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The differences between marketing managers and marketing specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 8-10 years to become a marketing manager, becoming a marketing specialist takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a marketing manager has an average salary of $104,550, which is higher than the $54,942 average annual salary of a marketing specialist.
The top three skills for a marketing manager include digital marketing, marketing campaigns and project management. The most important skills for a marketing specialist are digital marketing, marketing campaigns, and project management.
| Marketing Manager | Marketing Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $104,550 | $54,942 |
| Hourly rate | $50.26 | $26.41 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 89,627 | 87,145 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Average age | 39 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 6 |
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.
A marketing specialist's primary responsibility revolves around conducting thorough market research and analysis to acquire extensive knowledge and understanding of a brand and how it will work in the consumer market. They must determine and come up with strategies and utilize this to develop various programs or campaigns that would be vital in bringing more awareness to the brand, thus boosting sales and improving client base. Furthermore, a marketing specialist must also use their expertise to figure out new opportunities and trends that will work for the company.
Marketing managers and marketing specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Marketing Manager | Marketing Specialist | |
| Average salary | $104,550 | $54,942 |
| Salary range | Between $71,000 And $153,000 | Between $36,000 And $82,000 |
| Highest paying City | Menlo Park, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a marketing manager and a marketing specialist in terms of educational background:
| Marketing Manager | Marketing Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between marketing managers' and marketing specialists' demographics:
| Marketing Manager | Marketing Specialist | |
| Average age | 39 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 44.4% Female, 55.6% | Male, 35.5% Female, 64.5% |
| 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, 5.2% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 11.2% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |