How to Build an Impressive Digital Marketing Portfolio: A 6-Step Guide for Women

Are you tired of applying to jobs and not getting any responses? Do you feel like your resume and applications are outdated and dull? Let’s talk about how we can glow up your career by building a beautiful digital marketing portfolio. 

Whether you’re fresh out of college or finally making that career switch, having an aesthetically appealing digital marketing portfolio that conveys evidence of campaigns you’ve worked on can help you stand out and land your dream job. If you’re ready to impress potential employers, you have come to the right spot. This guide will walk you through six steps to create an impressive digital marketing portfolio. 

Why Your Digital Marketing Portfolio Matters

In today’s competitive job market, a polished and well-crafted digital marketing portfolio is a dynamic representation of your professional journey. Unlike your resume, your digital marketing portfolio is a place for your work to come alive. It's your personal brand in living color. Your marketing portfolio will show your skills, creativity, and how you've delivered results in the past. 

You can think of your marketing portfolio as your aesthetically pleasing highlight reel on Instagram but for professional purposes. This helps you stand out by showing that you can talk the talk and also walk the walk.

Here are LinkedIn’s 6 crucial components to building a digital marketing portfolio.

Step 1: Define Your Niche + Audience 

When creating your marketing portfolio, first ask yourself, “How do I want to showcase my skills and how do I want to present myself?” Are you that girl on social media? Are you a woman who has a way with words when it comes to being an email marketing pro? Or are you an SEO guru? When you find your niche, you will be able to outline your portfolio to manifest the right opportunities for you. 

Step 2: Choose the Right Platform

Not all platforms are the same, but here are some top choices for building your digital marketing portfolio:

• Canva: Easy-to-use designs that don’t require advanced graphic design skills.
• Wix: Great for beginners who want drag-and-drop ease.
• Squarespace: Sleek and professional designs.

✨ Make sure you pick the platform that aligns with your tech skills and your visual goals. Your title page should include your name, title, and an attention-grabbing tagline ✨

Read more about portfolio platforms.

Step 3: Highlight Your Best Work

Remember the golden rule — quality over quantity. Take your five to ten best projects that you feel confident in and will be able to talk about in interviews to show off your range and expertise. When adding your projects, include:

• A quick description of the client or campaign.
• The strategy that you used.
• Numbers! The most important piece. Provide metrics to speak to your success! (This can include your killer engagement, click-through rates, or ROI. Anything that demonstrates your ability to make things happen and shows how you got there). 
  
  
   

Need more inspo? Take a look at these 25 unique portfolio examples. 

Step 4: Add Personality + Context

This is where you get to shine bright like a diamond. Just like every piece of art is different, your digital marketing portfolio needs to be as unique as you are. 

This is where your personal vibe and professional demure shake hands. Use your “About Me” section to tell your story, what inspires you about marketing — other than the fact that hot girls work in marketing 😜 — and talk about your favorite campaigns you’ve worked on or have recently been a victim of (Poppi, you’re spectacular – give me 14 of ‘em right now). 

Make sure to keep a professional yet approachable appeal, since you want to be able to connect with your audience, but you also want to be hireable. 

✨Adding a testimonials section will help highlight positive feedback from previous clients, employers, or colleagues and help build credibility and trustworthiness✨

Pro Tip: Use language that resembles how you speak IRL. If you’re funny and bubbly, let that show! 

Check out this guide on crafting About Us pages from Canva to make your digital marketing portfolio about you. 

Step 5: Optimize Your Digital Marketing Portfolio Using SEO

Whether you’re building your portfolio to include on your LinkedIn or to add to job applications, you never know who is watching, so optimize your digital marketing portfolio by using SEO. Let’s get you discovered for your dream job! Remember, it’s not a party if there aren’t any guests. 

You can achieve this by:

• Using keywords like “digital marketing portfolio” and any of your niche specialties in your headings and descriptions.
• Adding alt text to your images.
• Creating blog posts about your current marketing topics of interest, campaigns you’re loving, case studies, or anything marketing-related to keep your digital marketing portfolio active and up to date while on the job hunt (don’t cry – it will be over soon). 

Learn SEO basics with Google’s beginner’s guide.

Step 6: Keep It So Fresh + So Clean

Keep it fresh and fun! Nobody likes dry conversation *Kim K “yeah” voice * and no one likes a boring portfolio. 

Make sure to be continuously updating your projects, add those new case studies, and remove any outdated work. You want your best and most recent projects to be at the forefront. Show that you’re actively growing and remaining relevant because as we know marketing is an ever-changing world, regardless of your employment status.

✨ We strongly recommend creating a page dedicated to your contact information. Include your professional email address, LinkedIn, and relevant socials ✨

Let’s Recap:

Building a standout digital marketing portfolio is your opportunity to show future employers what you’re made of. Showcasing your skills is vital, but creating a unique personal brand that highlights your creativity, expertise, and results-driven mindset is just as important. 

By following these steps, you’ll have a digital marketing portfolio that opens doors to new opportunities. Whether you’re just starting your marketing journey or moving on to your next venture, your portfolio will be a game changer for your dream role. Be confident, let your work do the talking, and don’t forget to keep it fun and authentically YOU. 

Your career glow-up is just a digital marketing portfolio away ✨

✍️ Written by Jana Putzig