Updated in 2023
Hi, I’m Polina! Formerly, I worked as a senior digital marketing manager and now I am the marketing mentor at Pathrise. I help job-seekers prepare for their future in digital marketing through technical workshops and 1-on-1s. Check out this article on how to increase your digital marketing salary.
When you are deep in your job search, you begin to realize that most companies follow similar interview processes. Knowledge of what to expect is extremely beneficial when you want to prepare and go into your sessions with confidence.
In general, this is the typical interview flow:
- Phone screen with recruiter or HR team member (brief and mainly behavioral)
- Technical assessment, challenge, or interview(s)
- 1-2 onsite interviews, which consist of technical, behavioral, and cross-functional interviews
Once you have successfully navigated these conversations, you move into the offer stage. A lot of people get too excited when they hear they are getting the job. They forget that there is more to this part than just saying yes! You should always negotiate because the company expects it. If you don’t, you are likely leaving money on the table.
We’ve worked with hundreds of job-seekers to land great jobs with salaries that are more than $12k above industry standards. So, we wanted to lay out tips to help you go into this stage with confidence.
Our first piece of advice needs to be followed from the very start. This is because negotiation is ongoing from your first interaction with the company. Sometimes this comes in the written application, where they might include “expected salary” as a question. If you come across this question on the application, we suggest writing, “Negotiable, within reason.” If it comes in your first phone screen with the recruiter or HR team member, a good response is: “I would like to do more research on the industry standards before giving a number.”
In the meantime, you should do that research! That way, you can get a good understanding of what people are being paid for these types of roles. Make sure you are looking by experience level as well. According to Glassdoor, average compensation for a Digital Marketing Manager is around $70k and a Digital Marketing Coordinator is $57k. On AngelList, the average salary for Marketing is $73k. This is likely a more well-rounded digital marketing salary average because it includes startups.
Now that you have these numbers in mind, you can get a better sense of what to expect. But, you should not say any numbers to the recruiter, even when they give you the offer. Just thank them, reiterate your excitement, and then let them know you will get back to them.
Remember that compensation is more than just salary – it also includes equity, bonuses, and other benefits (like PTO). When you are negotiating with big tech companies like Facebook, Google, and Amazon who are known for offering high salaries and good benefits, they might not be able to make many changes to your actual salary. You should still try, but you might have better results with your equity, signing bonuses, and other benefits.
With smaller startups, your salary might be lower in the first offer. So, you should try to negotiate for salary unless they explicitly mention they can’t go higher. In that case, focus your attention on bonuses, equity, and benefits, which all go into increasing your total compensation. You can adapt this annotated negotiation email template to make sure you hit the right points and highlight your value to the company.
You should also do specific research into what other companies pay for these roles. Platforms like Glassdoor, Paysa, and Payscale can help you leverage your negotiations. Here is a template that one of our Pathrise fellows used recently to receive a $25k increase in salary. He showcased what he could have made at a different company in the same type of position.
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Hi [recruiter name],
I wanted to thank you again for the offer, I’m very excited for the chance to join [Company X], especially after getting to know the team! After taking some time to talk about the offer with my family and doing some reflection, I’d like to ask a few questions.
I would love to know if there is any flexibility on the base salary to ease my mind about the decision — my goal is to be at my next company for a long time, so it’s important to me to make sure that I’m set up for success. I’m also about to finish up the interview process with [Company Y] for a similar position (on the same type of team), which starts at $108,000 per year with a $24,000 signing bonus. I am much more excited to join [Company X], but the difference in pay is a significant barrier for me at the moment. Is it possible to increase the base pay to come as close as possible to $108,000, or perhaps offer a significant sign-on bonus to help mitigate the difference? If so, I would have no hesitation signing the offer right away.
Again, I want to reiterate my excitement and interest in working at [Company X] — I’ve really enjoyed getting to know everyone I’ve spoken with, and from what it sounds like the team is working on some really great things that I know I can contribute to.
Thank you again for this offer, please let me know your thoughts when you have a moment.
Best,
[your name]
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With these tips and templates, you should be able to go into the offer stage for digital marketing positions knowing what to expect and how to increase your salary above the average.
Pathrise is a career accelerator that works with students and professionals 1-on-1 so they can land their dream job in tech. With our guidance, fellows in our program have seen a 10-20% increase in salary.
If you want to work with any of our mentors 1-on-1 to get help with negotiation or with any other aspect of the job search, join Pathrise.
Apply today.
