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What does a director of marketing and public relations do?

Updated January 8, 2025
10 min read
Quoted expert
Mary Beth Pinto

A director of marketing and public relations leads and oversees the development and implementation of marketing projects to gain public interest and raise brand awareness. They take the lead in developing marketing and public relations plans, managing publicists and marketing teams, researching opportunities, and conducting regular reviews and assessments to ensure the quality and consistency of materials. They also set goals and guidelines, establish strategies for the daily operations, and coordinate with external parties, releasing press statements as necessary. Moreover, they empower the workforce to reach goals while implementing company standards and regulations.

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Director of marketing and public relations responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real director of marketing and public relations resumes:

  • Create and manage online advertising (web banners, PPC campaigns, behavioral and re-targeting campaigns).
  • Manage all internal company-wide communications, including company intranet, quarterly all- company meetings broadcast to all locations and executive communications.
  • Direct all social media, with innovative strategies such as Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn, etc.
  • Establish and grow Instagram account to 11.4K+ followers in 2 years.
  • Cultivate online reviews on Google and Facebook to promote trust and goodwill with prospective customers.
  • Develop company website including virtual tour, professional photography and SEO campaign to increase online presence and practice expansion.
  • Develop comprehensive online marketing plans, including CRM, SEO, PPC, and tactical programs to maximize ROI.
  • Produce product and lifestyle photo shoots bi-annually including Instagram photos.
  • Conduct site visits; reviewing and consulting on local advertising, competitive positioning, outbound marketing strategies and co-op opportunities.
  • Create customized PowerPoint presentations, informational brochures and other marketing material for each agency.
  • Direct strategic planning and execution for entertainment partnership platform to include B2C communications and marketing.

Director of marketing and public relations skills and personality traits

We calculated that 10% of Directors Of Marketing And Public Relations are proficient in Digital Marketing, Marketing Campaigns, and Marketing Mix. They’re also known for soft skills such as Leadership skills, Problem-solving skills, and Speaking skills.

We break down the percentage of Directors Of Marketing And Public Relations that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Digital Marketing, 10%

    Launched company's entry into digital marketing, SEM, social media and dashboard metrics.

  • Marketing Campaigns, 9%

    Introduced marketing campaigns which have been adapted by the organization worldwide including conception to production of yearly commemorative book sold internationally.

  • Marketing Mix, 7%

    Incorporated new Cineplex (five theaters) into marketing mix, making it one of most successful theaters in USA.

  • Web Content, 6%

    Develop social media campaigns; video campaigns/segments; brochures; web content and collateral for specific audiences.

  • Social Media Marketing, 5%

    Organized and promoted special events using social media marketing methods.

  • Press Releases, 4%

    Lead all aspects of public relations including cultivating and maintaining relationships, managing interviews and producing press releases.

Most directors of marketing and public relations use their skills in "digital marketing," "marketing campaigns," and "marketing mix" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential director of marketing and public relations responsibilities here:

Leadership skills. The most essential soft skill for a director of marketing and public relations to carry out their responsibilities is leadership skills. This skill is important for the role because "public relations and fundraising managers often lead large teams of specialists or fundraisers and must be able to guide their activities." Additionally, a director of marketing and public relations resume shows how their duties depend on leadership skills: "worked with c-suite to assist in the development of go-to-market messages, crisis communications plans and thought leadership campaigns. "

Problem-solving skills. Another essential skill to perform director of marketing and public relations duties is problem-solving skills. Directors of marketing and public relations responsibilities require that "managers sometimes must explain how the company or client is handling sensitive issues." Directors of marketing and public relations also use problem-solving skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "worked with product development on product improvement and functionalities for upgrades and new web based software solutions. "

Speaking skills. directors of marketing and public relations are also known for speaking skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to director of marketing and public relations responsibilities, because "public relations and fundraising managers regularly speak on behalf of their organization." A director of marketing and public relations resume example shows how speaking skills is used in the workplace: "represented company at various municipal/chamber of commerce events and other community outreach gatherings. "

Writing skills. A big part of what directors of marketing and public relations do relies on "writing skills." You can see how essential it is to director of marketing and public relations responsibilities because "managers must be able to write well-organized and clear press releases and speeches." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical director of marketing and public relations tasks: "managed development, writing, and graphic production of all collateral materials. "

Communication skills. Another crucial skill for a director of marketing and public relations to carry out their responsibilities is "communication skills." A big part of what directors of marketing and public relations relies on this skill, since "managers deal with the public regularly; therefore, they must be friendly enough to build a rapport with, and receive cooperation from, their media contacts and donors." How this skill relates to director of marketing and public relations duties can be seen in an example from a director of marketing and public relations resume snippet: "developed communications campaigns for eight theatrical productions annually and a variety of community outreach. "

Organizational skills. While "organizational skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to director of marketing and public relations responsibilities. Much of what a director of marketing and public relations does relies on this skill, seeing as "public relations and fundraising managers are often in charge of running several events at the same time, requiring superior organizational skills." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of directors of marketing and public relations: "coordinated office-wide updates about each program's events and accomplishments -disseminated organizational information on twitter and facebook"

See the full list of director of marketing and public relations skills

The three companies that hire the most director of marketing and public relationss are:

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Director Of Marketing And Public Relations Resume
Director Of Marketing And Public Relations Resume
Director Of Marketing And Public Relations Resume
Director Of Marketing And Public Relations Resume
Director Of Marketing And Public Relations Resume
Director Of Marketing And Public Relations Resume
Director Of Marketing And Public Relations Resume
Director Of Marketing And Public Relations Resume
Director Of Marketing And Public Relations Resume
Director Of Marketing And Public Relations Resume
Director Of Marketing And Public Relations Resume
Director Of Marketing And Public Relations Resume
Director Of Marketing And Public Relations Resume
Director Of Marketing And Public Relations Resume
Director Of Marketing And Public Relations Resume
Director Of Marketing And Public Relations Resume

Compare different directors of marketing and public relations

Director of marketing and public relations vs. Media director

A media director spearheads and oversees a company's entire media-related activities, including marketing and advertising campaigns. They are in charge of setting goals and guidelines, liaising and building positive relationships with external parties, conceptualizing plans for projects and campaigns, and developing strategies to optimize operations. It is also their duty to address issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently. Furthermore, as a media director, it is essential to monitor the progress of different teams, leading and encouraging them to reach goals while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

The annual salary of media directors is $25,938 higher than the average salary of directors of marketing and public relations.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between directors of marketing and public relations and media directors are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like digital marketing, marketing mix, and web content.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a director of marketing and public relations are more likely to require skills like "marketing campaigns," "social media marketing," "excellent interpersonal," and "product development." On the other hand, a job as a media director requires skills like "video production," "client relationships," "tv," and "client facing." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

Media directors really shine in the professional industry with an average salary of $117,485. Comparatively, directors of marketing and public relations tend to make the most money in the health care industry with an average salary of $89,987.media directors tend to reach similar levels of education than directors of marketing and public relations. In fact, media directors are 3.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Director of marketing and public relations vs. Marketing lead

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.

A career as a marketing lead brings a higher average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a director of marketing and public relations. In fact, marketing leads salary is $18,038 higher than the salary of directors of marketing and public relations per year.While the salary may differ for these jobs, they share a few skills needed to perform their duties. Based on resume data, both directors of marketing and public relations and marketing leads have skills such as "digital marketing," "marketing campaigns," and "marketing mix. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, director of marketing and public relations responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "web content," "excellent interpersonal," "e-business," and "communication strategies." Meanwhile, a marketing lead has duties that require skills in areas such as "project management," "healthcare," "digital transformation," and "crm." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

On average, marketing leads earn a higher salary than directors of marketing and public relations. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, marketing leads earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $118,478. Whereas directors of marketing and public relations have higher pay in the health care industry, with an average salary of $89,987.marketing leads earn similar levels of education than directors of marketing and public relations in general. They're 2.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Directors of marketing and public relations in the next 3-5 years?

Mary Beth PintoMary Beth Pinto LinkedIn profile

Professor, Pennsylvania State University - Erie (The Behrend College)

Realize where you start will not necessarily be where you end up. If I really knew the answer to this question, I would be a millionaire. I think that remote technologies are going to improve greatly - ZOOM isn't the miracle solution. I don't think that we will ever go back to the office-based presence in the pre-COVID world. Graduates need to learn how not only to work well in teams but work well in teams remotely. Creativity and collaboration are key in the workplace. So any technology that supports both will be critical.

Director of marketing and public relations vs. Marketing manager

Marketing managers are experienced employees who oversee the marketing department of the organization. They manage activities such as marketing campaigns, social media postings, company branding, and other strategic marketing activities. They provide strategic direction and come up with departmental goals. They also provide proper training for employees in the department to ensure that they have a deep understanding of its marketing tools. Marketing managers should be creative, should have good interpersonal skills, and should be flexible.

On average, marketing managers earn higher salaries than directors of marketing and public relations, with a $17,924 difference per year.directors of marketing and public relations and marketing managers both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "digital marketing," "marketing campaigns," and "marketing mix," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, directors of marketing and public relations are more likely to have skills like "social media marketing," "excellent interpersonal," "seo," and "e-business." But a marketing manager is more likely to have skills like "project management," "email marketing," "crm," and "customer service."

Marketing managers earn the highest salary when working in the technology industry, where they receive an average salary of $115,553. Comparatively, directors of marketing and public relations have the highest earning potential in the health care industry, with an average salary of $89,987.When it comes to education, marketing managers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to directors of marketing and public relations. In fact, they're 0.7% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Director of marketing and public relations vs. Sales and marketing manager

Marketing managers are experts in marketing a product or business. They take charge of a lot of responsibilities in the business. These include the integration of budgets and estimates for marketing campaigns, involvement in negotiations, and collaboration with advertising agencies. It is their job to research and develop marketing opportunities. They perform managerial duties in line with the company's operational goals. Also, they plan and implement new plans for the sales of the company.

Sales and marketing managers tend to earn a lower pay than directors of marketing and public relations by an average of $4,673 per year.While both directors of marketing and public relations and sales and marketing managers complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like digital marketing, press releases, and product development, the two careers vary in some skills.Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A director of marketing and public relations uses "marketing campaigns," "marketing mix," "web content," and "social media marketing." Sales and marketing managers are more likely to have duties that require skills in "customer service," "customer satisfaction," "sales process," and "sales growth. "The technology industry tends to pay the highest salaries for sales and marketing managers, with average annual pay of $89,761. Comparatively, the highest director of marketing and public relations annual salary comes from the health care industry.sales and marketing managers reach similar levels of education compared to directors of marketing and public relations, in general. The difference is that they're 1.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of director of marketing and public relations

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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