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What is a marketing and advertising specialist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted expert
Dr. Gail Hudson Ph.D.

If you like to develop, monitor, and implement advertising campaigns and projects given to your company by clients, you will enjoy being a marketing and advertising specialist. You will also work with customers and analyze product information, advertising history, needs, and strategy to provide marketing and advertising assistance.

You will work with the company's supervisor to develop strategies for project management and execution. Plus, you will determine a proper advertising medium like direct mail, ads, online banners, and other email marketing tactics. You will also prepare the advertising program and get approval from management and the client. You will work with sales and advertising teams, review and approve sales and advertising contracts and help develop promotional product plans.

You will need to pursue a bachelor's degree in journalism, communications or hold a degree in a business-related field. You will need experience in the advertising field and prove you can be creative and know how to communicate. With all this experience and education behind you, you can expect to earn a median salary of between $70,000 or $100,000 per year.

What general advice would you give to a marketing and advertising specialist?

Dr. Gail Hudson Ph.D.Dr. Gail Hudson Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Director, College of Business Internship Program, Arkansas State University

As the world has shown us most recently, we need to be flexible as the marketplace can change, without warning.
The need to differentiate yourself from others will always be necessary, so keep learning while you are in school and beyond.
I believe that technology and social media skills will continue to be necessary. Seek and achieve as many certifications as possible to hone these skills and differentiate yourself in the market.
ScoreMarketing And Advertising SpecialistUS Average
Salary
3.9

Avg. Salary $49,896

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
4.9

Growth rate 19%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
3.1
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.13%

Asian 9.60%

Black or African American 5.24%

Hispanic or Latino 12.53%

Unknown 5.02%

White 67.49%

Gender

female 53.48%

male 46.52%

Age - 34
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 34
Stress level
4.9

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.2

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
4.6

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Marketing and advertising specialist career paths

Key steps to become a marketing and advertising specialist

  1. Explore marketing and advertising specialist education requirements

    Most common marketing and advertising specialist degrees

    Bachelor's

    64.6 %

    Associate

    16.9 %

    High School Diploma

    9.0 %
  2. Start to develop specific marketing and advertising specialist skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Digital Marketing28.64%
    SEO5.10%
    Facebook3.89%
    Financial Data3.56%
    Press Releases3.49%
  3. Complete relevant marketing and advertising specialist training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New marketing and advertising specialists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a marketing and advertising specialist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real marketing and advertising specialist resumes.
  4. Research marketing and advertising specialist duties and responsibilities

    • Manage a team of marketing professionals delivering customize program communications throughout the distribution channel including POS and consumer materials.
    • Complete all promotional invoice orders, purchasing POs, ordering supplies, etc.
    • Perform ROI analysis, media evaluation, market trend analysis, and campaign optimization.
    • Initiate and monitor social media (Facebook, LinkedIn) platforms to reach new clients.
  5. Prepare your marketing and advertising specialist resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your marketing and advertising specialist resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a marketing and advertising specialist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable marketing and advertising specialist resume templates

    Build a professional marketing and advertising specialist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your marketing and advertising specialist resume.
    Marketing And Advertising Specialist Resume
    Marketing And Advertising Specialist Resume
    Marketing And Advertising Specialist Resume
    Marketing And Advertising Specialist Resume
    Marketing And Advertising Specialist Resume
    Marketing And Advertising Specialist Resume
    Marketing And Advertising Specialist Resume
    Marketing And Advertising Specialist Resume
    Marketing And Advertising Specialist Resume
  6. Apply for marketing and advertising specialist jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a marketing and advertising specialist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first marketing and advertising specialist job

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Average marketing and advertising specialist salary

The average marketing and advertising specialist salary in the United States is $49,896 per year or $24 per hour. Marketing and advertising specialist salaries range between $33,000 and $73,000 per year.

Average marketing and advertising specialist salary
$49,896 Yearly
$23.99 hourly

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Marketing and advertising specialist reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019
Pros

Being able to help enhance websites for clients.

Cons

There was a learning about SEO and all the data behind it. Wasn’t taught in school and supervisors were new to it.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019
Cons

Unreasonable deadlines.


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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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