Director of Marketing and Communication Jobs: Salary and Career Facts
Research what it takes to become a director of marketing and communication. Learn about the duties of this job, the education requirements and salary range to find out if this is the career for you.
What Is a Marketing and Communications Manager?
Directors of marketing and communication, or marketing managers, plan and oversee communication strategies that promote products and/or services via various communication mediums. They perform market research to determine the need and interest for their company's existing products, as well as to get ideas for new ones. They also look for new markets for products and services. Marketing managers set price points that are acceptable to both their organization and its clients. They work with product development staff, as well as with sales and public relations. The following chart provides an overview of the education, job outlook and average salary in this field.
<table border="1"><tr><td><b>Degree Required</b></td><td>Bachelor's degree</td></tr>
<tr><td><b>Education Field of Study</b></td><td> Marketing, sales, advertising, business, communication, human resource management, statistics, database management, computer systems</td></tr>
<tr><td><b>Key Responsibilities</b></td><td>Plan and direct promotional campaigns, identify market trends; supervise and coordinate creative staff; create budgets; analyze and interpret sales and customer service data; ensure that marketing and communications align with the organization's overall goals</td></tr>
<tr><td><b>Job Growth (2020-2030) </b></td><td>10%*</td></tr>
<tr><td><b> Mean Salary (2020) </b> </td><td> $154,470 (for marketing managers)*</td></tr>
</table><p><i>Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics</i>
</p><h3 id="section---WhatWillIDoAsADirectorOfMarketingAndCommunication">What Will I Do as a Director of Marketing and Communication?</h3><p>As a director of marketing and communication, you'd be in an executive position that oversees all marketing aspects of a company's image or products. You'd be responsible for facilitating and improving the company's relations with other businesses. You might be referred to as a marketing communication director. You could hire and train marketing division employees or ensure these tasks were appropriately assigned.
</p><p>Your job may entail coordinating, planning and managing marketing campaigns along with working on the marketing budget, designing customer service procedures and researching growth opportunities. Many of your duties align with a public relations vocation, since you'll blend marketing, advertising and media relation strategies to support and improve a company's image and products. You can work in many industries, considering that any company concerned with its public image could offer this position.
</p><h3 id="section---WhatDoTheSalaryProspectsAndJobOutlookLookLike">What Do the Salary Prospects and Job Outlook Look Like?</h3><p>In December 2021, <i>PayScale.com</i> showed that the majority of marketing communication directors, those in the 10th to 90th percentile range, earned between $49,000 and $142,000 annually, including bonuses, profit sharing and commissions. The website's figures indicated that the higher salaries went to those with people management and branding skills.
</p><p>The marketing field has an above-average outlook for employment prospects, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics (<i>www.bls.gov</i>). Between 2020 and 2030, jobs for marketing managers, which can include marketing communication directors, were expected to grow by ten percent. Your marketability for these positions could depend on your knowledge of different marketing mediums, your academic background and your experience in both management and marketing.
</p><h3 id="section---HowCanIAcquireThisJob">How Can I Acquire This Job?</h3><p><i>Salary.com</i> reported that you'll need at least a bachelor's degree and 6-8 years of experience to become a director of marketing and communication. A few relevant majors include marketing, public relations and business administration. You could earn a Master of Business Administration with a marketing, communications or public relations concentration.
</p><p>Some schools also offer bachelor's and master's degree programs in integrated marketing and communications, which can include coursework in public relations, media planning and advertising. Several programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels include internship opportunities that provide you with direct experience in the field.
</p><h3 id="section---WhatAreSomeRelatedAlternativeCareers">What Are Some Related Alternative Careers?</h3><p>The vast majority of related careers in this field require a bachelor's degree to begin. Some of these jobs include becoming an art director, editor, graphic designer or public relations specialist. Art directors are in charge of a concept's visual representation. For example, those who work in publishing might select photos and decide on their layout for a magazine, while those who work on movie sets determine what the sets should look like. Editors review and revise print and digital work for various media outlets, including books, articles and websites. They correct grammatical and other errors, check facts and work with writers to polish their work. Graphic designers use software to create images and text for web pages, advertisements, brochures, logos and more; they sometimes also create designs by hand. They work closely with art directors or clients to make sure the designs meet their needs and match their visions. Public relations specialists prepare campaigns to enhance the public image of a client or organization. They write press releases and speeches, respond to media requests for information, set up interviews and evaluate advertising campaigns to be sure they are in accordance with public relations efforts.</p>