What is a marketing specialist and how to become one

Q: How do I become a successful marketing specialist?

To become a successful marketing specialist, you typically need a college degree, a good eye for market trends, and social media competency. Most employers ask for a bachelor's degree, majoring in business, marketing, communication, or other related fields.

Q: How much do marketing specialists get paid?

Marketing specialists get paid about $52,097 yearly or $25.05 per hour. On the lower end of the salary range, they can get paid $35,000 a year, usually for an entry-level position. On the higher end, they can make about $76,000.

Q: What are the duties of a marketing specialist?

The duties of a parking specialist typically entail developing marketing programs, creating pricing schedules, researching market trends, and creating marketing campaigns. Additionally, they may manage marketing budgets and track marketing performance metrics.

Q: What companies hire marketing specialists?

Companies in hospitality, technology, and fashion hire marketing specialists. Hotels and restaurants use the knowledge of marketing specialists to help run marketing campaigns. Texas Roadhouse and Marriott Hotels are both large hospitality companies that employ many marketing specialists.

Q: What qualifications do you need to be a marketing specialist?

The minimum qualifications for a marketing specialist is a bachelor's degree in marketing, communications, or a similar related field. They must also have a lot of experience in conveying messages using different mediums while also being able to deal with urgent and crisis situations.

Q: What skills does a marketing specialist need?

The skills of a marketing specialist are usually analytical, communication, and project management. Marketing specialists generally need strong analytical skills as they must research, comprehend large amounts of data and information, and utilize it to develop or implement strategies or solutions.

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Linda Goulet,

Michelle R. Eubanks

A marketing specialist is a person who develops and implements marketing strategies to promote products or services. They analyze market trends and consumer behavior to create effective marketing campaigns that increase brand awareness. A marketing specialist also conducts market research, manages social media accounts, creates content, and collaborates with other departments within a company to ensure a cohesive brand image. They may work in a variety of industries, including public relations or digital marketing.

What general advice would you give to a marketing specialist?

Linda Goulet

Interim Associate Dean/Department Chair, Marketing, Davenport University

Stay as updated as you can. If you are looking for a job, join your local AMA chapter to network. Find a mentor who works in marketing and meet regularly (virtual now). There are also dozens of free certifications out there that you may take to hone your skills or create awareness around the content you don't have a lot of knowledge about (Hub Spot and Google both offer many free certification opportunities).

ScoreMarketing SpecialistUS Average

Salary

4.3

Avg. Salary $54,942

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.9

Growth rate 19%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.13%

Asian 11.24%

Black or African American 5.22%

Hispanic or Latino 12.48%

Unknown 5.01%

White 65.92%

Gender

female 64.48%

male 35.52%

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

What are the pros and cons of being a marketing specialist?

Pros

Potential for a high salary and job growth
Flexibility in job location and industry
Possibility for remote work or freelance opportunities
Networking opportunities with other professionals
Potential for travel

Cons

High levels of competition for job positions
High-stress level due to the importance of results and success
Need to constantly prove oneself and justify marketing spend
Need to stay up-to-date on multiple social media platforms and analytics tools
Often requires collaboration with other departments that may not understand marketing goals or strategies

Key steps to become a marketing specialist

Explore marketing specialist education requirements

Most common marketing specialist degrees

Bachelor's

77.8 %

Master's

9.0 %

Associate

8.6 %

Start to develop specific marketing specialist skills

Skills	Percentages
Digital Marketing	12.57%
Marketing Campaigns	6.34%
Project Management	4.70%
Email Marketing	4.41%
PowerPoint	4.35%

Complete relevant marketing specialist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New marketing 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 specialist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real marketing specialist resumes.

Research marketing specialist duties and responsibilities

Manage company twitter feed, posting new requisitions and articles of interest.
Generate leads, create property postings, social media (Instagram, Facebook, etc . )
Manage PPC campaigns, including SEM budgeting, writing ad copy, keyword selection (incl.
Manage end-to- end process for the brand brochure including creative brief development, copywriting, proofreading and executive approvals.

Prepare your marketing specialist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your marketing 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 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 specialist resume templates

Build a professional marketing 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 specialist resume.

Apply for marketing specialist jobs

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

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

How do marketing specialists rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Marketing specialist reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020

Pros

It's all about getting data, follow up on project, ensuring that jobs are done properly, write reports after a project is done. You travel if the job or project you're handling is out station.

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2020

Pros

It allows me to work with wonderful people. The change I get to make is amazing.

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.

What is a marketing specialist and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a marketing specialist?

What are the pros and cons of being a marketing specialist?

Marketing specialist career paths

Key steps to become a marketing specialist

Explore marketing specialist education requirements

Most common marketing specialist degrees

Start to develop specific marketing specialist skills

Complete relevant marketing specialist training and internships

Research marketing specialist duties and responsibilities

Prepare your marketing specialist resume

Choose from 10+ customizable marketing specialist resume templates

Apply for marketing specialist jobs

How did you land your first marketing specialist job

Average marketing specialist salary

How do marketing specialists rate their job?

Marketing specialist reviews

Marketing specialist FAQs

How do I become a successful marketing specialist?

How much do marketing specialists get paid?

What are the duties of a marketing specialist?

What companies hire marketing specialists?

What qualifications do you need to be a marketing specialist?

What skills does a marketing specialist need?

Search for marketing specialist jobs

Marketing specialist jobs by state