What is a marketing coordinator?

A marketing coordinator typically helps other marketing team members implement their ideas. This involves coordinating meetings, creating marketing content and researching and collecting marketing data. A marketing coordinator may also perform these duties:

• Monitoring social media accounts
• Tracking campaign expenses
• Attending industry events
• Communicating with sales and customer service team members
• Planning launch parties and marketing events

Marketing coordinators typically have more experience and responsibilities than marketing assistants, but they may not be as experienced as marketing specialists or marketing managers.

Read more: What Does a Marketing Coordinator Do? (With Job Description)

What is a marketing specialist?

A marketing specialist typically implements marketing strategies for businesses and nonprofit organizations. The job description usually includes the following duties:

• Performing market research
• Defining the target audience for marketing campaigns
• Collecting demographic data
• Developing campaign goals
• Collaborating with graphic designers, copywriters and other creative team members
• Delivering presentations to members of the sales and marketing teams
• Creating brochures and promotional materials
• Identifying suitable marketing channels for each campaign
• Using key performance metrics to determine if a campaign reached its goals
• Generating leads

Similarities between marketing coordinators and marketing specialists

Marketing coordinators and marketing specialists typically both need knowledge of marketing principles and practices. Although coordinators generally don’t develop and execute campaigns independently, they should still understand key marketing concepts.

Individuals in both roles can also benefit from computer skills, as they may use word processing software to prepare reports or draft promotional materials. Your new hire might also use spreadsheets for budgeting or design software to create brochures.

Marketing coordinators and marketing specialists work closely on each campaign. They typically collaborate with graphic designers, copywriters and sales associates. As a result, some overlap exists between the two roles.

If your organization uses the skills-first hiring approach, you can focus more on skills than educational credentials.

Differences between a marketing coordinator and a marketing specialist

When comparing a marketing specialist vs. a marketing coordinator, it’s important to understand the differences between the two jobs.

Duties

A marketing specialist may develop campaign ideas and manage their execution. A marketing coordinator helps implement the marketing specialist’s idea and potentially performs administrative and clerical tasks, such as scheduling meetings and preparing expense reports.

Skills and abilities

A marketing specialist generally has more advanced skills than a marketing coordinator. For example, a marketing coordinator may understand the basics of search engine optimization (SEO), such as its purpose and importance. In contrast, a marketing specialist can usually develop and execute an SEO strategy.

A marketing specialist should also have more advanced analytics skills. Marketing specialists typically use Google Analytics, HubSpot, Semrush and other tools to implement marketing strategies and determine their success. A marketing coordinator may be familiar with these tools, but the role doesn’t typically require in-depth analytics skills.

The marketing specialist role requires the ability to analyze industry trends and assess competitors accurately. For example, a marketing specialist should be able to visit a competitor’s website and determine which promotional tactics or SEO strategy they use.

Marketing coordinators offer a supporting role, so they aren’t generally expected to have these specialized skills.

Salary

In the United States, marketing coordinators average $53,540 per year, while marketing specialists average $63,769 per year. Salaries for each role vary based on the location of your company, your industry and the experience you require.

Team contributions

Marketing coordinators and marketing specialists contribute differently to their teams. A marketing coordinator manages projects, plans events and supports various marketing professionals, including marketing specialists and managers.

Marketing specialists have strategic marketing expertise so they can help launch new products successfully or boost sales for an underperforming product. A successful marketing specialist may also add value by helping your company strengthen its brand.

Marketing coordinator vs. marketing specialist: Which do you need?

Whether you need to hire a marketing specialist or a marketing coordinator depends on several factors. If you have an opening on your marketing team, consider the following benefits.

Benefits of hiring a marketing coordinator

A marketing coordinator can support your existing marketing team with daily tasks or help them prepare for and manage expansion. When a marketing team includes several people, it’s typically easy for every employee to collaborate. As the team grows, a marketing coordinator can ensure seamless operation continues.

Marketing coordinators help keep marketing projects on track, plan marketing events and take over some tasks involved in content creation. This can give other team members more time to collaborate and devise creative marketing ideas.

Benefits of hiring a marketing specialist

If you need someone with advanced marketing knowledge and skills, hiring a marketing specialist may be helpful. Marketing coordinators help teams carry out marketing initiatives, but marketing specialists create those initiatives.

Marketing specialists can create successful promotional campaigns for products and help your organization expand its online presence, as this role requires advanced knowledge of SEO and web analytics.

If you hire a marketing specialist, you gain access to knowledge and skills that may help your company improve its search engine rankings and outperform competitors.

Hiring a marketing professional vs. working with an agency

If it’s not the right time to hire a full-time marketing coordinator or a full-time marketing specialist, consider working with an agency. Creative agencies have marketing experts available to help with everything, from defining your target audience to launching new campaigns.

Working with an agency can offer the following benefits:

• You pay only for the services used. The agency takes care of taxes and other employment-related expenses, potentially saving you money.
• You can ask the agency to source someone with specific skills, ensuring you have the right skills for every project.
• As your business grows, you can have the agency connect you with additional marketing professionals.