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Communications director vs marketing director

The differences between communications directors and marketing directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a communications director, becoming a marketing director takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a marketing director has an average salary of $114,906, which is higher than the $107,700 average annual salary of a communications director.

The top three skills for a communications director include web content, press releases and customer service. The most important skills for a marketing director are digital marketing, marketing campaigns, and market research.

Communications director vs marketing director overview

Communications DirectorMarketing Director
Yearly salary$107,700$114,906
Hourly rate$51.78$55.24
Growth rate8%10%
Number of jobs27,93993,503
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 76%Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Average age4239
Years of experience410

What does a communications director do?

A communications director is responsible for monitoring and supervising the overall media relations from internal to external communications. A communications director's duties include managing campaigns, providing organizational updates to the employees, supporting social media marketing, developing effective communication strategies to build the organization's reputation, and efficiently leading team members in handling events that represent the business. Communications directors must have strong leadership and communication skills to provide support for the company's daily operations and strategies.

What does a marketing director do?

Marketing directors are responsible for the overall branding and marketing direction of the company. They are in charge of identifying goals and strategies related to marketing. They create strategies that cater to the target market of the organization's products and services to help with sales. They lead the company's marketing department and create the company's brand promise. They ensure that all marketing collateral is in line with the rest of the marketing campaigns of the organization. They should be updated on all the current trends in the marketing world.

Communications director vs marketing director salary

Communications directors and marketing directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Communications DirectorMarketing Director
Average salary$107,700$114,906
Salary rangeBetween $61,000 And $188,000Between $68,000 And $193,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateNevadaCalifornia
Best paying companyMcKinsey & Company IncBrookfield Properties
Best paying industryHealth CareManufacturing

Differences between communications director and marketing director education

There are a few differences between a communications director and a marketing director in terms of educational background:

Communications DirectorMarketing Director
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 76%Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common majorCommunicationBusiness
Most common collegeStanford UniversityUniversity of Georgia

Communications director vs marketing director demographics

Here are the differences between communications directors' and marketing directors' demographics:

Communications DirectorMarketing Director
Average age4239
Gender ratioMale, 40.2% Female, 59.8%Male, 46.7% Female, 53.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 5.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 5.1% White, 75.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage16%10%

Differences between communications director and marketing director duties and responsibilities

Communications director example responsibilities.

  • Assist in managing the Facebook and Instagram pages.
  • Develop and manage c-level strategic client relationships to grow revenue base.
  • Create and manage corporate website, online demand gen through SEO and SEM.
  • Manage editorial content of the organization website, build and upload web pages via HTML.
  • Manage the marketing strategy and budget, including B2C acquisition campaigns focuse on out of home and DRTV.
  • Manage media relations, announcements, editorial placement, and speaking opportunities the organizations.
  • Show more

Marketing director example responsibilities.

  • Manage staging of NCAA athletics events.
  • Manage RFP, RFI & SOQ process; track, analyze and report on sales pipeline.
  • Train, manage, and develop customer service / sales team strategies and oversight of day-to-day operations.
  • Manage the portal website build, including PPC and search engine optimization, email broadcasts and affiliate marketing efforts.
  • Manage all marketing operations - recruiting, hiring, training, retaining, payroll, and continual staff education.
  • Utilize marketing/sales automation tools (salesforce.com, pardot.com) to help track, manage and properly distribute each individual lead.
  • Show more

Communications director vs marketing director skills

Common communications director skills
  • Web Content, 8%
  • Press Releases, 8%
  • Customer Service, 7%
  • External Communications, 5%
  • Project Management, 4%
  • Employee Engagement, 4%
Common marketing director skills
  • Digital Marketing, 12%
  • Marketing Campaigns, 6%
  • Market Research, 5%
  • Sales Strategies, 4%
  • Integrated Marketing, 4%
  • CRM, 4%

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