is, it can depend on the role you're applying for but in general, you don't need to have worked at an inbound marketing agency specifically - but some marketing experience does help.

Why You Don’t Always Need Inbound or Agency Experience

As we said, if you have inbound or any marketing agency experience in general, then that's great. You'll already have one foot in the door and more experience than other applying for similar roles to you.  However, don't let a lack of agency experience put you off from applying entirely.

That's because you might have marketing experience already in a different form, whether it's a relevant degree, certifications, training courses and anything else along those lines.

Let's say you have the passion, knowledge and the skills to succeed in an agency, you might even be the best fit out of everyone that's applied, but it doesn't mean an inbound agency would necessarily turn you away simply because you don't have previous agency experience.

That's something that can come over time as inbound agencies will have training plans in place to help you along the way while you get that vital agency experience. Plus, as you get to know the tools, technologies, processes and get to know the rest of the team, that experience builds up gradually.

Obviously, it's a little more challenging if you have no marketing experience whatsoever, but it can also depend on the type of role you're interested in.  

Inbound marketing is a full-service approach. While you’ll need the basic skills you hear time and time again from being marketing-savvy to having good communication, organisation and time management skills, there’s a lot you can still offer.

The Varied Experience We Have

It wouldn’t be worth your time sitting here as we read out every single CV from our team, but highlighting some previous experiences should give you a good idea of the various background and disciplines the team has come from.

Apprentices we’ve taken on didn’t decide to go the traditional route of getting a degree from a university. Just think about how much experience they initially have to offer after coming out of high school, yet they’ve gone on to establish themselves at Digital 22 as successful Inbound Marketers and Strategists because of the genuine interest in marketing and having the skills to succeed.

All of the writers at Digital 22 didn’t come in with extensive marketing knowledge. It takes learning time to master the inbound style but the knowledge and skills gained from the journalistic backgrounds meant every writer was an asset and brought something different to the table while picking up both inbound marketing skills along the way.

The journalism background ranges from fashion to magazines and even sport while Paul, our Creative Manager, even had to put up with college kids during his days as an A-Level English teacher.

With a writing background, though, it’s easy to see why writers even without marketing experience can succeed as content creation is a huge part of inbound marketing and writing styles can quickly be adapted to meet the demands and quality of the inbound approach.

Graphic designers and website developers are more than likely not going to have any marketing experience because, well, they don’t need it in their job role. The difference is that the inbound approach slightly alters the way they work as they adopt inbound marketing processes like Growth-Driven Design and begin whipping up some killer landing pages, eBooks and other marketing assets.

Then there are project managers that have managed some huge accounts before coming here.

And, of course, we do have team members that joined us as experts in marketing specialisms such as PPC, social media and SEO.

Experience That Will Help Your Career

To succeed in an inbound agency, prior experience is beneficial but there will be other skills and experience that you need to actually demonstrate you can excel in your role. You obviously need the basic skills that are needed to succeed anywhere: organisation, communication, time management, being a team player, being a passionate learner and having the ability to keep up with industry news and trends.

Some other useful skills include:

• A flexible approach to tasks and process change.

• Some marketing experience.

• Willing to bring new ideas to the table.

• A desire to build a career in inbound marketing.

• A genuine passion for the digital marketing industry.

• A passionate learner.

• Know the workings of the web and can browse between common applications such as social media and emails at ease.

• Analytical skills.

• Turn analysis into actionable items.

The skills above are a general overview of what inbound agencies would love to see in potential candidates. Obviously, having expertise in a particular area means you’re in a better position - such as applying for a social media or a designer role.

Think You Have What it Takes to Succeed at Digital 22? Check Out Our Current Vacancies…

If you think you have the skills to excel at an inbound marketing agency, then check out what we have to offer at Digital 22. We’re always on the lookout for talented individuals who are interested in inbound marketing and want to further develop their careers.

Whether you’re a marketer, a writer, interested in social media or even an SEO specialist, we regularly update our website with new roles as the agency continues to expand at a rapid rate.

If you want to challenge yourself, continue learning and evolving with inbound marketing, then check out the current vacancies we have available by clicking on the button below.