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The differences between direct marketing managers and marketing leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 8-10 years to become both a direct marketing manager and a marketing lead. Additionally, a marketing lead has an average salary of $104,664, which is higher than the $90,736 average annual salary of a direct marketing manager.
The top three skills for a direct marketing manager include digital marketing, marketing campaigns and project management. The most important skills for a marketing lead are digital marketing, marketing campaigns, and project management.
| Direct Marketing Manager | Marketing Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $90,736 | $104,664 |
| Hourly rate | $43.62 | $50.32 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 143,183 | 92,987 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 10 |
Direct marketing managers are executive professionals who manage all the direct marketing activities of a company by using delivery systems such as traditional mail, social media, email, and texting campaigns. These managers are required to manage the marketing team so that they can generate leads and promote the company's brand and products or services. They must evaluate campaign expenditure so that they can ensure the maximum return of investment (ROI) of products or services. Direct marketing managers must also record all the results from the marketing campaign as well as produce reports for the management.
A marketing lead is an individual who is responsible for overseeing a team of marketing specialists to help a company achieve its marketing goals. Marketing leads are required to create and manage marketing plans so that they can deliver marketing campaigns on time and escalate issues that may prevent prompt delivery. They can incorporate a mix of different strategies in campaigns such as digital publishing, templates, and training. Marketing leads must work closely with account managers and sales engineers so that they can empower them to effectively position the company's products differently from their competitors.
Direct marketing managers and marketing leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Direct Marketing Manager | Marketing Lead | |
| Average salary | $90,736 | $104,664 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $129,000 | Between $74,000 And $146,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Neighborly | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a direct marketing manager and a marketing lead in terms of educational background:
| Direct Marketing Manager | Marketing Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between direct marketing managers' and marketing leads' demographics:
| Direct Marketing Manager | Marketing Lead | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 46.6% Female, 53.4% | Male, 50.8% Female, 49.2% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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 Percentage | 10% | 10% |