Your path to a career as a marketing manager
Marketing managers generate interest in a specific product, brand, or service
Marketing managers plan promotional campaigns, which may include digital marketing, broadcast, billboard advertising, print, social media, contests and giveaways, and so on. They help strategize the messaging and publish or distribute it to the public. They may also lead a team or work as part of a larger team, depending upon the size of the organization.
Moreover, marketing managers often help decide how much time, money, and effort the company will invest in any advertising and marketing campaign. In some instances, marketing managers are tasked with hiring and directing a marketing team that does most of the work under their supervision. Keep reading to learn more about this exciting career.
But the position also has plenty of benefits. Following are some reasons why pursuing this career can be a good investment.
Great pay
Research performed in 2019 by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) noted that the median salary for experienced marketing managers is $135,900. The highest salaries (some 10%), however, fell in the $200,000 range.
Diverse job prospects
Jobs for the category of marketing, advertising, and promotion managers are predicted to grow by a respectable 6% from 2019 to 2029. This faster-than-average job growth translates to ample job prospects for managers with the right qualifications.
Potential travel
Marketing managers don’t always just sit behind a desk. They may travel to meet clients, potential clients, and/or media representatives. If you’re looking for a job that offers travel opportunities at your employer’s expense, marketing management may be the right choice.
Self-employment opportunities
Would you like to have complete control over your schedule or be able to work remotely rather than at a corporate office? If so, job opportunities exist for freelance marketing managers that could make your dream a reality.
If you choose to enter the challenging, colorful world of marketing management, you should be aware of the current and potential trends in the industry. Here are some that are worth keeping an eye on:
As the BLS reports, marketing managers with adept internet skills typically enjoy the best career prospects. Trends such as in-app sales, influencer marketing, and location-based marketing have become increasingly popular over the years, and those who know how to leverage cutting-edge online marketing techniques should be able to boost company profits now and in the foreseeable future.
Up to 85% of potential customers report that they are more likely to buy a product after watching a video about it. What’s more, nearly half of all shoppers search for videos related to a product or service before visiting a business that sells it. Companies with marketers who use video to promote their products grow almost 50% faster than those that don’t. As a result, if you want to be a successful marketing manager, you should learn about video marketing and stay abreast of video marketing trends.
AI is taking the world by storm, and marketing also is affected by the ever-evolving technological developments in this field. Chatbots, for instance, are changing the way in which companies interact with customers by enabling businesses to provide immediate, personalized assistance with a single tap on a phone or click of a mouse. Other growing uses for AI include timing the delivery of marketing emails, customizing discount offers based on an AI analysis of a customer’s past behavior (such as click-throughs) and offering personalized product recommendations predicated on products in which a customer has previously shown an interest.
Have you heard of behavioral economics or neuromarketing? If not, you may want to become familiar with these and other psychology-related marketing terms. When behavioral economist Richard Thaler won the Nobel Prize for his contributions to the field, which proved that people aren’t rational when making decisions, marketers took note. Emotional marketing is quickly becoming a trend as companies use nonconscious factors such as framing and social proof to bring in new customers and keep existing clients coming back.
Do you have a degree in marketing management or are you considering earning one in the future? If so, you’ll be pleased to know that the field offers a lot of versatility. Consider these related positions:
- PR specialist or spokesperson
- Project manager
- Market research analyst
- Sales manager
- Fundraiser
- Fundraising manager
- HR manager
- Operations manager
What types of marketing manager jobs are available?
Just about every business, educational institution, government department, health care company, utility, service provider, and NGO needs at least one person who knows how to successfully pitch goods and/or services to the public. At the same time, certain fields usually employ marketing managers more than others.
Nearly one in four marketing managers works in professional, scientific, or technical services. An additional 14% are on company and enterprise management teams. Other leading employers include the financial and insurance industries and the wholesale trade.
Your exact job description likely depends both on the size of the company and your particular market. If you work for a large firm, your focus may be on a single brand, product or product line. Alternatively, you may focus on a single type of marketing, such as offline marketing, Google ad campaigns, or social media marketing. On the other hand, marketing managers at small companies may handle all their company’s advertising needs.
While job descriptions and demands vary from industry to industry, all marketing managers need excellent oral and written communication skills to communicate effectively with team members, supervisors, fellow managers, clients, and the public.
Effective persuasion skills are particularly important in large companies, in which marketing managers must not only help develop winning campaigns, but also convince the client or company executives to drop or embrace specific marketing techniques and strategies.
Entry-level marketing manager jobs
Whether you’re still earning your undergraduate degree or are in the workforce but having difficulty finding a managerial position, don’t despair. Plenty of entry-level job opportunities exist that can help you get your career started on the right foot.
Digital marketing specialist
Digital marketing specialists earn an average salary of $49,875 a year, as reported by PayScale. You don’t need a bachelor’s degree to get started, but it’s a good idea to earn a certificate to learn the necessary skills and boost your resume. These programs are offered by many educational institutions, and they can take anywhere from five weeks to a year to complete.
Advertising sales agent
As the name implies, advertising sales agents sell advertising space to companies. You only need a high school diploma to get started along with some on-the-job training. The average salary is $53,310.
Marketing coordinator
This position is typically an entry-level position, and individuals in this role often work as part of a marketing brand or product team. They develop reports and spreadsheets to track the progress of campaigns. Coordinators often work as liaisons between departments to best serve the team.
Mid-level marketing manager jobs
Some marketing jobs fall into the mid-level range. These positions serve as a stepping stone to more advanced positions. Mid-level jobs include the following:
Brand manager
The brand manager is responsible for planning and executing the content for all the media channels, including online and social media. They also may assist in developing products and pricing strategies.
Community manager
The community manager helps the social media team manage its relationship with all the current and potential followers of the brand or product. The community manager engages a brand’s social media followers and responds to complaints and queries, helps write social messaging, and plans promotions, such as contests, among other tasks.
SEO strategist
Strategists work as part of the analytics team to incorporate search engine optimization techniques to deliver content that gets noticed. They know how to build links and use viral marketing and site-optimization methods that appeal to consumers.
Advanced marketing manager jobs
You’ll likely need a master’s degree in marketing and plenty of work experience to secure an advanced-level marketing position. Even so, these jobs are well worth striving for.
Vice president of marketing
$146,582
Chief marketing officer (CMO)
$173,713
Vice president of e-commerce
$179,065
The marketing field is composed of multiple moving parts that come together to create an effective campaign. We’ve prepared a list of skills that are poised to enjoy substantial growth over the coming years.
Fast-growing marketing manager skills
As marketing continues to evolve into a technological, data-driven career, half of the fastest-growing skills involve technology, while the other half are software based. Here are the 10 fastest-growing skills in marketing:
Top 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 Technologies Occupational Insights, 2019
Technical skills
Advances in software and technology in the marketing field have made technical skills more important than ever. Some of the mostly highly sought-after skills by hiring managers include:
- Digital marketing
- Product management
- Social media
- Budgeting
- Google Analytics
Soft skills
Some of the top soft skills in marketing include:
- Communication
- Organization
- Teamwork
- Creativity
- Planning
Top emerging skills
The top emerging skills in this field are:
Emerging Skill |
Projected Posting Growth (2018–2023) |
|---|---|
| Machine learning | 240% |
| Data storage | 200% |
| Business intelligence software | 189% |
| Web analytics | 166% |
| Data analysis | 150% |
| Marketing software | 118% |
Source: Burning Glass Technologies Occupational Insights, 2019
Popular tools
Some of the more popular tools in marketing include:
- Microsoft Office
- Google Analytics
- Salesforce
- Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube
- Marketo
Finding internship opportunities that help improve both your career possibilities and your resume is not always an easy task. The following are examples of companies that offer marketing internships. You can explore local marketing and advertising firms, especially larger ones, to locate internship programs.
Consider joining an industry association; many are available in the broad field of marketing. We’ve selected some notable organizations to join to help you grow your network and expand your job opportunities:
Manage your future
Marketing management is an exciting field with multiple job prospects. Would you like to be your own boss and work as a consultant rather than as a full-time employee?
A marketing management degree allows you to do just that. Alternatively, you can work for a company that offers plentiful travel opportunities or find a marketing management position that allows you to learn and grow in the field. There also are opportunities to pivot into similar fields such as PR and fundraising.
Find your path
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Forbes
- Taylor & Francis Online
- Emerj
- Illinois Worknet
- PayScale
- Search Engine Journal
- Glassdoor
- Robert Walters
- HubSpot
- Burning Glass Technologies
Need help finding the right program?