Marketing and communications
Communication is a powerful tool. When wielded effectively, it engages audiences and transforms strategy into results. The exchange of information affects nearly every aspect of business. Learning how to craft compelling messages — and measure their impact — can help you deliver value to any organization.
1 in 8
marketing jobs require data analysis skills*
$63,790
average salary
for market research analysts and marketing specialists**
*Burning Glass Technologies
**U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Marketing and communications definition
Marketing and communications, or marcomm, is the practice of using a combination of channels and tools to communicate with a desired market for the purpose of brand awareness, sales, advertising, or promotion.
Pursuing a path in marcomm lets you leverage your creativity, critical thinking, and interpersonal skills. There’s even a bit of psychology involved. Being a strategic communicator requires understanding what makes people tick (and click).
Marketing and communications duties
Marcomm careers are rewarding and fulfilling, not only because they combine creativity with data and analytics but also because they allow you to make a measurable impact on your organization.
Typical duties in this area of work include:
- Communication with the public
- Planning promotional campaigns
- Budgeting
- Creating marketing plans
- Contract negotiation
- Website analysis
- Market research
- Pricing strategy development
- Promotional and informational writing
- Managing media relations
- Fundraising
- Reputation management
DIGITAL MEDIA
Skills in website analytics, content marketing, and social media are in high demand as the world becomes more connected through new digital mediums.
DATA ANALYSIS
Today’s marcomm jobs are increasingly data driven. Advertising and public relations managers need to know how to track website statistics, lead generation, and other campaign metrics using the latest tools and techniques.
TECHNOLOGY
Upskilling and reskilling in analytics software, web design, and other information systems will help you test differemt marketing and communications strategies to learn what works.
WRITING AND LANGUAGE
A firm grasp of the English language is one of the most important marketing and communication skills. Knowledge of grammar, style, and structure will help you develop compelling written communications and promotional materials.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Creating a better customer experience has become a key differentiator for brands and e-commerce businesses. Customers expect immediate, personalized assistance. In order to maintain brand loyalty, marcomm professionals must be able to deftly assess customer needs, set quality service standards, and enhance client satisfaction.
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Advertising
From commercials to targeted ads on social media, modern business runs on advertising. Here are some key tasks you can expect to perform in this area:
- Lead generation
- Advertising campaign development
- Promotional program development
- Media services
- Responding to press inquiries
- Discount and savings program development
- Profit analysis
Public relations
As a public relations professional, you will focus on creating and maintaining a positive public image for an individual or organization.
In these types of marketing positions, your daily activities may include:
- Media outreach
- Press release writing
- Marketing coordination
- Speech writing
- Social media monitoring and engagement
- Event planning
- Media releases and inquiries
- Client consultations
- Promotional program evaluation
- Public opinion evaluation
- Crisis communications
Digital media
Learning marketing and communications skills can position you to work in the fast-paced environment of media, where you can expect to handle duties like:
- Social media management
- Digital marketing
- Website analysis
- Content development
- Video production
- Promotional writing
- Media analysis
Government communications
From federal branches to city offices, all levels of government need communication experts to keep citizens in the loop with important news and information.
Typical responsibilities in these types of communication roles include:
- Writing press releases
- Drafting statements
- Serving as a media liaison
- Giving presentations
- Information gathering
- Reputation management
Marketing is all about metrics. We can now measure and visualize the performance of our communication in real time, and it’s changing the business world.
Marcomm professionals have an array of tools and insights at their disposal — resources they can use to strategically segment their audience and identify the best ways to reach them. In this highly data-driven field, candidates with technical skills are rising to the top, and the overall communications job outlook is very positive.
Here’s a brief look at where the industry is headed based on research conducted by Burning Glass Technologies:
Reliance on hybrid skill sets
Today's marketing and public relations professionals must build a hybrid skill set of creative and analytical skills to maximize their talent and performance. After all, communication is a science as much as an art.
To thrive in this field, you need a blend of right-brain imagination and left-brain logic. The ability to apply soft skills to technical disciplines is also critical, with competency in interpretation, visualization, and research deemed most important.
Importance of analytics expertise
The demand for metrics is no longer isolated to the finance and business analytics sectors. Marketing has become more data driven than ever as businesses experiment with new methods of reaching their target audiences and converting leads into customers.
Employers now expect their marcomm teams to be skilled in common web-based analysis tools such as Google Analytics and marketing automation software like Salesforce.
Top 10 skills in the marketing and communications industry
In the marcomm industry, 50% of the fastest-growing skills relate to some form of software, while the remainder require technical expertise.
Here are the top 10 skills that will see the highest projected growth:
Skill |
Projected Posting Growth (2018-2023) |
|---|---|
| Artificial intelligence | 339% |
| Distributed computing | 174% |
| Web analytics | 166% |
| Machine learning | 134% |
| Cloud solutions | 119% |
| Data science | 110% |
| Scripting languages | 101% |
| NoSQL databases | 98% |
| Software quality assurance | 95% |
| Data visualization | 80% |
Source: Burning Glass Occupational Insights, 2019
Outlook for new graduates
The marketing job outlook is very bright. If you're a naturally creative person with a passion for turning ideas into action, marcomm might be your perfect career fit. This is a field that continues to expand and offer new avenues for advancement.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics:
- Employment of market research analysts and marketing specialists is projected to grow 18% from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations
- The use of social media is expected to create opportunities for public relations specialists as brands try to appeal to consumers and the general public in new ways
- Advertising, promotions, and marketing managers earn an average salary of $135,900
- The most experienced advertising and promotions managers earn more than $208,000
