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The differences between direct marketing managers and product marketing managers 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 product marketing manager. Additionally, a product marketing manager has an average salary of $112,220, 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 product marketing manager are digital marketing, product management, and project management.
| Direct Marketing Manager | Product Marketing Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $90,736 | $112,220 |
| Hourly rate | $43.62 | $53.95 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 143,183 | 166,047 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| 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 product marketing manager is responsible for managing the company's goods and services, promoting brand awareness, developing effective marketing campaigns to attract existing and potential clients, generating more revenues, and achieving its profitability goals. Product marketing managers must have excellent knowledge of the marketing industry, as well as broad ideas on the current industry trends to meet clients' demands and identify business opportunities. A product marketing manager should be highly communicative and display excellent leadership skills to work with other departments and respond to clients' inquiries and concerns timely and efficiently.
Direct marketing managers and product marketing managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Direct Marketing Manager | Product Marketing Manager | |
| Average salary | $90,736 | $112,220 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $129,000 | Between $83,000 And $149,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Neighborly | Credit Karma |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a direct marketing manager and a product marketing manager in terms of educational background:
| Direct Marketing Manager | Product Marketing Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between direct marketing managers' and product marketing managers' demographics:
| Direct Marketing Manager | Product Marketing Manager | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 46.6% Female, 53.4% | Male, 61.6% Female, 38.4% |
| 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% |