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Direct marketing specialist vs head of marketing

The differences between direct marketing specialists and heads of marketing can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a direct marketing specialist, becoming a head of marketing takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a head of marketing has an average salary of $137,829, which is higher than the $59,907 average annual salary of a direct marketing specialist.

The top three skills for a direct marketing specialist include marketing campaigns, customer service and data entry. The most important skills for a head of marketing are digital marketing, integrated marketing, and marketing campaigns.

Direct marketing specialist vs head of marketing overview

Direct Marketing SpecialistHead Of Marketing
Yearly salary$59,907$137,829
Hourly rate$28.80$66.26
Growth rate19%10%
Number of jobs125,95892,557
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 66%Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age3739
Years of experience610

What does a direct marketing specialist do?

A direct marketing specialist develops marketing strategies and promotes products or services directly to customers, aiming to secure sales and raise brand awareness. Their responsibilities usually include conducting market research and analyses, studying the consumer trends and competitors, identifying business and client opportunities, establishing objectives, and creating marketing materials for different programs and platforms. Moreover, there are times when a direct marketing specialist collaborates with external parties such as vendors and distributors, analyze client feedback, and assist clients by answering inquiries, processing sales, and solving issues and concerns.

What does a head of marketing do?

The head of marketing primarily oversees all marketing departments and operations, ensuring to convey the message of the brand. Their responsibilities revolve around devising strategies and business plans, preparing and allocating the budget for all departments, identifying new opportunities and assets, and analyzing consumers' needs. There are also instances when the head of marketing has to produce progress reports and presentations, monitor the competition, spearhead the hiring activities, and manage schedules. Furthermore, one must lead and encourage staff to meet all goals and deadlines in the joint effort to improve brand awareness and strengthen the client base.

Direct marketing specialist vs head of marketing salary

Direct marketing specialists and heads of marketing have different pay scales, as shown below.

Direct Marketing SpecialistHead Of Marketing
Average salary$59,907$137,829
Salary rangeBetween $44,000 And $80,000Between $93,000 And $203,000
Highest paying City-Seattle, WA
Highest paying state-Washington
Best paying company-Meta
Best paying industry-Media

Differences between direct marketing specialist and head of marketing education

There are a few differences between a direct marketing specialist and a head of marketing in terms of educational background:

Direct Marketing SpecialistHead Of Marketing
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 66%Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of GeorgiaUniversity of Georgia

Direct marketing specialist vs head of marketing demographics

Here are the differences between direct marketing specialists' and heads of marketing' demographics:

Direct Marketing SpecialistHead Of Marketing
Average age3739
Gender ratioMale, 52.9% Female, 47.1%Male, 56.0% Female, 44.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 5.2% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 9.6% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%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 Percentage10%10%

Differences between direct marketing specialist and head of marketing duties and responsibilities

Direct marketing specialist example responsibilities.

  • Execute worldwide eMarketing strategies to drive leads and revenue for assign products.
  • Manage relationships with print, mail, e-mail, creative and copywriting vendors.
  • Manage B2C direct marketing tactics including e-mail and direct mail to drive revenue for the remarketing efforts.
  • Manage the creation and deployment of mobile-optimize e-blast HTML templates to use for company's online marketing efforts.
  • Develop, manage and implement special events for MWR programs and facilities with to focus on the customer.
  • Manage all benefits and payroll administration, including analyzing plans and making recommendations for plan design changes.
  • Show more

Head of marketing example responsibilities.

  • Provide strategic oversight and a strong business approach to managing existing systems and developing enhance models for future events.
  • Establish and maintain a dashboard of key sales and operational metrics (KPIs).
  • Present monthly and quarterly program ROI report to in country marketing team and regional executive team.
  • Create all advertising units - physical ads for film festivals; website advertising; Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn ads.
  • Create PowerPoint audio and video presentations.
  • Track and analyze program effectiveness to determine ROI and prioritize resources.
  • Show more

Direct marketing specialist vs head of marketing skills

Common direct marketing specialist skills
  • Marketing Campaigns, 13%
  • Customer Service, 11%
  • Data Entry, 10%
  • Email Marketing, 7%
  • Print Production, 7%
  • Email Campaigns, 6%
Common head of marketing skills
  • Digital Marketing, 12%
  • Integrated Marketing, 6%
  • Marketing Campaigns, 4%
  • KPIs, 3%
  • Channel Marketing, 3%
  • Google Analytics, 3%

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