The following article discusses the career path of Marketing Specialist. Learn about how to become one, education requirements, job duties, traits and qualities, national salary outlook as well as top national employers of Marketing Specialists.
Job Duties
Marketing specialists ensure that the company makes use of the best way to advertise its services and products to the market. How they do this varies widely depending on the company. They may work for a single brand or even a single product, whereas others take on a certain area of a huge marketing campaign, while being directed by the marketing manager.
One of the main elements of a marketing specialist’s job is to find out how products and services are currently marketed and where, and how that can be improved upon. They ensure that they find the right type of media to reach the target demographic and audience, while at the same time staying within budget. They work with brand and product managers to determine the best way to reach prospective customers and assist in developing the actual content of the marketing campaign. This includes billboards, radio and television commercials, and web advertisements to name but a few. Typically, they come up with content ideas and then liaise with creative departments in order to turn their vision into reality.
Other job duties of a marketing specialist include:
– Analyzing data from past and current marketing campaigns to determine the direction of the company’s marketing strategy
- Making sure that the way marketing is handled is aligned with the brand, mission, and vision of the company
- Researching current customer demand and how this can be increased
- Helping in creating and developing new marketing materials, including presentations, recommendations, and other plans
Where We Work
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 31,300 advertising, promotions, and marketing managers in 2016. The largest employers of these professionals were:
- Advertising, public relations, and related services: 34%
- Information: 12%
- Management of companies and enterprises: 7%
- Wholesale trade: 6%
- Retail trade: 6%
How to Become
A bachelor’s degree in marketing or advertising or field related to it is typically the minimum requirement for marketing specialists. Employers also look for those with direct marketing experience. Usually, someone will start by taking on an entry level position within a large marketing department, where they will gain the necessary experience. They then get promoted internally, gradually taking on greater responsibilities.
Education Requirements
A bachelor’s degree is generally the minimum requirement for a marketing specialist, as is proven experience in sales, promotions, marketing, and/or advertising. It is generally expected that marketing specialists have also completed courses in areas such as statistics, mathematics, computer science, finance, economics, management, and business law. This ensures that they are able to stay abreast of modern technological developments and how these influence the way in which marketing efforts have to be delivered. Using social media and online forms of communication, for instance, is a key element of this.
Work experience is equally important. Most marketing specialists come from a background in marketing, promotions, or advertising. They may also have been sales representatives, public relations specialist, purchasing agents, or buyers who got promoted.
Traits & Qualities
The most effective marketing specialists have the following traits to some degree or other:
- Strong analytical skills
- Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written
- Presentation skills
- Creativity
- Decision making skills
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- Great organizational skills
Minimum Education
Bachelor’s Degree
National Salary
The national average salary estimate for Marketing Specialist was $52,815. This number is estimated from over 1,035,124 employees, users past and present job advertisements from Indeed.com. This equates to an hourly salary of $27.51 and monthly of $4,401.
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Salary by State
The following section lists Marketing Specialist salaries in each state around the country. The figures are based on the total number of job postings through Indeed.com. For example, DC had the largest quoted salary of $65,668 while Kansas had the smallest quoted salary of $24,000.
Top 20 National Employers
According to Indeed.com, the following states had employers looking to hire a Marketing Specialist. The quoted salary figure represents the average salary from all job postings by this employer.
Employer Name | Location | Average Salary |
---|---|---|
Navistar, Inc. Marketing Specialist | Georgia | $180,000 |
Juniper Networks Marketing Specialist | California | $135,568 |
eBay Inc. Marketing Specialist | Washington | $126,690 |
Bright RE•Minds Collective Marketing Specialist | Georgia | $120,000 |
Mason Frank Marketing Specialist | Colorado | $110,874 |
Symantec Marketing Specialist | California | $109,579 |
Cypress House Sober Living Marketing Specialist | Florida | $100,000 |
Amazon.com Marketing Specialist | Washington | $96,650 |
FedEx Marketing Specialist | Tennessee | $89,007 |
Mason Frank International Marketing Specialist | Pennsylvania | $88,612 |
Schneider Electric Marketing Specialist | Tennessee | $88,145 |
The ONeil Search Group Marketing Specialist | New York | $85,796 |
Technology Recruiting Solutions,Inc. Marketing Specialist | Texas | $85,572 |
Internal Revenue Service Marketing Specialist | DC | $85,548 |
Nigel Frank International Marketing Specialist | California | $85,140 |
Revolution Technologies Marketing Specialist | Florida | $85,000 |
Aerotek Marketing Specialist | California | $83,130 |
Learn More
- What is a Marketing Specialist? (with pictures) – wiseGEEK
- Marketing Specialist Career | What do they do?
- Best Sports Marketing Careers and Salary
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- 9+ Best Online Marketing Management Degrees
- 7+ Top Advertising Degree Programs
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Related Careers
Career Name | Average Salary |
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Logistics Analyst | $58,389 |
Information Specialist | $56,877 |
Food Service Director | $55,529 |
Purchasing Buyer | $55,296 |
Human Resources Generalist | $54,497 |
Logistics Supervisor | $52,796 |
Accountant | $52,461 |
Program Specialist | $51,759 |
Personal Banking Manager | $51,369 |
Public Relations Manager | $51,303 |