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What is a strategic marketing manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted experts
Tobias Sellier,
Sachin Tuli

A strategic marketing manager is responsible for planning a company's marketing campaigns. Rather than throw ads at the public willy-nilly, strategic marketing managers use research and lessons learned from previous campaigns to develop marketing strategies that pinpoint specific target audiences and get results. Strategic marketing managers start off every campaign by researching the market and sales targets. They use that research to craft creative campaigns and monitor the success of established campaigns using KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). Strategic marketing managers need to be familiar with computer programs such as CRM and Intel that help them manage their campaigns. They also need excellent creative and communication skills.

Most strategic marketing managers have a master's degree in marketing or a related field. Some get by with only a bachelor's and plenty of practical experience. Before they can develop strategy for marketing campaigns, strategic marketing managers need to have several years experience working in marketing.

It takes a few years to work up to the position of a strategic marketing manager, but it is worth it. They earn an average salary of $116,408 a year.

What general advice would you give to a strategic marketing manager?

Tobias SellierTobias Sellier LinkedIn profile

Senior Director, American Public Power Association

There are exciting opportunities to work for community-owned, not-for-profit, hometown public power. From engineers and customer service representatives to lineworkers and administrative professionals, there are many opportunities. And utility employees, being essential workers, even during these challenging times, there are still many jobs that will need to be filled.
ScoreStrategic Marketing ManagerUS Average
Salary
7.3

Avg. Salary $93,899

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
7.5

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
3.1
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.23%

Asian 8.15%

Black or African American 3.04%

Hispanic or Latino 8.67%

Unknown 5.32%

White 74.58%

Gender

female 44.82%

male 55.18%

Age - 38
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 - 38
Stress level
7.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
9.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
3.5

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Strategic marketing manager career paths

Key steps to become a strategic marketing manager

  1. Explore strategic marketing manager education requirements

    Most common strategic marketing manager degrees

    Bachelor's

    72.5 %

    Master's

    22.1 %

    Associate

    2.9 %
  2. Start to develop specific strategic marketing manager skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Integrated Marketing13.09%
    Digital Marketing11.25%
    Healthcare6.18%
    Business Development4.23%
    Market Research3.79%
  3. Complete relevant strategic marketing manager training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New strategic marketing managers 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 strategic marketing manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real strategic marketing manager resumes.
  4. Research strategic marketing manager duties and responsibilities

    • Manage cross-functional teams in RFP responses.
    • Manage on-highway market segment by bringing new products to market through leading cross-functional teams and partnering with OEM's.
    • Manage general office operations including marketing distributions, the company website and CRM operations.
    • Develop and manage marketing programs and partner integration for industry marketing in government, healthcare and education markets.
  5. Prepare your strategic marketing manager resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your strategic marketing manager 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 strategic marketing manager resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable strategic marketing manager resume templates

    Build a professional strategic marketing manager 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 strategic marketing manager resume.
    Strategic Marketing Manager Resume
    Strategic Marketing Manager Resume
    Strategic Marketing Manager Resume
    Strategic Marketing Manager Resume
    Strategic Marketing Manager Resume
    Strategic Marketing Manager Resume
    Strategic Marketing Manager Resume
    Strategic Marketing Manager Resume
    Strategic Marketing Manager Resume
  6. Apply for strategic marketing manager jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a strategic marketing manager 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 strategic marketing manager job

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Average strategic marketing manager salary

The average strategic marketing manager salary in the United States is $93,899 per year or $45 per hour. Strategic marketing manager salaries range between $69,000 and $126,000 per year.

Average strategic marketing manager salary
$93,899 Yearly
$45.14 hourly

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How do strategic marketing managers rate their job?

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Strategic marketing manager reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2023
Pros

Solve tough problems, work on agile teams, outlet for creativity,

Cons

high expectations, constantly evolving technology, broad range of topics to learn (product management specifics, industry, technology, software development methods


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020
Pros

keeping the company vibrant in the marketplace and returning maximum shareholder value

Cons

have to change my mindset


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2019
Pros

B2B Communication and Building Relationships, Product\Strategy Development and Implementation, Solving Problems


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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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