A Marketing Manager runs the marketing activities of a brand, product, or division in a company, focusing on the day-to-day tactical planning and implementation of the marketing strategy. This may include the Four P’s (Product, Price, Positioning, and Promotion), customer identification, advertising, promotional activities, and other initiatives to bring the product or service to market successfully.
Whether the organization delivers products or services, marketing forms the link between the organization and its marketplace, meaning that the Marketing Manager must have a deep understanding of both sides of the equation.
The Marketing Manager must fully grasp how the organization works to produce and prepare its output. This encompasses:
- Product design
- Material sourcing
- Production
- Scheduling and capacity
- Testing and quality control
- Sales
- Business development
- Logistics
- Customer service
The Marketing Manager also needs to have unparalleled knowledge of the customers and consumers, including how they behave, where they can be found, what they are looking for, how much they are prepared to pay, and what quality standards they demand.
The Marketing Manager’s function is then to make sure that the marketplace’s requirements are fed into the organization and become an integral part of the way the organization functions. The Marketing Manager becomes the voice of the customer towards the organization and vice versa.
Similar Job Titles:
Marketing Coordinator, Marketing Supervisor, Marketing Team Leader, Marketing Specialist,
What Does a Marketing Manager Typically Do?
A Marketing Manager analyses the marketplace and creates strategic plans and tactical actions to drive sales of the product or service. The Marketing Manager is responsible for ensuring that the organization is aligned to and delivering what its customers and consumers need. The specific tasks will include:
- Market analysis
- Strategic planning
- Tactical implementation
- Results analysis
- Budget control and management
Market Analysis
Understanding the market will be the most crucial part of the job, by defining how the market place is segmented, how it behaves, and how it is currently reacting to the product or service on offer. If the analysis is done well, the consequent marketing activities will be focussed, relevant, and effective.
Strategic Planning
Strategic Planning involves taking the insights from market analysis and defining the strategies which will guide the marketing effort. This process is important to ensure that the marketing activities all push in the same direction and are aligned.
Tactical Implementation
Tactical Implementation encompasses all the actual marketing activities for the product or service, such as:
- Promotions
- Pricing modeling and rollout
- Sales support material development
- Packaging design and production
It is the Marketing Manager’s responsibility to make sure all activities are strategically aligned. If this is the case, they stand a good chance of achieving the desired effect.
Results Analysis
The Marketing Manager will track relevant results from all marketing activities to ensure that targets are being reached. If so, market analysis can be re-started to determine any changes in the market. If not, corrective action can be implemented to address the issues.
Budget Control and Management
The Marketing Manager will ensure that all activities stay within prescribed budgets and that marketing spend is tightly controlled and balanced against incremental profit generated by the marketing activities. The Marketing Manager will also, ideally, be involved in the budgeting process annually.
Roles a Marketing Manager Typically Collaborates With
A Marketing Manager will regularly collaborate with the following positions:
| Sales Manager | Account Executive | Brand Ambassador |
| Account Manager | Brand Manager | Finance Manager |
| Product Manager | Business Development Manager | Creative Director |
| Project Manager | Operations Manager |
Marketing Manager Salary
The national average salary for a Marketing Manager will typically be between $80,000 and $142,000 per annum in the U.S. The median is around $106,168.
What Is the Marketing Manager Pay Difference by Location?
Average salaries for a Marketing Manager differ by location as follows:
| City | Average Salary |
| San Francisco, CA | $132,709 |
| Seattle, WA | $116,084 |
| Denver, CO | $107,367 |
| Austin, TX | $104,416 |
| Washington, DC | $118,186 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $105,073 |
| Boston, MA | $119,619 |
| New York, NY | $127,720 |
What is the Marketing Manager Pay Difference by Experience Level?
Depending on experience, pay will vary as follows:
| Experience Level | Average Salary |
| < 1 year | $102,704 |
| 1–4 years | $103,112 |
| 5–9 years | $105,149 |
| 10–19 years | $109,539 |
| 20+ years | $110,944 |
Marketing Manager Job Description Template
[Company Name] is looking for a dynamic, experienced, and talented Marketing Manager to join our team and enhance the marketing function throughout the organization and into the marketplace.
As the Marketing Manager with [Company Name], you are a key element in both the strategic direction and the tactical implementation of the marketing function, with an ability to drive and understand numbers-based research, develop a coherent strategy, and translate it into implementable, hands-on action plans.
You’ll be working alongside our [insert relevant departments here] teams to enhance our presence in the marketplace, drive long-term sales growth, and increase our profitability.
The Marketing Manager will be expected to:
- Conduct and coordinate in-depth ongoing market research to understand marketplace dynamics
- Analyze current marketing activities to determine effectiveness against strategic targets, using agreed metrics
- Control and manage marketing budgets to ensure maximum return on investment
- Develop strategic marketing plans based on research in collaboration with brand management, business development management, finance management, and operations management
- Devise strategically aligned action plans to achieve agreed targets
- Produce regular marketing reports for management and the organization
- Ensure production of all relevant marketing materials, brochures, sales support, PR, and ER publications
- Oversee all external marketing activities at which the organization is presented
- Coordinate and drive ongoing consumer- and customer-level communication
- Work closely with the entire organization to improve customer experience, boost sales, and maximize profit
Required Skill Set
The Marketing Manager should possess the following qualifications, skills, and attributes:
- Recognized tertiary qualification in Marketing
- 5+ years’ experience in a Marketing position
- Proven planning and analytical ability
- Excellent communications skills on all levels
- Financial acumen and an ability to maximise ROI
- Strategic thinking combined with tactical nous
- Focus on customer and consumer wishes