As students we wonder what are we truly getting into in our fields? What industry do I want to enter? What type of Media do I excel in the most? How do salaries even work?
It’s easy to pick out what you enjoy amongst your classes, whether you are a marketing student, media and cultures studies, or even a communications major; you tend to be more drawn to your strengths.
Today I want to discuss the duties of a Marketing Director and what exactly it entails to be one. Within each company the marketing department is managed by the director. The whole department works together preparing for plans, calendars, campaigns, events, analyses of the market, and more. Every department functions in its own way for one common goal. What I enjoy about the marketing department is that it allows room for creativity.
Job Description
According to “Campaign Jobs” some of the day to day activities for a marketing director include:
- Developing a brand strategy
- Creating annual marketing budgets
- Managing and communicating with the team day to day
- Updating consumer trends and the activities of competitors
- Conduct market research studies
Many of these duties will include experience in technology and the use of several programs. With the rise of social media, it is essential to have a presence on all platforms for your company. In addition to that programs such as photoshop, adobe illustrator, and InDesign will most definitely be put to use. To reach the level of a marketing director you must also have eight to ten years of marketing experience. You might think wow that is a lot, but within those years you usually move up the ladder to positions such as head of marketing or manager then eventually director.
Skills
On paper you want to have these factors down but what about your own personal characteristics? Otherwise known as your work ethic. To reach the level of a marketing director it is crucial to be assertive when speaking to your team, if not nobody will take you seriously. Along with that, being able to work under pressure is something you might want to be comfortable with for this role. Deadlines and adjustments to plans will constantly be thrown your way so you must adapt and think on your feet. You want to manage your team effectively therefore strong commutative skills are important for duties such as recruiting, supervising, and mentoring members of the team. Lastly, having strong analytical skills is pivotal for a marketing director. Having data presented to you and being able to encompass what is next for your time is a strong skill to have. This is applicable for “analysis of market trends and the positioning of competitors. This analysis provides the foundation for marketing strategies. Much of this analysis is done by drilling down into data around customer behavior and experiences (Job Description: Marketing Director, 2019).”
Job Outlook
Marketing Director’s salaries range from 44k-165k depending on factors such as company profits, experience, and overall, how well you perform. For better understanding the average salary would be $88,211 per year according to payscale.com which to me sounds phenomenal as a current college student. In addition to that the overall satisfaction for this career path is rating 4.1 out of 5 and usually peak towards the mid to late career. I would recommend avoiding the feeling of discouraged but more so hopeful going into an entry level marketing path because the wait will surely be worth it given the end salary of a marketing director.
During a global pandemic you may be worrisome to hear about the job outlook, but according to Bureau of Labor Statistics “employment of marketing managers is projected to grow 8 percent from 2018 to 2028, faster than the average for all occupations.” As a college student it is inevitable to ponder on the future even if you are a freshman. I recommend shaping an understanding of the career path you are entering and start visiting your career development center. Before graduated it is also crucial to have gained some experience to give you an upper hand against your fellow constituents entering the same field. It can be as simple as a three-month internship at a marketing firm near you.
Many of you reading now may feel overwhelmed with the given information but hang in their and network. network. network!
Sources
Jobs, Campaign. “Job Description: Marketing Director.” Campaign, CampaignUK, 22 Oct. 2019, www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/job-description-marketing-director/1381762.
“Average Marketing Director Salary.” PayScale, www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Marketing_Director/Salary.
“Advertising, Promotions, and Marketing Managers : Occupational Outlook Handbook.” U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1 Sept. 2020,
www.bls.gov/ooh/management/advertising-promotions-and-marketing-managers.htm.
