Marketing Careers: 6 Areas to Explore

Key takeaways

Marketing careers may range from brand management to communication and content specialists. Determine your role based on your marketing interests.

• The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports 36,400 new job openings per year over the next decade for advertising, promotions, and marketing managers [1].

• Marketing career paths include research, strategy, writing, and events, among others.

• You can start out in one type of marketing and eventually move to another, like beginning as a social media marketing assistant and then moving to brand strategy.

Learn about the different types of marketing, the jobs you could get in each area, and how your interests may align with each one. If you’re ready to start building your marketing data collection skills, consider enrolling in the Meta Marketing Analytics Professional Certificate. You’ll have the opportunity to summarize and analyze data using marketing analytics methods in as little as seven months. When you’ve finished, you’ll earn a career Professional Certificate to add to your resume.

Types of careers in marketing

• Communications and public relations teams promote a brand through various external communications efforts. They often work closely with other units (social media, content) to foster conversation about a company.

• Content marketers create informative and valuable content for customers, like blog posts, podcasts, and videos.

• Search engine marketers (SEM) use search engine optimization (SEO) strategies to increase a company’s visibility on search engine results pages (SERP), so customers can discover a brand more organically.

What are some careers in marketing? 6 areas of interest

Within these different marketing types, several career options are available for you to explore depending on your interests. Discover six areas to start:

1. Research

Marketing teams rely on data-driven research to tailor and target everything from campaign messaging to product launches. If you conduct research, you’ll use various tools to help you figure out what customers need and want and then translate your findings so your team can develop more impactful marketing strategies, campaigns, and more.

Skills: Data analysis, critical thinking, communication

Could be a fit if you like: Finding and parsing information and using those conclusions to make strategic recommendations that improve a marketing team’s efforts.

• Entry-level roles: Marketing assistant, market research associate, business analyst

• Mid-level roles: Market research analyst, global marketing analyst, social media analyst 

2. Strategy 

No matter which type of marketing you work in, product, brand, content, or otherwise, developing a well-researched and brand-specific strategy is instrumental to success. If you work in strategy, you may be responsible for identifying new ways to reach customers and developing plans to ensure each campaign succeeds.

Skills: Planning, communication, creative thinking, analytical thinking

Could be a fit if you like: Thinking strategically about a company’s marketing needs and then developing and executing campaigns that generate greater awareness and sales

• Entry-level roles: Digital marketing strategist, product marketing strategist, SEO specialist

• Mid-level roles: Brand content manager, product marketing manager, senior SEO manager

If you’d like to learn more about strategy but are unsure where to start, check out UC Davis’s course, The Strategy of Content Marketing.

3. Design 

From distinctive logos to eye-catching packaging, designers create visual assets that set a company apart from its competitors and feed into larger campaign narratives. If you work in design, you’ll be responsible for a number of creative tasks that may include producing original art and infographics, editing and retouching photos, designing web pages for ultimate user satisfaction, or using research to inform your creative choices.

Skills: Creativity, attention to detail, project management, knowledge of design tools such as Adobe Creative Suite

Could be a fit if you like: Telling stories through visual mediums and creating assets that support a marketing team’s various visual needs

• Entry-level roles: Graphic design specialist, visual information specialist, web design specialist

• Mid-level roles: Creative project manager, design researcher, graphic designer 

4. Writing 

Much in the way that companies rely on visuals to help create a unified brand image and tell a story, they need writers to do that very thing with language. As a writer, you may be responsible for producing writing that exemplifies a brand’s voice, developing content for different digital channels, or even managing internal or external communications.

Skills: Writing, communication, audience and engagement strategy, project management

Could be a fit if you like: Reaching audiences, be they internal employees or external customers, through the written word.

• Entry-level roles: Junior copywriter, communications specialist, content writer

• Mid-level roles: Brand copywriter, marketing content writer, communications manager

Read more: What Is AI Copywriting?

How to become a marketing manager

To become a marketing manager, you typically need a bachelor’s degree in marketing or a related field of study. Marketing managers need experience before advancing to this role, so you should start out in an entry-level marketing role and find opportunities for advancement. To stand out to employers and increase your chances, consider going back to school for a master’s degree in marketing to enhance your knowledge and marketing skills.

5. Events

Companies hold events and experiences to increase the visibility of their brand and products. If you work in events marketing, you’ll be responsible for ideating and executing in-person or virtual events that support larger campaigns and strategies.

Skills: Planning, organization, vendor management, budgets, multitasking, communication

Could be a fit if you like: Putting together experiences, either in-person or virtual, that result in greater brand visibility, media attention, and customer engagement.

• Entry-level roles: Experiential marketing coordinator, events marketing specialist, field marketing coordinator

• Mid-level roles: Experiential marketing manager, events marketing manager, field marketing manager 

6. Social 

It’s imperative that companies communicate about their brand and products across a number of digital channels. Social fosters a different level of interaction thanks to its direct engagement with customers. If you work in social media marketing, you’ll be responsible for generating and publishing content, like written posts, videos, graphics, and more, that garner attention and propel conversation.

Skills: Writing, communication, creativity, planning, social media strategy

Could be a fit if you like: Being both creative and strategic about how to reach and engage customers, and producing multimedia content that supports larger brand and product strategies.

Marketing careers: Flexibility 

A career in marketing offers a good degree of flexibility. You may apply your skill set to different types of marketing, moving where opportunities best suit your interests and needs. For example, if you start off writing blog posts for a content marketing team, you may be able to apply that experience to email marketing or search engine marketing.

You can also get started in one type of marketing and eventually move to another. For example, if you begin as a social media marketing assistant and learn you’re more interested in brand strategy, you may be able to move into that type of marketing. Having worked in social media, you may have done brand management to some extent.

Beginning in one area doesn’t mean you can’t jump to another, though it may take some additional experience or time to make that move.

How much can you make? Marketing degree salary

Marketing jobs are in high demand. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the job outlook for advertising, promotions, and marketing managers could rise as much as 6 percent between 2024 and 2034, with approximately 36,400 new job openings yearly [1].

While starting salaries for an entry-level marketing career can be lower, you can earn more over time and with more advanced roles.

*All salary information represents the median total pay from Glassdoor as of April 2026. These figures include base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation.

Explore free marketing career resources

Join Career Chat on LinkedIn to keep up with trends and job opportunities in your industry. Find more helpful information about marketing with these resources:

Accelerate your career growth in marketing with a Coursera Plus subscription. When you enroll in either the monthly or annual option, you’ll get access to over 10,000 courses.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

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Is marketing a good career?‎‎‎

Marketing can be a good career path for many reasons. In addition to the earning potential of someone in marketing, the high demand for marketing professionals across industries, and growth projections for this field, marketing offers many rewards. If you enjoy being strategic, creative, and exploring new technologies, you may enjoy working in marketing. When conducting a marketing job search, be sure to review employee feedback on companies you’re considering to gauge employee satisfaction and compare salaries on job listings to average salary data for those roles.‎ ‎ ‎
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What types of marketing jobs make the most money?‎‎‎

Salaries in marketing can depend on several factors, including companies’ marketing budgets, industry norms, regional trends, and your seniority or level of experience in marketing. The highest-paying marketing jobs are typically advanced or senior roles.
According to the BLS, the median pay for marketing, advertising, and promotions managers in the United States is $159,660 as of 2024 [1]. ‎ ‎
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How do I write a cover letter for a marketing position? ‎‎‎

You may use several strategies to write a stand-out cover letter for a marketing position. Format the marketing cover letter as you would a standard business letter. Look for keywords in the job description and use as many as you can when outlining your qualifications and experience.

Because marketing tends to be strategy and results-driven, it’s important to quantify your accomplishments in previous positions, emphasizing how you were able to help your team or employer meet marketing objectives. When appropriate, conduct market research on your prospective employer’s target market and marketing strategy, and use what you find to include ideas in your cover letter about how you might contribute to the company’s efforts. Read more about cover letters here: Cover Letter Tips: How to Stand Out‎.
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