
Marketing Communication Manager: Salary, Career Growth and Job Outlook
The term marketing once simply referred to a business transaction in a market. Now, hundreds of years later, the concept of marketing is far greater in scope, describing the development of a host of strategies to attract customers through products and messages.
The evolution of marketing continues, thanks to changes such as advances in technology and the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. These changes have elevated the role of marketing as a driver of customer satisfaction during challenging times.
Marketing communication is a subset of marketing that uses promotional campaigns to advance marketing messaging, and it’s constantly changing too. Marketing communication professionals are always adapting to new web platforms and global business trends.
Marketing communication managers oversee and develop ever-changing marketing strategies, making it important that their education and training equip them to meet the demands of this competitive and evolving field.
Marketing and Communications Management Positions
Management roles in marketing communication call for overseeing work that promotes brand awareness, encourages sales, and ensures customer satisfaction. Marketing begins with developing ideas for products and services, and continues through purchase and customer retention. The work of marketing communication managers combines the customer-centric emphasis of marketing with the broader focus of communications responsibilities.
Marketing and communications are critical to a company’s efforts to reach audiences and promote its products and build its reputation.
Marketing and Communications: Similarities and Differences
What Is Marketing?
Marketing is part of an overall business plan, comprising every step in moving a product or service from a business to the consumer. Its main focus is getting consumers’ attention, and then persuading them to take action and purchase a particular product or service. For nonprofit organizations, the focus of marketing often is donors, encouraging them to contribute to the nonprofit’s cause.
Marketing uses tools such as:
- Analyzing sales competition
- Forecasting sales volume
- Researching the market
How Do Communications Relate to Marketing?
Another marketing tool is communications, which works to influence consumers to purchase a product or service. These efforts rely on specific messaging as well as storytelling to highlight the benefits of a company’s offerings. Marketing and communications should be strategic, using the best method for making an impact with each audience as determined through customer interviews and surveys.
A few communications vehicles are:
- Advertising
- Brochures
- Emails
- Social media
- Media outlets
- Website content
Marketing Communication: Combining Two Focuses
Marketing Communication Manager Job Description
The typical marketing communication manager job description includes supervising marketing teams and collaborating with other managers and sales, public relations and product development staff. The work helps ensure that marketing and its messaging are in line with corporate goals.
The role focuses on attracting and maintaining a customer base by developing and implementing strategies to convey product and service value. Effective marketing requires a keen understanding of a brand’s customer demographics and target audience — and the latest trends for reaching that audience.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) describes skills that can help managers in marketing communication fulfill the responsibilities of the role. They include the following:
Analytical Skills
Communication Skills
Creativity Skills
Interpersonal Skills
Decision-Making Skills
Organizational Skills
How to Become a Marketing Communication Manager
1. Earn a Bachelor’s Degree
Most marketing communication managers have at least a bachelor’s degree in a field such as communication, marketing or journalism. Courses that focus on the following topics can help prepare students for this career:
- Branding
- Consumer behavior
- Communication research
- Communication methods
- Market research
- Sales
- Storytelling
- Visual arts
2. Gain Professional Experience
The next step in how to become a marketing communication manager is to gain real-world work experience. An internship can give students experience that helps prepare them for marketing communication jobs following graduation. After earning their degrees, individuals generally start out in entry-level positions like marketing coordinator or account executive in places such as:
- Advertising agencies
- Marketing organizations
- Public relations firms
- In-house marketing or sales departments
Experience in related fields, such as public relations or sales, can also be an asset to those seeking management roles in marketing communication.
3. Develop Advanced Skills
Professionals who want to stand out in the competitive field of marketing communication often pursue master’s degrees and certifications. Zippia recommends postgraduate education for marketing communication manager job candidates. A master’s degree such as a Master of Communication Management can provide training in leadership and analysis to help propel a marketing communication career.
Certifications can also show employers that a marketing communication manager candidate has the skill set required to be a high-performing employee. Professionals in this role can earn a Professional Certified Marketer (PCM) designation as well as certifications in areas such as project management, Google analytics and social media marketing.
Marketing Communication Manager Resources
Various resources can assist those interested in pursuing a career as a marketing communication manager, providing career advice and tools as well as information about the role:
- American Marketing Association, Marketing Career Resources — The AMA provides career advice and covers trends in the marketing field. The site also offers information about AMA’s Professional Certified Marketer (PCM) in marketing management certification — the most common certification among marketing communication managers, according to Zippia.
- CareerExplorer, How to Become a Marketing Manager — CareerExplorer outlines ways to determine if a career in marketing management is a good fit, examining what people in these roles do, whether they’re satisfied with their jobs and what personality traits they have. The site outlines steps for pursuing the role.
- LinkedIn, “Marketing’s Evolution: A Look at the Jobs and Training Skills in Highest Demand” — LinkedIn offers a page that shows which marketing roles are experiencing the greatest growth and the in-demand skills for those jobs.
- ZipRecruiter, How to Become a Communications Manager — This ZipRecruiter page describes what communication managers do, links to a sample job description and offers tips for pursuing the career.
Marketing Communication Manager Salary
Salaries for Marketing Leaders
Top-Earning Cities
PayScale reported that marketing communication managers in a dozen metropolitan areas had median annual salaries that were at least 25% above the national average for the position in September 2021. The areas were:
- Arlington, Va.
- Boulder, Colo.
- Lansdale, Pa.
- McLean, Va.
- Newport Beach, Calif.
- Palo Alto, Calif.
- Pleasanton, Calif.
- Princeton, N.J.
- Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
- San Francisco, Calif.
- San Jose, Calif.
- Virginia Beach, Va.
Skills for Advancement
Some key task-related knowledge and skills can help marketing communication managers to not only perform their jobs better but also be well positioned for more pay and advancement opportunities. The following are among those skills that can bolster marketing communication manager salaries:
- Leadership
- Campaign planning
- Marketing strategy
- Budget development
- Marketing automation
- Public relations
- Social media management
Additionally, the ability to use certain marketing tools can help marketing communication leaders find jobs and earn more money. Experience using platforms such as Adobe Creative Suite, WordPress and Mailchimp, for example, are helpful to job seekers.
Marketing Communications Job Outlook
Expectations for Growth
The marketing communications job outlook is positive, with the BLS projecting 10% growth in jobs for marketing managers between 2020 and 2030. This anticipated growth is favorable compared with the 8% projected increase for jobs overall.
The BLS predicts that companies will increasingly call on marketing managers’ expertise in expanding market share and reaching potential customers.
Trends in the Industry
Expansion of E-Commerce
Commitment to Social Issues
Presence on Social Media
Use of Personalization
Emphasis on the Customer Journey
Need for Agile Marketing
Marketing and Communications: An Important and Evolving Field
Marketing communication managers play a critical role in promoting products and services, attracting customers, and building companies’ reputations — and their work has added prominence in a time of shifting consumer priorities and technological advances.
The career offers a strong job outlook as well as a median salary that outpaces the average pay, making it a great option for anyone with an interest in data analysis, communication and leading a marketing team.