Marketing Executive

Marketing Executives are responsible for supporting businesses to market their products or services to their target audience.

What is a Marketing Executive?

A marketing executive ensures products and services are seen by their target audience. This can cover more traditional marketing, such as securing television spots or magazine pieces, and digital marketing. Digital marketing covers web, email, and social media platforms. This can include copywriting, product photography and overseeing strategy.

Many digital marketers work in a hybrid set-up as much of their work is computer based. This might involve a few days a week in a central office, combined with working from home.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities of marketing executives are highly dependent on whether they work ‘in house’ for a brand, or for an agency. Their duties also depend on any specialisms they have, such as social media management or copywriting. There are some common themes, though. These include:

• Working as part of a wider team of marketers, planning out strategies for promoting new products or services.
• Providing written articles (content) or product photography for campaigns.
• Researching the brand (or product, if they’re in house) to ensure their strategies are effective.
• Conducting market research on the brand’s target audience, such as surveys and focus groups.
• Analysing the success of marketing campaigns and adjusting new campaigns accordingly for the best results.
• Researching the marketing efforts of competitors.
• Liaising with other agencies and companies for large campaigns, such as PR agencies and brand strategists.
• Overseeing freelance marketers who are brought in to support larger or more time sensitive campaigns.
• Managing a brand’s online presence, such as social media accounts and participation in forums.
• Researching new marketing methods, such as growing social media platforms.

Salary

A marketing executive salary depends on several factors. These include experience level, whether you’re in house or agency based, and where you’re located. A marketing executive London salary is likely to be higher, and the more role responsibility you have, the higher you’re likely to be paid.

The average digital marketing executive salary sits at around £30,000^[1]. This is according to the Major Players salary survey, a comprehensive annual salary survey in the creative industry. A marketing assistant salary and junior marketing jobs usually begin at around £20-25,000^[2]. With experience and more senior positions, a head of marketing salary could fetch you £100,000^[3] and beyond as part of a large brand or agency.

Qualifications

A career in marketing doesn’t necessarily require a degree. However, marketing executive jobs are competitive, so previous study can help you stand out from the crowd.

You could study towards a marketing degree, or choose a more generalised degree with transferable skills. You’ll need to have two to three A Levels or equivalents, and a minimum of 5 GCSEs at grades 9-4 (A*-C).

Examples of relevant degrees include:

• Advertising degrees
• Business Studies degrees
• Creative Writing degrees
• English Literature degrees
• Journalism degrees
• Fashion Marketing degrees
• Marketing degrees
• Photography degrees
• Psychology degrees
• Public Relations degrees

Some marketers go on to pursue postgraduate study too. This could further specialise their career or offer additional skills, such as in journalism, marketing, or international relations.

You could also study for an apprenticeship in marketing. This would be at level 3 and require a minimum of 5 GCSEs at graded 9-4 (A*-C). This may be as part of a business, or within an agency.

It’s worth noting that a degree or course alone is not usually enough to secure a marketing executive job. You’ll usually need evidence of prior marketing work experience, whether this be in a paid or voluntary capacity.

Training and development

Your studies should give you a good overview of the world of marketing executive jobs. That being said, marketing is a fast growing industry with regular changes to practice - so many of your skills and abilities will develop on the job. Try to get involved in as many projects as possible to build up your skill set in different areas. Some marketers take on freelance work to bolster their experience.

Many marketers choose to apply for accreditation by the Chartered Institute of Marketers (CIM). This awards them with proof of their ability in the sector. There are also plenty of opportunities for continuing professional development (CPD) with the CIM, such as professional diplomas.

Skills

Skills you’ll need as a marketer include:

• Good communication skills, both written and verbal - you’ll regularly share reports with your wider team and writing is likely to be part of your role.
• An analytical mind - you’ll need to assess whether your campaigns have worked or not.
• Good product or service knowledge within your area of expertise.
• An ability to keep up to date with new marketing techniques and trends.
• Good networking skills - you’ll be liaising with potential clients, so it’s a good idea to know how to get to know people well.
• Creativity - you’ll be expected to come up with exciting campaign ideas.
• It’s helpful if you have photography skills, as you may need to get involved with social media campaigns with photos and video.
• It’s helpful to have a good understanding of technology and computer programs, such as Adobe Creative Cloud, and social media platforms.

Work Experience

If you study towards a marketing course, you may have placements included in your study. Try and access as many opportunities as possible using your education connections. If there aren’t set placements as part of your course, ask your tutors if they know any other executives in the industry, and try to secure an internship or placement. You’ll be able to see how marketing happens in practice, and you’ll build good connections in the industry.

Marketing internships are quite common in large agencies, so if you can afford to take unpaid work, it’s worth applying. Interning can give you a great grasp of the different areas that exist within marketing, and you’ll build up important connections in the process.

Career Prospects

Marketing is a large and growing industry, so your career prospects are good. You could start as a junior executive, but quickly progress into more senior positions. The structure of marketing agencies and teams can vary, but you’re likely to move from junior positions to account management and the head of marketing with evidence of your knowledge. You may need to move between different companies or agencies in order to access head of marketing jobs or other senior marketing executive jobs, especially if your team is small and limited senior positions are available.

Many experienced marketers choose to go for freelance marketing jobs. As a self employed marketer you’ll usually specialise in a particular area, such as working in public relations, being a social media executive, a copywriter or an email strategist. This can allow for more flexible working, especially if you’ve struggled to find part time marketing jobs, as well as the opportunity to decide what you charge. You’ll need to market your business and network regularly to keep up a good stream of client work.

Some marketers step sideways in their career, and use their skills in another area of media. They might choose to go down the journalism route, go for brand management jobs or work in public relations. Marketing has a variety of transferable skills, so with the right experience there are many avenues your career can go down.