The Marketing Career Path : From Entry-Level to Chief Marketing Officer
How to Begin a Career in Marketing
While the number of jobs in the marketing field will continue to increase over time, today’s marketing landscape does not guarantee that a recent marketing graduate will obtain an entry-level job in marketing. To say that there is a “conventional career path” to become a marketing executive would be a stretch, but there is a rough outline of what one could expect when climbing the career ladder.
Of course, salary estimates depend on your experience and the particular brand or agency (and size/industry) you are working for.
Read Related - The Different Roles within Marketing Agency Departments
The Marketing Career Path - Step 1 | Entry-level Job Titles for Marketing
Experience required: 0-2 years
Average Salary: 45-55K
Entry-level marketing job titles:
Account Coordinator
Social media coordinator
Project coordinator
Marketing coordinator
Event marketing coordinator
Event marketing specialist
Marketing Specialist
For recent college graduates or those who do not have previous marketing experience, an entry-level marketing job is the best way to break into the industry. The tasks that entry-level marketing jobs require vary, but typically involve assisting with research, customer service, administrative tasks, and reporting to account executives, media planners, and/or client services managers.
Related: Can Anyone be a Marketer?
Once an entry-level employee demonstrates competence to perform basic tasks, more opportunities to expand the role usually happen. A possible next step could be assisting with the creative process, presenting reports and forecasts to company leadership/potential clients, or coordinating a special event or project.
Related: #JobSeeker Series
Entry-level marketing jobs may not be glamorous, but they lend a basic understanding of the inner workings of the business, while laying the groundwork for the soft skills that will be crucial for long-term career development.
Related: Perfect Interview Questions to Fill Empty Marketing Roles
The Marketing Career Path - Step 2 | Marketing Manager
Experience required: 3-4 years
Average Salary: 60-75K
Other job titles:
Advertising manager
Public relations manager
Promotions manager
Brand manager
Sales manager
Social media manager
Community manager
Product marketing manager
The next logical step in the career path is marketing management. Marketing managers establish, maintain, and evaluate marketing strategies. This role requires an additional character trait of leadership, as marketing managers have to orchestrate the execution of the marketing strategy and establish processes, while nurturing entry-level employee growth.
If you are a new Marketing Manager, consider checking out our Guide to a New Role for Marketing Managers below. It walks you through priorities, processes, and more for the first 30-60-90 days.
The Marketing Career Path - Step 3 | Director of Marketing
Experience Required: 6-7 years
Average Salary: 80-110K
Other Job Titles:
Director of Marketing Research
Director of Advertising sales
Director of Media
Director of Public Relations
Director of Marketing Analytics
The director of marketing focuses on the marketing strategy itself. After receiving research and reports from marketing managers that detail market conditions, customer data, and the competitor activities, marketing directors adjust the overall strategy with the aim of fulfilling business goals. Their goal is to increase purchase intention and excitement of the brand’s prospective customers.
If you are a new Director of Marketing, consider checking out our Guide to a New Role for Directors of Marketing below. It walks you through priorities, processes, and more for the first 30-60-90 days.
The Marketing Career Path - Step 4 | VP of Marketing
Experience Required: 12-14 years
Average Salary: 120-210K
Other Job Titles:
VP of Brand Development
VP of Digital Marketing
The Vice President of Marketing role requires a mixture of leadership, technical, and business skills. Frequently acting as a spokesperson for the company, the VP of marketing is also required to work across departments within the company with the goal of bridging any gaps and strengthening the company’s products and/or services. In addition to promotional and team-oriented activities, the VP of marketing’s role might also include interviewing and hiring for major positions within the company.
If you are a new VP of Marketing, consider checking out our Guide to a New Role for VPs of Marketing below. It walks you through priorities, processes, and more for the first 30-60-90 days.
The Marketing Career Path - Step 5 | Chief Marketing Officer
Experience required: 20+ years
Average Salary: 150-320K
The Chief Marketing Officer, or CMO, is the most senior marketing position. The modern-day CMO does not have a generic, one-size-fits-all background. They are responsible for heading all areas of marketing, including developing, planning, and overseeing the execution of all marketing initiatives. The CMO reports to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and is ultimately responsible for the ROI of marketing initiatives in the company.
Related: 5 Ways to Prove Marketing’s Value to the C-Suite
While this is a useful outline of a conventional marketing career path, it is not comprehensive. There are many different kinds of marketers: brand marketers, cultural anthropologists, marketing technologists, agency marketers, marketing consultants, and many different job roles and responsibilities that fall under each category.
Related: Marketing Career Resources
Unfortunately, understanding how to break into the marketing industry, the skills needed to be successful in marketing, and the entire marketing landscape can be difficult. One reason Setup co-hosts SPARKsouth, an all-day digital conference, is to help aspiring marketers by answering questions and managing expectations. Conference attendees gain insight into what it takes to become a successful marketing professional.
Read about past SPARKSouth conferences and watch some of the speaker videos here and here.
Related: Bridging the Gap in Marketing Talent
Check out the #CMOSpotlight series for firsthand accounts about the life and challenges of being a marketing leader...
If you know someone who embodies authentic marketing leadership, has set an example of success, and paved the way for others, we encourage you to nominate them. Nominating them could lead to a CMO Spotlight feature, or even a Marketing Innovator Industry-specific feature.
No matter where you on your marketing career journey, you don’t have to do the job alone.
At Setup, our mission is to connect marketers with the best resources and people. Whether that means offering free resources like guides to help you navigate marketing briefs, budgets, RFPs, your role, the agency search process, or evaluating your agency partners, or numerous services to assist in optimizing your marketing ecosystem and connecting you with the perfect agency partner, we are here to be your guide and confidant.
Are you years into your marketing career and considering switching from the Client to the Agency-side or vice versa?
The blogs below are helpful resources from marketers who have been on both sides. Read insights from marketers at Agencies like Sagepath Reply and Brands like Floor & Decor:
If you are a marketing leader/executive…
looking to fill empty roles or you are a senior marketer looking for your next gig, Setup is now offering a recruiting service. Read more about how we can help you here: Setup Offers Marketing Recruiting.
Related: Perfect Interview Questions to Fill Empty Marketing Roles
