What Does a Marketing Manager Do? (With Job Requirements)

Marketing managers are individuals in the marketing and development industry. In this role, you can help create and oversee marketing campaigns for companies or specific products. Understanding more about this role, such as the job requirements and daily tasks, can help you determine if this is the right career path for you.

In this article, we discuss what a marketing manager does, including reviewing the role requirements, valuable skills to develop, the steps you can take to become one and the position's salary and job outlook.

What does a marketing manager do?

Marketing managers establish and direct marketing policies for their organizations, which may include identifying the target market, creating a demand for their company's product or service, developing pricing strategies and monitoring market trends to maximize their company's profit or market share.

Examples of market manager duties and responsibilities include:

• Developing marketing plans or strategies based on market characteristics and organizational goals

• Collaborating with advertising or promotional managers to coordinate and direct marketing activities to promote products or services

• Analyzing data to make informed decisions about marketing campaigns and activities

• Estimating costs and potential sales to project marketing needs

• Evaluating financial aspects of products or services including budgets, expenditures, return-on-investment and profit-loss projections

• Evaluating the effectiveness of marketing campaigns and adjusting strategies as necessary to achieve target goals

• Developing pricing strategies to meet market demand and organizational objectives

• Work with a creative team on a product's packaging design

• Decide if the packaging requires changes for various demographics or countries if its a global project launch

• Work closely with product managers on areas such as what products require more visibility and what features to highlight in marketing materials

• Attend product manager meetings to discuss product and marketing alignment so the marketing activities and product development align

• Present marketing plans to stakeholders and employees monthly or quarterly, and, at the end of the year, a company's management may request to see yearly marketing budget results 

• Keeps a team motivated and dedicated to the marketing plan

Additionally, this role knows when plans require change. A marketing plan may not be successful starting off and the strategy may require change depending on the figures gained from early analysis. Having the confidence to change it and explain it to everyone is important.

Related: What Does a Digital Marketing Manager Do and How To Become One

Job requirements for marketing managers

Getting a position as a marketing manager may require extensive education, training and skills. Some requirements for this career include:

Education

Graduation from a four-year college or university with a degree in marketing or a related discipline is a requirement for marketing managers. Graduate or postgraduate education in marketing can deepen your knowledge of the field and may contribute to further success as a marketing manager.

With enough relevant experience, some employers may accept an associate degree, but the most common educational requirement for this career is a bachelor's degree in marketing.

Related: FAQ: Why Study Marketing ? (5 Reasons Plus Career  Paths)

Training

Marketing managers have extensive training in measuring market conditions, analyzing financial aspects to predict outcomes, using applicable software for developing marketing campaigns and managing marketing campaigns in various outlets, including social media. They may require ongoing training to stay current on marketing strategies and trends.

Often, individuals in this role receive on-the-job training to familiarize them with the company's products or services, organizational objectives, desired marketing goals and outcomes of previous marketing campaigns.

Related: How To Find Remote Marketing Jobs (Plus 5 Jobs To Consider)

Certifications

Certifications demonstrate education and experience in the marketing occupation. Here are some example certifications for marketing managers:

Certified Marketing Management Professional

The International Institute of Marketing Professionals (IIMP) offers four levels of its Certified Marketing Management Professional credential: Associate, Manager, Executive and Chartered. This globally recognized certification validates career and academic excellence in marketing. It's a mark of distinction for industry employees committed to the marketing profession and its ethical practice.

Prospective candidates can earn this certification by completing coursework and passing an exam offered by the IIMP.

Related: 26 Digital Marketing  Certifications To Improve Your Resume

Professional Certified Marketer

The American Marketing Association (AMA) offers four tracks of the Professional Certified Marketer credential: Digital, Postgraduate, Content Marketing and Marketing Management. This credential can advance the careers of marketers in their chosen tracks and how they can respond to modern marketing challenges.

Eligibility for this certification requires a combination of education and experience as a marketer. Prospective candidates can earn this certification by following an approved learning path to prepare for and pass the exam offered by the AMA.

Related: 29 Marketing  Certifications To Include on Your Resume

Skills

Marketing managers require several soft and technical skills to succeed in their careers, including:

• Analytics: Analytical skills describe the ability to extract and interpret meaningful information from raw data. Marketing managers use this skill to evaluate market conditions, identify target demographics, project marketing outcomes, support informed decisions about marketing campaigns and quantify outcomes to evaluate success.

• Financial management: This skill involves analyzing financial data to calculate return on investment (ROI) and profit-loss projections. Marketing managers use this skill to evaluate budgets and estimated expenditures compared to pricing and potential sales to predict and measure the success of marketing campaigns.

• Logic and reasoning: This skill includes using valuable information to draw meaningful conclusions and apply existing knowledge to evaluate new information in a different context. Marketing 

  managers use these skills to adjust marketing campaigns based on past success and design effective campaigns based on new information about target markets and demographics.

• Communication: Marketing managers often communicate ideas and objectives. They use their communication skills to present a high-level overview of marketing campaigns to organizational leadership or share specific details to direct marketing activities.

• Leadership: Leadership includes the ability to motivate and direct the work of others. Marketing managers use this skill to guide their team's work and encourage them to complete tasks that support marketing activities and achieve objectives.

• Social perceptiveness: This skill involves awareness of how others react and the ability to comprehend why others react in such a way. It's important for marketing managers to receive reports from the team and analyze them based on their market knowledge and how competitors are performing.

• Technical literary: This skill includes using word processing, data analytics and presentation software, like word processor applications and marketing software. Marketing managers use these skills to communicate marketing strategies, analyze marketing or financial data, develop campaigns and monitor marketing conditions.

• Interpersonal skills: Working and communicating with different teams and departments as a marketing manager requires strong interpersonal skills, including teamwork, active listening and conflict management.

Related: 15 Top Skills for a Digital Marketing Expert

How to become a marketing manager

Here are six steps you can follow to pursue a career as a marketing manager:

1. Pursue an education

Graduate from a four-year college or university with a bachelor's degree in marketing or a related discipline. Research education requirements for your preferred industry or company to determine if graduate or postgraduate education is necessary. Some companies may hire you and sponsor any post-graduate degrees you wish to earn for your career.

Related: A Guide To Marketing Degrees

2. Gain relevant work experience

Marketing managers require several years of experience in the industry. Consider applying for junior positions such as marketing intern, marketing assistant or marketing specialist. Working in junior marketing positions builds your experience.

While not a regular occurrence, it's possible to move into a junior marketing role from another area within a business. A company may allow a talented employee to complete educational qualifications in tandem with the job. The company may pay for this.

Related: How To Find Entry-Level Marketing  Jobs  (Plus Tips and Jobs )

3. Earn certifications

Work toward the education and experience eligibility requirements to earn certification. Certifications serve as a verification of your education and experience and distinguish you as a committed marketing employee. Though certifications aren't always a requirement for this career, earning them can help you find career advancement opportunities.

4. Lead or manage marketing campaigns

While in junior positions, seek opportunities to present and lead your own marketing campaigns for an organization. Design small campaigns or manage projects and tasks within a campaign to grow your experience and demonstrate your abilities to senior managers. You may reference these projects in your application materials later.

Related: 20 Great Jobs  You Can Get With a Marketing  Degree

5. Prepare your resume

You can include your highest level of education, relevant certifications and work history on a resume. In your work experience section, include company names, dates of employment and a summary of your responsibilities, contributions and achievements.

Related: Top Marketing Resume Keywords (And How To Use Them)

6. Apply to manage marketing teams

After earning education, certifications and experience, review the current job market for your intended industry and geographical location. Select positions you're qualified for based on required years of experience and level of education. Use the resume you crafted and a cover letter that summarizes your suitability for that specific role and company.

Advertise your services with small to medium-sized enterprises. Additionally, offer your services online, so you can build a portfolio of work to show a prospective employer at an interview.

Marketing manager work environment

 Marketing managers primarily work in an office environment, which requires the ability to sit for extended periods of time and operate office equipment, such as phones and computers. They may work remotely or in-office and often collaborate with other marketers. Often, these individuals work regular business hours on a full-time basis.

With the exception of events where marketing managers may find themselves working overtime or on weekends. At other times, they may travel to attend product launches or fairs. Extensive preparation is required before attending.

Related: 6 Different Work Environment Types (With Examples)

Salary and job outlook for marketing managers

Marketing managers have a national average salary of $73,656 per year. Your potential earnings in this position may vary based on your industry, employer, experience, education and location. Marketing managers with more certifications or graduate degrees might negotiate higher salaries. For the most up-to-date salary information from Indeed, please click the link provided.

The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects employment for advertising, promotions and marketing managers to grow by 10% between 2021 and 2031. This projection rate is faster than the average job growth for other occupations. You may see about 35,300 job openings for these roles annually.

Related: 13 Salary Negotiation Strategies

Example of a job description for marketing managers

Here's an example of a job description for this career:

Are you a determined and friendly marketer with an advanced understanding of human behavior and a desire to help consumers find the right product or service to suit their needs? If so, you might be a great fit for our company. We're a successful startup with room to grow, and we're looking for a self-starting marketing manager to oversee promotional events and improve client relationships. The ideal candidate for this position has a positive attitude, a tireless work ethic and an insatiable appetite for growth.

Additional requirements for the ideal candidate:

• Bachelor's degree in marketing or a related field

• Three to five years working in the marketing industry

• Public relations experience

• Excellent planning, organizing, researching and writing skills