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Job outlook for marketing planners in the United States
Marketing planner job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected marketing planner job growth rate is 10% from 2018-2028.
About 33,700 new jobs for marketing planners are projected over the next decade.
Marketing planner salaries have increased 8% for marketing planners in the last 5 years.
There are over 3,649 marketing planners currently employed in the United States.
There are 91,299 active marketing planner job openings in the US.
The average marketing planner salary is $62,684.
Are marketing planner jobs in demand?
Marketing planner job and salary trends over time
Marketing planner jobs over time
Marketing planner job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 3,649 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 3,538 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 3,453 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 3,148 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 2,867 | 0.00% |
Average marketing planner salary over time
Marketing planner salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $62,684 | $30.14 | +3.9% |
| 2025 | $60,338 | $29.01 | +1.9% |
| 2024 | $59,209 | $28.47 | +1.6% |
| 2023 | $58,301 | $28.03 | +0.8% |
| 2022 | $57,838 | $27.81 | +1.9% |
Marketing planner jobs by state
Most common states for marketing planners
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 266 | 38% |
| 2 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 282 | 21% |
| 3 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,369 | 20% |
| 4 | Vermont | 623,657 | 118 | 19% |
| 5 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 195 | 18% |
| 6 | Delaware | 961,939 | 177 | 18% |
| 7 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 945 | 17% |
| 8 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 684 | 17% |
| 9 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 496 | 16% |
| 10 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 118 | 16% |
| 11 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 1,294 | 15% |
| 12 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 825 | 15% |
| 13 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 534 | 15% |
| 14 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 89 | 15% |
| 15 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 1,057 | 14% |
| 16 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 266 | 14% |
| 17 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 119 | 14% |
| 18 | California | 39,536,653 | 5,131 | 13% |
| 19 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 1,300 | 13% |
| 20 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 791 | 13% |
Most common cities for marketing planners
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chanhassen | 4 | 16% | $54,563 |
Marketing Planner job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of marketing planner experts
Southern University and A & M College
University of Michigan Dearborn
University of North Georgia
North Carolina A&T State University
North Carolina A&T State University
The University of Tampa
University of Central Oklahoma
Southeast Missouri State University
Southern Connecticut State University
Boston University
Case Western Reserve University
University of Arizona
Cleveland State University
Hope College
Fairfield University
Bryant University
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
SUNY at University of Albany
The University of Texas at Austin
What will help Marketing Planners increase their earning potential?
Rich Johnson: Digital media covers a lot of mediums and requires many skill sets (print, static online, animation, interactive). The print arm is a lesser component although still valuable in the scope of marketing. Smartphones, tablets and gaming have moved a lot of digital into a customer expectation of interactive and customizable content. The present model of career specialization in a certain aspect of this spectrum of skills is changing. The age of the generalist is becoming more of a reality as design tools are becoming more accessible and A.I. is assisting in the more complex tasks. I would say that someone working in digital media will need to focus more on the big picture of design, predicting trends and developing solutions from a point of view with perspective. It will be even more important to understand the needs of a system from the top down and provide solutions that enhance that system. This might be through partnering with marketing and sales to conceptualize solutions, pitching product ideas and other functions related to creative and art direction. And be curious, all of the time. Keep up to date with everything that is happening. Take classes, watch tutorials, read articles and be obsessed with the breakneck rate of change. Digital media is constantly changing and possibilities are always expanding. It can be near impossible to be a master of all of these trajectories, but you can understand them well enough to bring in a specialist when the challenge requires it. This is where I predict that A.I. will be a major paradigm shift. There will be a time when you will ask the system to solve a problem, and you can choose what parts of the process that you want to control. So to boil it down... Develop a well rounded set of skills Further develop specialist level skills where you excel Keep on top of change and keep a thirst for learning Strengthen your connection to problem solving and creative innovation Keep an eye on the future predicting what might be around the bend
Vanessa Ferchaud Ph.D.
Assistant Research ProfessorSouthern University and A & M College
Agriculture
What will help Marketing Planners increase their earning potential?
Vanessa Ferchaud Ph.D.: General advice that I would give is:
- Research the job before you start
Always be punctual for work
Develop Good Work Ethics
Be a good Team Player
Be Approachable
Learn something New daily
Accept Constructive Criticism
Join Social Media Groups at work
Keep your promises (what you say you would do)
What will help Marketing Planners increase their earning potential?
Jorge Gonzalez del Pozo: Become as unique in your field/company as possible; i.e., if there are opportunities to travel to take tasks that many people don´t want to do, take those, then you can claim that you are doing more than anyone else. Always deliver the extra mile and then ask for comparable compensation since you are doing above your job description. If you can cover 2 in 1, that is always appealing for your employer, for instance in the case of Spanish: if you can translate, but also go to a company and help them with marketing in Spanish, that will make you not only an "office employer", but also a "sales person" in a way. Show your manager/boss that you learn quickly, that you take responsibilities way earlier than others in their career and that you deliver. Show them that you are eager/hungry, show them that you are extremely valuable.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Marketing Planners?
Mary Norman: -Project management skills
-Knowledge of key marketing tools and analytics:
-Social media tools like Hootsuite, Google analytics, etc.
-Design tools like Canva, Photoshop, Illustrator
-Email and Survey tools like Mailchimp and Survey Monkey
-SEO Tools like Google Ads
-Digital/Social Media Marketing Skills in the following areas:
-Email marketing
-Search Engine Marketing and Search Engine Optimization (SEM/SEO)
-Email marketing
-Content marketing - ability to create content for social media and additional formats like blogs, etc.
-Social Media marketing through top platforms: i.e., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, etc.
-Data Analysis - mining insights into customer behavior based on website and social media analytics
-Trendwatching / Consumer insights
Kimberly McNeil Ph.D.
Associate Professor of MarketingNorth Carolina A&T State University
Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management
What skills stand out on Marketing Planner resumes?
Kimberly McNeil Ph.D.: Senior marketing specialists should possess strong communication and interpersonal skills and analytical/critical thinking skills. The mix of these skills provides the balance needed when working in teams in sometimes high-pressure situations.
Roland Leak Ph.D.
Associate Professor of MarketingNorth Carolina A&T State University
Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management
What skills stand out on Marketing Planner resumes?
Roland Leak Ph.D.: It depends on the company. Some want their marketing specialists to be very analytical and work with numbers that build pricing. Others want strong brand management skills which can be more qualitative. If I had to give you a middle-of-the-road answer, a good senior marketing specialist would have the flexibility to vacillate between the quantitative and qualitative.
Jennifer Burton Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Marketing, Vice President of the Faculty SenateThe University of Tampa
Marketing Department
What hard/technical skills are most important for Marketing Planners?
Jennifer Burton Ph.D.: The hard skills required for a successful career as a marketing specialist are those involved with building a marketing plan. A candidate needs to be able to: 1) use marketing segmentation to select the target audience, 2) develop a strong positioning strategy and execute it, 3) establish good objectives that align with business goals, 4) execute strategies regarding products, channels, pricing, and promotion. To do these things, you need to have a good understanding of marketing research and be able to use the results to identify the right business strategies to move the company ahead.
Stacia Wert-Gray Ph.D.
Professor of Marketing, ChairpersonUniversity of Central Oklahoma
Department of Marketing
What soft skills should all Marketing Planners possess?
Stacia Wert-Gray Ph.D.: Communication is important in any job but especially in marketing. These professionals must be able to communicate with customers/clients about product/service benefits and must be able to listen and represent the needs of customers/clients to their own company.
Scott Thorne Ph.D.
InstructorSoutheast Missouri State University
Department of Marketing
What soft skills should all Marketing Planners possess?
Scott Thorne Ph.D.: Team building, leadership, co-operation, salesmanship. I always tell my students to show any leadership positions they had while in school on their resumes as businesses value people who can both take the initiative and work well with others.
Charles Gamble
Adjunct ProfessorSouthern Connecticut State University
Marketing Department
What soft skills should all Marketing Planners possess?
Charles Gamble: Be a good communicator (internally and externally). Marketing is all about effective communication. Most of the roles in marketing are basically managing the various channels through which the communications are disseminated (Events, PR, Paid Search, Web, Social Media, etc.). If you can communicate effectively, you will be a strong asset to the team, and your skills will be easily transferable to multiple roles within the marketing organization. This will provide you security in your current role and a path for career advancement. Three things help to make you a more effective marketing communicator:
-Empathy - Have deep empathy for your prospective customer and the challenges that they are facing. Understand their industry, language, motivation, what their day is like, why they do what they do, who their customers are, etc.
-Product Knowledge - Have a deep understanding of the product or service that you are marketing. Understanding how the functionality of a product or a solution can solve a prospective customers pain point
-Macro Mindset - Think about how content layers together to create a hierarchy or matrix. Understanding how a content theme can be expanded or contracted can help you see the "big picture" and offer more granular detail on a particular topic.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Marketing Planner job market given the pandemic?
V. Scott Solberg Ph.D.: The job market is increasingly being shaped by a 4th Industrial Revolution (4th IR) that places a premium on seeking individuals with "deeper human" skills as well as critical technical skills. The 4th IR work setting involves specialized teams of individuals collaborating on projects. Those graduating with a four-year degree from a liberal arts major such as Communication have the necessary foundation for entering the 4 IR because they possess a number of these specialized, more profound, human skills such as empathy and compassion, complex communication, collaboration and teamwork, active listening, and time management. To expand one's employability, further specialization can be achieved by adding vital technical skills such as a certification in graphic design, project management, and data science.
Something that new college graduates often miss is the value of personal branding. Personal branding involves knowing what specialized skills they bring to an organization and, more importantly, what value they will get to a given project team. And, graduates should expect that their "work" may involve time-limited or part-time projects. Therefore, they need to be engaged in career management by seeking new projects that continue to build and expand their more excellent human and technical skills to be attractive when seeking new occupational opportunities.
As far as job sector trends, generally, there is high demand in healthcare, data sciences, and STEM. And these may vary depending on where one lives in the United States. With Covid-19, the world is learning the value of working virtually. Many companies are closing their offices and supporting their employees to "live anywhere" as long as they have a good internet connection. This is fantastic for those wanting to live near family or in rural areas in the United States. While we do have many places that struggle with internet access, several rural areas are doing well. The point is that your location may be less of a burden for finding employment. Upon graduation, many occupations will enable one to travel and live in new places as long as they can stay connected online.
What's a good job out of college for Marketing Planners?
Mark Votruba Ph.D.: A job that provides opportunities to learn and grow. A job that values the development of its employees, with supportive older colleagues.
What skills stand out on Marketing Planner resumes?
Matthew Hashim Ph.D.: There are three types of skills that currently seem to stand out and are sought after by graduates and employers. First, quantitative skills such as working with data and/or programming have grown in need significantly. Data analytics, data scientists, statisticians, machine learning, are all in incredible demand. Accordingly, advanced skills in Tableau, Power BI, R, database, and other related or specialized software are important. Even advanced analysis with Excel can allow job seekers to impress decision-makers by asking and answering incredible questions of data. In other words, don't discount Excel skills as it gives everyone a starting point for attacking their data. Besides working with data, programming and logic have grown in importance for MIS job-seekers. Not only do those skills translate to software development needs, but they also translate to data analysis and dovetail with advanced analytics work. Second, interest and knowledge of cybersecurity-related skills is also in high demand, especially by governmental agencies and specialized industry firms. Skills in cybersecurity could be managerial in nature (e.g., risk assessment and planning, cyber threat intelligence), or technical (e.g., cyber threat mitigation, incidence response). Third, the ability to communicate effectively as a group on IS-related technology topics, especially in a remote-working world, is critical. Evidence of these types of business communications abilities would certainly differentiate the job-seeker from the crowd, and would also translate to a successful interview.
What Marketing Planner skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Robert Whitbred Ph.D.: These are tough times, and people are struggling. The first thing is take care of yourself physically, mentally, and financially. If this is accomplished and you are able to spend time learning new things, identify specific skills related to your field that can be learned for little or no expense. One example is podcasting. Search for 'free podcasting' and you will find numerous free articles, 'how to' instructions and thriving online communities. You will also learn about an open source (free) software called Audacity. A second example is improving your public speaking. Join the local club of Toastmasters International. In these clubs you will give presentations to and receive feedback from supportive members. If you are stuck for ideas, explore the variety of options for free learning in Kahn Academy. Whatever you do, do not give anyone a credit card number. The last thing you need is to create more hardship by falling victim to a scam.
What Marketing Planner skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Marissa Doshi Ph.D.: Take some time to decompress, but a gap year is not a vacation! Graduates should have a clear idea about the skills being prioritized in the jobs or professions that they want to join. To identify skills employers are looking for, start by examining relevant job ads. Connecting with alumni is another way to figure out what it's like to work in a particular job or profession. Once you know what skills are being prioritized, work on cultivating them. Take webinars or online courses-many are free. Internships (many are remote now) are also helpful. Also, work with college career counselors-the relationship doesn't end after graduation! Finally, it's always good to build relationships and volunteering in the community is a great way to do that.
What experience really stands out on Marketing Planner resumes?
Dr. Gerald Cavallo: Employers like to see that the graduate has had more than classroom learning, that the graduate has gone beyond the classroom environment. This extrinsic learning can take several forms. Internships are an excellent way for the student to get a taste of the "real world." It is also a way for the student to see how the concepts learned in the classroom can be put to use in business. Other experiences, like being on an athletic team, joining an academic club (like the Marketing Club), being a campus ambassador for a local company, attending guest speaker lectures, volunteering for a local community service organization - all of these demonstrate that the student has had some organizational experience outside the classroom.
What Marketing Planner skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Kevin Gaw Ph.D.: Imagine an employer asking you in an interview (after your gap year): "So, what did you do during your time between college and now?" This is a real question and has already been asked by employers (e.g., "How did you spend your summer during the pandemic?") The employer wants to know about your decisions during the "down time" of the pandemic and how you engaged.
Develop your networking skills by meeting people outside of your regular sphere and learn from them. Ask for feedback and accept it as a gift. Stay connected with them as you don't know what'll be happening at the end of the gap year; they may be your inside referral!
Keep learning. This not only includes staying up on your discipline (trends, new topics, new resources, ethics), but also learning about life and how to solve challenges by using newly gained knowledge and skills. Read and understand literature and talk with others about what you have learned. Learn more about yourself - your interests and values, strengths, and growth points; then work to expand your horizons, even just a bit. Stretching yourself leads to new learning!
Consider a post-degree internship. Engaging in a deep learning experience such as this will not only enrich your knowledge and skills, but you will also be proactively preparing for your career launch.
Employers will notice your engagement, increasing your competitiveness as a candidate. While such an experience would ideally be within your career pathway, it does not have to be. If it is not, make sure you are learning skills that can clearly be applicable/transferrable to your chosen field.
Try something new that is not directly career-related but "feeds the soul."
Volunteer and help others. Learn to seriously cook, from a chef, and then prepare meals for others, asking for feedback. Write a work of fiction, submit it for review, and re-write it based on the critical feedback. Be a Big Brother or a Big Sister. All of these types of activities challenge yourself and are not "trophy" gains.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Marketing Planners?
Jennifer deWinter: Of course, there will be a short term impact on the graduates in the same way that the 2008 graduates struggled for a few years. Communication will remain a core skill in many units, and this is something that students can onboard and work on remotely. The more considerable challenge is the impact of this environment on college graduates' mental health-even if they are onboarded, they will likely be working in isolation.
What skills stand out on Marketing Planner resumes?
Dr. Timothy Weaver Ph.D.: Graduates with a range of teaching, writing, editing, and quantitative skills will be the most competitive in this market. But, the truth is that even very well qualified students are going to struggle this year.
What general advice would you give to a Marketing Planner?
Andrew Gershoff Ph.D.: First, graduates may find that they need to do more leg work to find jobs in this environment. Schools with career services often have long-term relationships with the same businesses, who tend to hire multiple students in any given year. If one sector falls apart, there may be fewer jobs available at the career center. But students should take advantage of any services that help them understand the jobs in the marketplace, develop their resumes, and practice interviewing.
Second, students should try to think more broadly about following their interests and still finding employment. So taking some time to learn about career paths that they hadn't considered is worth doing. Many jobs rely on similar skills and may offer similar fulfillment and happiness.
Third, students should be ready to explore possibilities at companies they may not have heard of. Now, is an excellent time to look at companies that may only have a few jobs to offer, but may be doing some of the most exciting things a student can be part of. Finding a good fit is essential to happiness in a career, which may not be at a "name brand" firm.
Finally, students should keep in mind that their journey is their own. It is easy to discourage if you are having a difficult time, and your peers find success. But it can be freeing to focus on developing new knowledge and skills that interest you. Your success will come, and it doesn't have to be defined by someone else.
What Marketing Planner skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Andrew Gershoff Ph.D.: Many marketing jobs require a blend of customer insights, data analytics, and strategic marketing decision making. So developing these skills may be helpful to be ready when the right job comes around. Skills in sales are often overlooked, but these are valuable too and have three advantages:
-There are many excellent opportunities in careers in sales that some students overlook.
-Even if one does not take a job in sales, the skills of deals involving business development, problem-solving, and communication are valuable in any career.
-Getting a job in the first place often involves selling oneself.
So having sales skills are also worth having.
If you can't find a job right away, volunteering is an excellent way to develop skills, make contacts, and stay optimistic. Look for opportunities at non-profit organizations, for example, where you may help out a cause that may be important to you and give you a chance to learn about skills that you may lack. Often, serious volunteers are given access and opportunities that paid employees may not get. It is also not uncommon for a volunteer position to become a paid position when opportunities in the organization arise.
In marketing and business, there are also many excellent one-year master's programs being offered to help students develop focused skills in marketing management, data analytics, and customer insights. Some are even focused on particular industries like health care or technology. These programs offer students a year of in-depth learning as well as career coaching and access to recruiters. They can be a treasured addition for students who have healthy non-business undergraduate degrees who may now want to focus on marketing career goals. Also, the starting salary and responsibility level tend to be significantly more than that of a recent graduate of an undergraduate program.