How to Become a Marketing Manager

Marketing Managers are responsible for the marketing of a service or product.  Their primary duties include managing marketing assistants to ensure the smooth running of marketing activities and leading decision-making processes.  The role is varied and incorporates a wide range of skills!

Most marketing managers hold a bachelor’s degree in a discipline such as Marketing or Business and Finance. However, it is possible to become a marketing manager having obtained a degree in another discipline as most degrees have transferable skills that can be applied to the role. Having a master’s degree in a subject such as digital marketing would also further improve your chances of progressing quicker to becoming a marketing manager.

If you do not hold a degree, you can still enter into the industry if you have acquired a body of work experience. However, to become a marketing manager, it will take a substantial amount of time to build up your knowledge and skill-set to what the role requires. On average, this can take anything between three and ten years to achieve.

There is not one linear path that all marketing managers follow, however, an excellent way to start on your way to a full-time entry-level position is to seek career advice from the careers’ service or experts in the field. Networking allows you to talk to marketing professionals and gain insight into how other marketing managers in the field started their marketing career and to also build up a body of contacts. Reading employee reviews on sites such as Glassdoor will allow you to understand more than just the job description of the role but rather individuals’ experiences.

It is also an excellent idea to pursue work experience within marketing so that you are aware of the different tasks that marketing managers are responsible for. Engaging in work experience will also show future employers that you are passionate about breaking into the industry.

Enrolling in a marketing and communication management course will help you to develop valuable skills and knowledge of the field.

The following transferable skills are required in the role of a marketing manager:

Marketing managers are responsible for a range of different tasks, such as developing marketing strategies for the company or product and strategically planning to meet deadlines and targets.

Their main activities can be divided into the following categories: creativity, strategy, leadership and communication.

There is a range of marketing jobs available within the marketing industry and the opportunity to progress to top marketing management roles such as a marketing executive ones or as a marketing director for a firm.