Have you ever wondered where the pop-ups and banner, and display ads that are part and parcel of your everyday web-surfing experience come from?

They are the products of digital marketing managers, hired by companies en masse to reach out to a young audience who spend their days surfing Facebook, YouTube and blogs. "The role of a digital marketing manager is to research, plan and execute marketing strategies that are interactive, including, but not limited to, the internet," says Connie Au, manager for sales and marketing recruitment at recruitment firm Ambition in Hong Kong.

Whereas a traditional marketing manager works alongside advertising agencies to develop television and print advertising campaigns, their younger cousins liaise with specialised digital vendors who deal with media, from internet banner and display ads to mobile phone text message marketing and digital outdoor signage.

The digital marketing manager has to use internet search engines to market products and services, and to track in real-time the effectiveness of marketing campaigns on the internet through click-through rates and pages views. They also need to analyse how users navigate a website.

It involves diverse tasks that centre on planning and executing online advertising, public relations, and electronic direct marketing campaigns, and liaising with social media platforms, such as Linkedin and Twitter, for joint promotions. Other tasks include dealing with alternative media, such as really simple syndication and podcasting. Digital marketing managers are paid HK$27,000 to HK$35,000 a month, while those in a regional position earn HK$40,000 to HK$50,000.

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