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Strategic marketing consultant job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected strategic marketing consultant job growth rate is 10% from 2018-2028.
About 33,700 new jobs for strategic marketing consultants are projected over the next decade.
Strategic marketing consultant salaries have increased 8% for strategic marketing consultants in the last 5 years.
There are over 28,093 strategic marketing consultants currently employed in the United States.
There are 102,723 active strategic marketing consultant job openings in the US.
The average strategic marketing consultant salary is $97,347.
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 28,093 | 0.01% |
| 2020 | 26,700 | 0.01% |
| 2019 | 26,232 | 0.01% |
| 2018 | 24,609 | 0.01% |
| 2017 | 22,949 | 0.01% |
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $97,347 | $46.80 | +3.9% |
| 2024 | $93,704 | $45.05 | +1.9% |
| 2023 | $91,951 | $44.21 | +1.6% |
| 2022 | $90,541 | $43.53 | +0.8% |
| 2021 | $89,822 | $43.18 | +1.9% |
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 294 | 42% |
| 2 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 274 | 32% |
| 3 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 357 | 27% |
| 4 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 278 | 21% |
| 5 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 1,008 | 18% |
| 6 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 187 | 18% |
| 7 | Vermont | 623,657 | 108 | 17% |
| 8 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,124 | 16% |
| 9 | Alabama | 4,874,747 | 792 | 16% |
| 10 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 95 | 16% |
| 11 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 1,278 | 15% |
| 12 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 621 | 15% |
| 13 | Oklahoma | 3,930,864 | 601 | 15% |
| 14 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 545 | 15% |
| 15 | Delaware | 961,939 | 148 | 15% |
| 16 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 115 | 15% |
| 17 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 813 | 14% |
| 18 | Mississippi | 2,984,100 | 420 | 14% |
| 19 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 264 | 14% |
| 20 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 1,364 | 13% |
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frankfort | 1 | 4% | $75,894 |
| 2 | Annapolis | 1 | 3% | $123,265 |
| 3 | Dover | 1 | 3% | $105,327 |
| 4 | Hartford | 1 | 1% | $105,504 |
| 5 | Lansing | 1 | 1% | $91,995 |
| 6 | Little Rock | 1 | 1% | $82,170 |
| 7 | Springfield | 1 | 1% | $93,139 |
| 8 | Tallahassee | 1 | 1% | $88,603 |
| 9 | Topeka | 1 | 1% | $65,193 |
| 10 | Atlanta | 1 | 0% | $81,061 |
| 11 | Baton Rouge | 1 | 0% | $77,210 |
| 12 | Boston | 1 | 0% | $108,253 |
| 13 | Des Moines | 1 | 0% | $75,151 |
| 14 | Indianapolis | 1 | 0% | $75,002 |
| 15 | Montgomery | 1 | 0% | $74,677 |
| 16 | Phoenix | 1 | 0% | $101,892 |
| 17 | Sacramento | 1 | 0% | $108,864 |
| 18 | Saint Paul | 1 | 0% | $90,486 |
| 19 | Washington | 1 | 0% | $122,712 |
Northeastern University
City University of Seattle
North Dakota State University
Siena College
Siena College
Siena College

Idaho State University

Webster University
Duke University

University of Scranton

University of Houston - Downtown

Towson University
University of Central Oklahoma
Delta State University

Wayland Baptist University, Anchorage

Western New England University

Boston University
Rob Durant: Congratulations! As you start your career, remember that the 4, 5, 5+ years you spent earning your degree did NOT equip you with all the answers. But hopefully it instilled in you the ability to ask insightful questions. Stay curious, embrace challenges, learn, and grow. Your journey is just beginning, and every experience is a step towards mastering your craft.
Dr. Gulay Guzel PhD: Maximizing salary potential at the outset of one's marketing career requires strategic considerations. Marketing is inherently interdisciplinary, drawing from fields such as psychology, sociology, anthropology, and data science. Graduates should first identify their specialization within the marketing realm, whether it's in market research, product design, pricing strategy, or another area. Next, they should articulate what sets them apart from other candidates and highlight additional value they bring to the table. Realism is key when setting salary expectations; candidates should conduct thorough industry research to inform negotiations. Additionally, leveraging diverse experiences gained from internships and coursework to bolster their applications can significantly enhance their bargaining power.
Jennifer D'Angelo PhD: A marketing manager is often responsible for planning and implementing a marketing plan. What this marketing plan encompasses can vary, as marketing involves many different things such as branding, product development, sales, advertising, digital and social media, and retailing.
Jennifer D'Angelo PhD: The ever-changing landscape of consumer trends and technological advancements in how to market to consumers often makes the job exciting and fast-paced. However, with the increased emphasis on results, marketers must be conscious of how to measure and demonstrate the value of their work.
Jennifer D'Angelo PhD: Brands across many product categories are facing an increasing level of competition. Brands may struggle with rising brand parity, where brands and their competitors are seen as similar to one another. Therefore, to stand out from competitors, it has become increasingly important for brands to have marketing managers that create value for consumers and communicate that value to consumers.
Ajay Abraham Ph. D.: Earning a fair salary is important, although what exactly is fair might vary based on individual perceptions. More important, think of a job as offering a combination of financial and other non-monetary benefits such as perks (e.g., work culture, work-life balance, self-fulfillment, good colleagues, networking). Try to optimize your benefits across this multi-dimensional perspective rather than by simply focusing on salary. That stated, some job opportunities have scope for negotiation on salary. First, identify if the job that you are applying for has scope for negotiation, in which case, there's no harm in negotiating if done ethically, professionally, and reasonably. If the job is not one in which there's scope for negotiation, don't worry. Instead, focus on performance and making a case for yourself at the time of annual evaluations and/or salary hikes (which should be done even if there were salary negotiations before joining). Similar suggestions apply if you are thinking of switching roles/organizations.
Ajay Abraham Ph. D.: Everyone is talking about AI these days, so I will start off by joining the bandwagon, but with some nuance. It's important to know how to use artificial intelligence tools in order to be better or more effective at one's job. This doesn't mean that everyone needs to become an AI expert, but that we should be able to harness the power of AI tools to improve the quality and efficiency of our work. This requires being fluent enough with AI tools to understand, discuss, and make decisions involving AI or about AI output (even if we don't actually use those tools in a hands-on manner). This should be done while also being able to bridge the gap for those who are less fluent (perhaps those in more senior-level roles who are even less hands-on with these tools). That apart, as more of the workforce focuses more of their time on technical and similar skills, "softer" skills such as integrity, professionalism, self-awareness, and team-orientation will become even more important as differentiators.
Ajay Abraham Ph. D.: Earning a fair salary is important, although what exactly is fair might vary based on individual perceptions. More important, think of a job as offering a combination of financial and other non-monetary benefits such as perks (e.g., work culture, work-life balance, self-fulfillment, good colleagues, networking). Try to optimize your benefits across this multi-dimensional perspective rather than by simply focusing on salary. That stated, some job opportunities have scope for negotiation on salary. First, identify if the job that you are applying for has scope for negotiation, in which case, there’s no harm in negotiating if done ethically, professionally, and reasonably. If the job is not one in which there’s scope for negotiation, don’t worry. Instead, focus on performance and making a case for yourself at the time of annual evaluations and/or salary hikes (which should be done even if there were salary negotiations before joining). Similar suggestions apply if you are thinking of switching roles/organizations.
Jennifer D'Angelo Ph.D.: Brands across many product categories are facing an increasing level of competition. Brands may struggle with rising brand parity, where brands and their competitors are seen as similar to one another. Therefore, to stand out from competitors, it has become increasingly important for brands to have marketing managers that create value for consumers and communicate that value to consumers.
Jennifer D'Angelo Ph.D.: The ever-changing landscape of consumer trends and technological advancements in how to market to consumers often makes the job exciting and fast-paced. However, with the increased emphasis on results, marketers must be conscious of how to measure and demonstrate the value of their work.
Jennifer D'Angelo Ph.D.: Brands across many product categories are facing an increasing level of competition. Brands may struggle with rising brand parity, where brands and their competitors are seen as similar to one another. Therefore, to stand out from competitors, it has become increasingly important for brands to have marketing managers that create value for consumers and communicate that value to consumers.
North Dakota State University
Marketing
Ahmad Asady: The role of a Marketing professional is as rewarding as it is demanding. On one hand, it offers the chance to unleash creativity, see the direct impact of your work, and enjoy a variety of experiences across different projects and industries. On the other hand, it comes with its fair share of challenges, such as the pressure to perform under tight deadlines and budgets, the constant need to stay ahead in a fast-evolving field, and the stress of quantifying the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. Despite these challenges, the role remains appealing for those drawn to a career that demands both strategic thinking and creative innovation, underscored by the powerful tool of persuasion to shape consumer behavior and drive business success.
Ahmad Asady: Now is an exciting time to enter the field of marketing. The digital age has transformed how brands connect with consumers, opening up a plethora of channels and tools for innovative engagement strategies. This digital expansion, coupled with the shift towards a more consumer-centric marketing approach, has made the role of a Marketing professional more crucial and impactful than ever. Professionals in this field enjoy the privilege of working at the intersection of creativity and analytics, where they can make significant contributions to a brand's growth and adapt to new challenges and technologies, ensuring a career that is both stable and filled with opportunities for continuous learning.
Ahmad Asady: A Marketing professional's day is a blend of art and science, filled with the pursuit of understanding and engaging the target audience. Their daily activities revolve around creating and managing content that resonates with consumers, conducting market research to stay ahead of trends, analyzing data to refine strategies, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to ensure a unified brand message. Persuasion lies at the heart of their role, as they must continuously convince both internal stakeholders and external audiences of the value and relevance of their brand's offerings.
Siena College
Marketing Department
S.Sinem Atakan: The most important skills for marketing graduates, especially given the remote working conditions due to the pandemic, are self-motivation, communication, and digital marketing skills. Creativity and analytical skills are always important in marketing, but pandemic has highlighted the importance of being able to work independently and motivate yourself even when external forces are not directly present. Communication skills are crucial to work remotely and be on the same page with your team members. Digital marketing was big but getting even bigger with this breakthrough changes in consumer behavior. Hence, the rising stars of the marketing job market will be graduates who can combine all these skills seamlessly
Siena College
Marketing Department
Soyoung Joo: Communication and time management skills are valuable skills for marketing managers.
Soyoung Joo: Creativity and intellectual curiosity (willingness to keep learning) can be added to the above soft skills.
Soyoung Joo: Being able to interpret the consumer data and identify the true needs and wants of the consumer is imperative for marketers.
Soyoung Joo: Being able to work well with people from diverse backgrounds can be added to the above skills.
Siena College
Marketing Department
Allison Lauenstein: Project Management and being able to connect the dots around the data and insights are critical. You have to analyze a situation and uncover insights from the customer, the competitors, and the industry.
Allison Lauenstein: Leadership and collaboration will go a long way. The best ideas can come from anywhere, and it's not always about who has the best idea but who can execute the idea the best. Good marketers must understand that if you cannot successfully execute or effectively communicate a great idea, it may not be so great.
Allison Lauenstein: Skills that stand out show that the candidate has had some experience leading projects and project teams. Marketing is a collaborative effort, and it is critically important for upcoming managers to understand how to manage and motivate a team to achieve its objectives.
Allison Lauenstein: Listening and asking questions are some of the most important skills. As Marketers, you not only have to listen to what people say, but you have to try to understand what they are not saying. How do their actions differ from what they are saying?

Idaho State University
College of Business
John Ney: -A positive "can-do" attitude. I'm often told by employers that "we can teach skills, but we can't teach attitude."
-Teamwork - the ability to work with others is more important now than ever.
-Communication skills, both oral and written.

Webster University
Communications & Journalism
Sung Eun Park: Companies hiring marketing consultants look for someone with strong communication and leadership skills that can translate to great candidates. In addition, a strong background in data analysis will definitely stand out from other candidates. Unlike many beliefs, people who get jobs as marketing consultant comes from various education backgrounds including advertising and English major. It is an indication that companies are open to people with diverse perspectives that can bring fresh eyes to the team. The resumes showcasing a person with various experiences highlighting strong leadership skills (not just strictly marketing) in a team environment will get noticed.
Sung Eun Park: In a marketing team, time management and communication will still be valued a lot, given that a lot of projects are contingent on timeliness. These skills are also tied to social skills within a team that ultimately helps the team's performance. Team members spend a lot of time together working on a project, so it is essential that they work in a team that offers support while encouraged to voice their opinion without prejudice. In sum, strong interpersonal skills are critical.
Sung Eun Park: It depends on the type of work the company does but usually marketing department will benefit from having someone with excellent data analysis skills. Understanding where and how to get the data, analyzing the given data, and understanding the significance of the findings will be crucial in marketing. For example, spotting outliers from data and how the outliers should be interpreted regarding the market situation could play a role for the consultant. Any certificates demonstrating their skills in data and trend analysis would help.
Sung Eun Park: Although marketing is often viewed as a discipline with hard data, those successful in the field get most of their success by being creative and strategic thinkers. Even with the help of data available, your marketing plan may not generate great success. Often you need to have different and novel perspectives to make things more niche. Those who have a good understanding of data analysis with a creative and strategic approach to the problem will make the most of their career in marketing.
Duke University
Department of Political Science
Michael Munger: The ability to lead a group by example and to get other people to feel that they are part of something larger than themselves. At its best, Political Science is like an entire little liberal arts curriculum. It's the perfect preparation for leadership, either in government or the private sector!

University of Scranton
School of Management
Abhijit Roy: In general, companies will look to see whether or not the candidate can overall market the company's products. Given the depth and breadth of marketing jobs, the specific skill requirements will vary. For example, a sales manager position will require individuals with high interpersonal skills, advertising positions will look for individuals with creativity, while marketing research positions will demand strong analytical skills. Overall, most companies today are looking for individuals with strong digital marketing and social media skills.
Job market candidates must look for the job descriptions in the ads and ensure they have relevant matching skills that they can include in their resumes.
Abhijit Roy: These are very important, yet harder to quantify skills, not only for marketing professionals but for business graduates in general. They include the ability to make sound decisions under pressure, having a high emotional intelligence quotient (EQ) as embodied by having empathy towards coworkers and subordinates, delegating appropriately, mentoring, communicating, time management, maintaining positivity despite setbacks and adapting to unforeseen challenges, being flexible, being persuasive and assertive at appropriate moments, yet being collaborative, seeking feedback, and the ability to negotiate and resolve conflicts when needed, amongst others.
Soft skills are typically more instrumental in enabling candidates to fit into an organization's culture and be strong candidates for promotion. Most marketing jobs involve candidates representing their brand initiatives and building strong client relationships, so interpersonal, and other soft skills are often valued more than hard skills. The strongest case for having excellent soft skills is that they are more easily transferable across various jobs and industries.
Abhijit Roy: The Marketing field has undergone a major paradigmatic shift with the growth of digitization. Hence, hard/technical skills in performing data-driven marketing, social media and data analytics, data visualization, Search Engine Optimization (SEO)/Search Engine Marketing (SEM), content creation and storytelling, and omnichannel communication are critical hard skills that are in great demand today.
Abhijit Roy: The above skills are in high demand and also currently pay the most. Still, I strongly recommend that students focus not on skills that will help them earn the most but on the skill sets that each individual possesses and think of how they can best leverage that in the marketplace to have a long sustained, and enjoyable career.

University of Houston - Downtown
Marilyn Davies College of Business
Dr. Richard Conde Ph.D.: Showcasing the balance between people management and analytical skills. Marketing today relies on a substantial amount of data, which requires marketing managers to possess strong analytical skills. At the same time, leaders have to motivate, inspire, and guide employees. In the last 3-5 years, I have seen a greater emphasis on analytical skills.
Dr. Richard Conde Ph.D.: Leaders need to lead. A leader who is curious, vulnerable, transparent, and inclusive generally has better success. The challenge is to teach leaders to be authentically curious. That is a big challenge in leadership.
Dr. Richard Conde Ph.D.: First, understand A/B experiments. Marketers are consistently comparing different campaigns, and the ability to create thoughtful experiments is critical.
Second, go beyond averages and percentages and learn linear and logistic regression and more advanced analytical tools. The exposure to more complex analytics allows for more thoughtful outcomes and interpretation.
Third, be exposed to a programming language like R or Python. Not that you are going to code, but it allows you to speak the language of data.
Dr. Richard Conde Ph.D.: It's a combination of skills, plus the patience to build those skills. Great people and leadership skills always seem to trump most other variables. I would encourage individuals to invest in their leadership skills and consider partnering with a leadership coach.

Towson University
Marketing Department
Erin Steffes Ph.D.: As a science and an art, marketing utilizes both soft skills and technical skills on a daily basis. While some technologies are industry-specific, having an understanding and basic mastery of data analysis, statistics, data visualization, digital marketing, marketing research, and customer relationship management will position a candidate well.
University of Central Oklahoma
Department of Marketing
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.
Lisa Cooley: Obviously, we are seeing a lot more flexibility in terms of virtual work. A lot of the jobs I have seen allow for their employees to work remotely (at least a portion of the time).

Dr. Mary Rydesky: What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact on your job prospects? Emphases on project management and strategic thinking have been joined by certifications in soft skills that support diversity and cultural awareness. Graduates do need technical skills, but with the shift to remote teams and work from home environments pushed the curve. Now, grads need experience in applying their tech skills from a distance.

Harlan Spotts Ph.D.: In marketing, developing digital capabilities is extremely important. Marketing was on the forefront of the digital transition in business. With the amount of commerce that has shifted to the web marketers have to be comfortable with living in the digital space. This will demand new and different strategies. Marketers have always needed to be effective communicators, but now it is not just being a great closer. Marketers need to be effective communicators in writing (text, email, etc.) and verbal (person to person live, as well as person to person online)
Students need to start in college developing skills to be successful. It was interesting, we, in the College of Business, were talking about developing student competency in remote work before the pandemic hit last year. The pandemic accelerated our work, and we are in the process now of approving a certificate in remote work that any undergraduate business student can earn. It is designed to develop those competencies that will be critical for success in the "new normal."

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.
V. Scott Solberg Ph.D.: It is essential to dive in and learn advanced uses for the necessary technologies we use every day, such as Microsoft, Google, and related platforms. Understanding database management systems, statistical packages, and graphic design will enable one to learn how to generate and communicate data. Learning technologies associated with engaging in project management are also a good investment. The key is to continuously keep up with trends in technology to gain an edge in being able to demonstrate the unique skills and qualities you will be adding to an organization and project team.
V. Scott Solberg Ph.D.: Focusing on finding the right occupation that will last forever is no longer the effective career management strategy, especially for someone graduating with a liberal arts degree such as Communication. What is useful is developing an entrepreneurial attitude whereby each occupation is pursued because it aligns and adds to one's collection of more profound human and advanced technology skills. Using systems such as O*NET enables one to track how one's personal brand and skills are transferable across occupation sectors, thereby expanding one's future employability.