It’s a common question I often receive from people just recently out of school who have an interest in becoming a digital media buyer.

Although there is high demand for digital media buyers of all calibers, breaking in can be tough however not impossible. In fact, once you have established at least some basic level of experience it suddenly becomes easy. As a person who has hired many media buyers over the years, here are the tips I often provide to people thinking about entering the field. 

Internships 

I can’t stress this enough, spending one or two of your summers as an intern at a digital media buying agency will virtually guarantee you are moved to the front of the line compared to any post college graduate. I have hired numerous interns the day they graduated college since it provided me with an opportunity to see their potential before hiring them. 

In addition, just about every major corporation in your city has internship programs that you can apply for, you just have to connect with the right people at those companies. 

What if I can’t get an Internship? 

Make one up.  No, I don’t mean lie, create your own. Find a small business or organization that would like help with social media, creating content for their websites or any form of general marketing. Working with multiple small business or organizations helps you to build a resume and shows you have a passion for digital media. 

You might even find an organization that is willing to allow you to spend a few hundred dollars a month on running a small media campaign on Facebook which will provide basic experience in how the ad platform works. 

Network – with your parents’ friends 

Ok, I know this may seem crazy but, this is your quickest way to start a career in digital media.  First, create a LinkedIn profile but make it polished and presentable. Don’t use a photo of yourself drinking at the bar but use one that is professional and tells a potential connection that your serious about your career. 

Next, go through your parents LinkedIn connections and make a list of everyone who has the word marketing or media in their title be it past or present. Once you have made that list, send a request to connect with a note clearly stating who you are the son or daughter of and that you wish to build your professional LinkedIn network as you begin your career in marketing or digital media.  DO NOT send a request to connect without a note as they will most likely ignore it. You might even run the list by your parents so they can help you prioritize who to reach out to. 

This one small step alone will create introduction opportunities to obtain an internship with the very companies they work for. 

The final and most important thing is to be a 100% committed to whatever job, internship, or volunteer marketing effort you undertake.  The assets you produce, the work you do and outcomes you deliver on will become the basis of your work portfolio in the future. 

As a bonus, beyond LinkedIn, create a basic free website which you can use to begin documenting your work, learnings, and experience. Over time you will want to evolve from a free website to a paid one with more robust features. But nothing shows initiative and skill in the digital media world than someone who can do more than just post those photos at the bar on Instagram.