The digital age has transformed nearly every aspect of personal and professional life, and marketing is no exception. Marketers need to be skilled at understanding digital opportunities and maximizing their potential. Considering how rapid technology is advancing, it’s likely marketing careers will continue to require professionals able to generate traffic, influence followers and ultimately provide a return on the marketing investment (ROI). Earning a marketing degree is a great place to start.
What is Marketing?
Marketing encompasses the goal of getting a product or service to the right people, at the right price and at the right time to inspire customers to buy. To achieve this goal, marketers use research to inform a strategy for developing goods or services that will appeal to customers, and then they price them in a way that supports promoting them. Marketing also includes the overall brand, comprising the logo, brand colors, imagery and other components that present the brand to its target audience.
In a marketing job description, you’ll find marketers oversee the “four Ps”: product, place, price and promotion. Advertising is a subset of marketing, typically divided by management, which oversees clients and campaigns, and creative teams, which focus on developing the campaigns and content.
Marketing Careers and Employment Outlook
Marketing jobs are expected to increase by 8% from 2018 to 2028, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics*, as businesses continue to pursue competitive advantages and a greater share of the market. To enter the field of marketing, most candidates are expected to hold a BA in Marketing or a related field like public relations or journalism. People who are looking to enter the field through a lower entry-level position like junior marketing associate or merchandiser can pursue an AA in Marketing, while those holding leadership positions may have an MBA in Marketing.
Not only does marketing offer opportunity for growth, but it also offers a wide variety of career types and focuses, including:
- Market Research and Analytics
- Promotion
- Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Social Media
- Ecommerce
- Marketing Strategy
- Digital Marketing Strategy
- Content Marketing
- Consumer Behavior
Midpoint salaries for marketing careers vary based on role. On the high end, the midpoint for a Marketing Director is $108,000, according to the American Marketing Association. Many roles earn midpoint averages in the $60-$70,000 range, including:
- Content Strategist ($73,000)
- Digital Marketing Manager ($79,500)
- Marketing Analytics Specialist ($68,000)
- SEO/SEM Specialist ($62,500)
Other roles, like Digital Marketing Coordinator ($54,500), Email Marketing Specialist ($53,750) and Social Media Manager ($57,750), earn midpoint averages in the mid-50s.
You Might Also Like: Top 5 Reasons You Should Get Your MBA in Marketing
Skills for Marketers
Marketers can help drive an organization’s financial performance, which means marketing professionals are often in close contact with top executives at an organization. The deadline-driven nature of the work can sometimes make for a stressful environment, alongside demanding clients or stakeholders.
As a result, marketers should have a few important skills, including:
- Communication skills: Marketing professionals must communicate with a wide variety of stakeholders in an organization throughout the process, sometimes even in a persuasive manner.
- Decision-making skills: Often, teams will present several options for a campaign, and a marketing manager must be able to make the right decision.
- Creativity: Generating novel ideas is a critical facet of marketing work.
- Analytical skills: To establish the most effective strategy for an organization, marketers must be able to analyze the industry and current trends.
- Interpersonal skills: Marketers collaborate with an array of individuals, both inside and outside an organization, and must be able to cultivate good relationships.
- Organizational skills: Marketers are often juggling multiple tasks or campaigns and must be able to manage themselves, team members and other departmental stakeholders to stay on time and in budget.
What Can You Do with a Marketing Degree?
If you’re considering a marketing career or earning a marketing degree, you’re likely wondering what exactly you can do with a marketing degree. Here, we look at six exciting marketing careers you can consider.
- Advertising Manager – An advertising manager strives to generate interest among potential customers, either for an organization’s department, the organization or for a specific account. Advertising managers typically work within an advertising agency compiling advertising campaigns for their clients, in media firms that sell add space, or directly for an organization that heavily advertises.These professionals are often the go-between for the client and the agency developing and placing the ads. Depending on the organization, some advertising managers may specialize in specific types of advertising, such as social media advertising.
- Marketing Assistant – A marketing assistant often already understands the industry and holds some previous sales or marketing experience but wants to continue to grow professionally. Marketing assistants track ongoing marketing campaigns and report on their results, as well as develop strategies for improving current marketing efforts. They may also coordinate market research studies across the phone and online, analyze the data collected during the research, and present reports that summarize information for easy consumption by organizational stakeholders.
- Market Research Analyst – Market research analysts study the conditions of a market and explore potential product or services sales in that market. They help organizations understand the products customers want, what type of customer will buy them, and what price the customer will be willing to pay. To do this, market research analysts must measure and monitor ongoing campaigns, market conditions and competitors and analyze data, ultimately converting the information collected into readable tables, graphs and reports that can be presented to clients or business leaders.
- Marketing Associate –Â Marketing associates are responsible for assisting with tasks needed to keep a client project or campaign running smoothly. These tasks often include supporting the production of marketing materials; updating client-facing advertising pieces, reports and presentations; tracking projects and team activities; assisting with client communications and standardizing marketing materials.
- Marketing Coordinator – Marketing coordinators also conduct research and analyze customer behavior to inform how they design and implement successful marketing campaigns. This includes establishing tracking systems for online marketing, identifying and understanding competitors, and preparing reports from sales data. They also collaborate with the design department to implement marketing campaigns.
- Brand Manager – Brand managers help establish brands that connect with the target market. This can be at an organizational level or specific to a department, product or service, and often involves continuing to refine and deploy brands.
- Digital Marketing Manager – Digital marketing managers oversee a brand’s digital channels, including the company website, electronic newsletters and social media. This may also involve managing a company blog and establishing digital marketing schedules. To maximize the success of digital marketing, a digital marketing manager must analyze website and social traffic, creating and tracking ROI and KPIs for the content.
Related Reading
Marketing vs. Advertising: Degrees and Careers
How Big Brands Are Using Remarketing
*Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Department of Labor, Advertising, Promotions and Marketing Managers, on the internet at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/advertising-promotions-and-marketing-managers.htm (visited February 12, 2020)
National long-term projections may not reflect local and/or short-term economic or job conditions, and do not guarantee actual job growth. Degree and/or certificate program options do not guarantee career or salary outcomes. Students should conduct independent research for specific employment information.