What is Performance Marketing & SEM?
Performance Marketing is effectively a form of marketing which focuses on marketers being paid on delivery of any action (such as a sale or click) for which they are responsible. It is a disruptive form of marketing, as it upends the traditional function of advertising and takes its results into account. The discipline covers a wide range of different job roles, including digital marketing, paid media, biddable media, and search engine marketing (SEM).
Opportunities to further your career within the Performance Marketing & SEM industry
There are consistently vast opportunities for Performance Marketing and SEM candidates. Media and digital agencies are always hiring talent under this umbrella, and companies are constantly on the lookout for Performance Marketing and SEM specialists based in-house, where all digital campaign efforts are done internally.
Popular Industries
Although Performance Marketing and SEM jobs are in high demand across most sectors, in-house digital marketers are most frequently sought after in the e-commerce and telco industries.
Recent Changes
Thanks to the increasing versatility of new digital data tools, the Performance Marketing and SEM sector has begun to overlap with a range of other skill sets in recent years. These include database management languages like SQL and data visualisation software such as Tableau or Power BI.
Future Prospects
Careers in Performance Marketing and SEM will continue to be extremely important to businesses in all manner of sectors. However, the rising popularity of these roles and a corresponding expansion of its talent pool means that there will be added expectations on candidates to demonstrate hard skills in order to stand out.
Employers’ Requirements
The general skill sets or tools which employers look for in Performance Marketing and SEM candidates will revolve around paid media, so knowledge of Google and/or Facebook Ads are essential. For roles at managerial level and above, most employers expect both strategic and executional savvy when it comes to running digital campaigns. As such, someone with experience in strategy alone, who isn’t willing to get their hands dirty, wouldn’t fit the bill for most companies.
CV Requirements
A successful candidate’s CV for a Performance Marketing and SEM job should include the key skill sets required for the role. These include Google Ads (including proficiency in Search, Display, Mobile, Video, Shopping), Google Analytics and Tag Manager, as well as Facebook Ads and Business Manager. Basic development knowledge is also highly desirable, so experience in Adobe full-stack packages (i.e.: Audience Manager, Analytics, and Tag Manager) will be preferred. If applicable, experience in coding, data visualisation and CRM tools will also be majorly beneficial for jobseekers.
Interview Preparation
Generally, interviews for Performance Marketing and SEM roles are relaxed and casual. Candidates should be able to articulate their experiences thoroughly, including the types of campaigns they have been involved in, the tools used, how they have managed any crises, and explaining the key success factors in each campaign. They should be able to highlight at least two achievements in each company they have worked in. Those interviewing for managerial roles must demonstrate how they have successfully managed a project, campaign or a team.
Employers may also pitch situational case studies and ask for suggestions. Consequently, candidates should prepare for this eventuality by doing detailed research on the company and its digital campaigns across paid media over the year before the interview.
Educational Requirements
There are no specific educational requirements for Performance and SEM Marketers. However, candidates should have formal certification on Google and Facebook, and get them renewed annually. This will demonstrate to employers that they are up to date with the sites’ latest features.
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