What Is a Marketing Manager? Job Description, Skills, and More

What Is a Marketing Manager?

A marketing manager is responsible for planning, producing, and directing a company’s ability to contact potential customers and convert them into buyers. They work with various teams to form cohesive campaigns promoting a company’s products or services.

Marketing managers often specialize in a particular industry or type of marketing, such as digital marketing or email marketing. But regardless of their specialty, all marketing managers share a common goal: to convey messages to their target audiences in the most effective way possible.

There are many different paths you can take to become a marketing manager. But before starting your career, you need to understand the basics of the job, including the education requirements and skills you’ll need to succeed.

What Does a Marketing Manager Do? (Job Description)

The day-to-day responsibilities of a marketing manager vary depending on the company they work for and the products or services they’re promoting. But in general, marketing managers are responsible for working with various departments to create on-brand, customer-facing messages while staying within budget and driving brand awareness and engagement.

Marketing managers might also be responsible for developing and managing promotional campaigns, creating and overseeing public relations materials, coordinating events, conducting market research, and managing social media accounts. In some cases, marketing managers might also have direct responsibility for sales, product releases, or assisting human resources in attracting top talent.

How to Become a Marketing Manager

— Education Requirements for Marketing Managers

While it is possible to begin your career by building a robust portfolio, a more direct path will be with a bachelor’s degree in marketing, business, or a related field.

And depending on the company you work for and the products or services you’re promoting, you might need more specialized education. For example, if you want to work in digital marketing, you might need a degree in computer science or graphic design.

To grow your exposure to different aspects of marketing, you can join LinkedIn groups relevant to the industry, intern with a marketing agency, or seek out a marketing professional to be your mentor.

You can also grow your education in a specialized field without returning to school for an entire four-year degree. Earn certifications in graphic design, web development, or copywriting to make yourself more versatile and attractive to potential employers.

— Skills You’ll Need to Succeed as a Marketing Manager

The most successful marketing managers are creative thinkers with strong communication skills and a strategic mindset. They’re also able to work well under pressure and meet deadlines. They’ll be good at problem-solving and enjoy making data-driven decisions.

Marketing is a fast-paced industry, so you must be able to handle multiple projects at once and adapt quickly to change. If you’re interested in a career as a marketing manager, start honing your time management strategies and attention to detail now.

— Can You Work Remotely as a Marketing Manager?

The short answer is yes! Many marketing managers work remotely, either for a company with a remote-friendly culture or by building a freelance career.

To be successful working remotely, brush up on your organization, time management, and communication skills—these will be essential as you’ll need to communicate virtually with your team.

— Career Growth Potential for Marketing Managers

There is a lot of room for career growth as a marketing manager. With experience, you can move up to become a director of marketing, a chief marketing officer, or even into other areas of leadership—all the way up to a chief executive officer role—as your skills and business acumen expand.

You can also specialize in a particular marketing area. Popular fields include affiliate marketing jobs, content marketing jobs, email marketing jobs, growth marketing jobs, marketing communications jobs, brand marketing jobs, or social media jobs. Or, you could branch out and start your own marketing agency. The possibilities are endless!