What Does a Communications Manager Do? (Plus Skills and Salary)

By Indeed Editorial Team

Published November 30, 2021

A career as a communications manager can be rewarding for professionals who have a passion for promoting an organization. This position is similar to marketing roles, so professionals who are creative, enjoy writing and are digitally adept may succeed in this position. Learning about the role of a communications manager can benefit you if you're looking to further your marketing or advertising career. In this article, we discuss what a communications manager is, list the job duties of the position, explain how to become a one, provide skills to master and detail the salary and job outlook for the role.

What is a communications manager?

A communications manager is a professional who promotes a company's brand, products, services and mission. They're responsible for creating marketing and advertising materials through a variety of means, including press releases, websites, blogs, brochures and billboards, among other promotional items. They also speak at conferences, hand out fliers and attend community events to help promote a company's brand awareness.

What does a communications manager do?

Here are some responsibilities of a communications manager:

Digital marketing

Communications managers may create, design and implement a variety of digital marketing materials. This can include posting to social media accounts, emailing potential clients, monitoring digital ad campaigns or providing web design. Communication managers also oversee their company's search engine optimization (SEO) campaigns, including web content that's embedded with specific keywords that represent the product and services the organization offers.

Public relations

Public relations duties for a communication manager include informing media members or other publications about campaigns to help build a company's reputation and promote its products. They write press releases, respond to press inquiries and host media availability to discuss developments. Some public relations responsibilities also can include writing and designing newsletters, brochures and blog posts and posting content to social media.

Advertising

Communication managers can produce a variety of advertising material, including designing large displays with the company's name and logo for a storefront, promotional banner or billboard. Advertising materials may also include small objects with a company logo, including pens, lanyards and stickers. These managers can lead teams to collaborate on campaigns, and they can research or host focus groups to get feedback on products.

Team collaboration

A communications manager may often work alongside and collaborate with other managers or department leads. Collaboration among an organization's teams can allow communications managers to get advice from others who have additional knowledge of company standards. Other team members also may offer advice and provide advertising and marketing insight and ideas for the company.

Marketing launches

Communications managers often help a company with product launches, which are the debuts of new products or services. This can include advertising for the products, creating marketing campaigns and hosting events to promote the product. This can help your company introduce new products to consumers and build brand awareness.

Customer service

Communications managers can help new and existing customers to answer their questions or solve any issues they may have. This includes responding to social media messages, negative reviews or emails from current or prospective customers. Other customer service duties include communicating with clients who are unhappy with a product or service to offer perks or discounts to help customer retention and satisfaction.

Related: 20 Customer Service Tips

How to become a communications manager

Here are four steps to consider if you're looking to pursue a career as a communications manager:

1. Pursue an education

To become a communications manager, companies may require a degree in a variety of disciplines. This can include fields of study such as marketing, business administration, communications, public relations or advertising. Some organizations also may require advanced education, like a master's degree in a related field. Some companies offer tuition reimbursement to employees who are seeking an advanced degree, so consider asking whether a company you're interested in does to help you save money.

2. Build a network

Professionals seeking to be communications managers may benefit from networking with other people in the field. This can include going to conferences, participating in social events or joining online forums for the industry. Networking can allow job seekers to meet other professionals, hiring managers or company owners. Meeting other professionals can provide new job opportunities and allow you to stay current with new trends in the industry.

3. Gain experience

Communications managers can benefit from having experience in a variety of fields. Working in digital advertising, media relations and content creation can help qualify you to become a communications manager. Companies may require candidates to have related experience before considering them for an open role. If you haven't worked in a related industry, management or leadership experience in any field also can help you earn this job.

4. Acquire certifications

There are a variety of communication and marketing certifications professionals can earn to help them get a job as a communications manager. Certifications may be available online, and some of them are free. Many marketing companies provide online courses you can complete at home, which allows you to become certified on your own time. Some certification areas to consider include social media advertising, content management and digital marketing.

Communications manager skills

Here are some skills communications managers may use to have success in the role:

Organization

In this position, professionals often work on a variety of projects simultaneously, so staying organized can benefit you greatly. Improving these skills can help you maintain better records for your projects and can enhance your team's ability to communicate effectively. Keeping all documents and information for various projects separated and easily accessible can help you complete them on time and correctly.

Communication

Communications managers can benefit from strong communication skills, including written and oral. These skills can help when presenting a marketing campaign, responding to emails or talking to prospective clients. Communicating clearly with company leaders and your team also can improve everyone's understanding of their tasks and the progress of a project. This can help ensure your business processes remain efficient and error-free.

Web design

Strong web design skills can help a communications manager create SEO-driven content, work with basic web design tools and manage a content management system (CMS), which is a software program organizations use to manage their content. A communications manager may also benefit from having visual design skills, which can include designing and creating graphics or images for digital or print advertisements.

Salary and job outlook for a communications manager

According to Indeed salary data, communications managers earn a national average salary of $62,374 per year. This figure can vary based on where you work, the organization you work for, your education and experience or any certifications you have. A communications manager may work for colleges or universities, government agencies, hospitals or other large corporations.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 9% job growth for communications managers from 2020 through 2030, which is higher than the average of all occupations in that period. The agency attributes this growth to the need for companies to emphasize their community outreach efforts and improve customer relations to help enhance their visibility and reputation. It also cites the continued reliance on social media as a factor in the growth.