Marketing Job Positions and What They Do Exactly 

If you’re looking to break into the marketing industry, it can be confusing to know what positions are available, what they do, and how they differ from one another. 

Marketing roles are varied and complicated, but they often involve some type of marketing analytics and data collection to analyze what’s working and what isn’t and develop new marketing strategies that will improve the business and grow its profit margins.

Each position has special responsibilities and skill sets, so it’s important to research these roles before applying for any marketing-related jobs. 

In this guide, we’ll go over 10 marketing job positions and their typical tasks so you can more easily find your ideal career path in marketing.

1) Brand Manager

A brand manager is responsible for the overall management and promotion of a company's products or services. This includes developing marketing campaigns, conducting market research, overseeing product development, and managing a team of marketing professionals.

Other responsibilities include market research to identify opportunities and threats within or across industries. Other organization members use these data to make informed decisions about marketing plans. 

They’ll also develop effective strategies that address competition within an industry so that brands can outsell their competitors and grow their customer base. 

Requirements:

• Have a bachelor's degree in marketing, communications, advertising, business administration, or a related field.
• Have several years of experience in a related field. 
• Be able to provide leadership and manage teams effectively. 
• Having excellent communication skills, being creative, having analytical abilities, and being willing to take risks are all important qualities for this position.

Main skills:

• Planning and executing promotional campaigns, including trade shows, online promotions, sales demonstrations, social media outreach, press releases, etc.
• Working closely with engineers and designers to ensure that new products meet target standards; 
• Maintaining customer relations while ensuring customer satisfaction.

2) Content Strategist or Content Marketing Specialist

A content strategist or content marketing specialist is responsible for planning, developing, and managing content across all channels. This includes but is not limited to website content, blog posts, social media, email marketing, and more. 

A successful content strategist will have a deep understanding of their target audience and what type of content will resonate with them. They will also be able to work with different teams to ensure that all content is on brand and aligned with the company's overall marketing goals.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in communications, journalism, English, or equivalent. 
• Experience working as a writer or editor and developing creative concepts to meet the needs of customers, executives, employees, and other stakeholders within an organization. 
• Strong knowledge of grammar and vocabulary. 
• Knowledge of HTML5/CSS3 and other web programming languages.
• Successful content strategists must be fluent in traditional marketing tactics.

Main skills:

• Strong written and verbal communication skills. 
• Ability to understand the market and provide fresh perspectives about products or services. 
• Analytical thinking to enable them to identify patterns in behavior among audiences. 
• Great project management skills, including excellent time management and project coordination skills to ensure deadlines are met. 
• Excellent customer service skills also help when working with clients who may want to make adjustments at any point during the process. 
• Empathy, which can help improve how brands connect with customers on emotional levels.

3) Email Marketer

As an email marketer, you’ll be responsible for crafting and sending out email campaigns to promote a company’s products or services. This will involve working with different email marketing software, creating eye-catching subject lines, and writing compelling copy that encourages recipients to take action. 

You’ll also need to track the results of your campaigns to see what works and make necessary adjustments.

Requirements:

• Good communication skills
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills 
• Attention to detail 
• Experience in Microsoft Office Suite 
• Knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite 

Main skills:

• Researching consumer behavior patterns 
• Conducting A/B testing 
• Writing promotional emails 
• Creating templates for future emails 
• Tracking open rates and click-through rates

4) SEO Specialist

The SEO specialist ensures a website appears as high as possible in search engine results. They do this by optimizing web pages, improving site structure, conducting keyword research, link building, and developing content. SEO specialists also track changes in search engine algorithms and keep up with the latest trends. 

A career in SEO is perfect for analytical people who have a knack for details. A successful SEO campaign can result in increased traffic and ROI for a business, so it's no wonder this role is in high demand.

Great SEO specialists are great at multitasking. In addition to being analytical and detail-oriented, they also need to be able to work quickly, unsupervised, and from home. 

So if you thrive on self-direction and independence, a career as an SEO specialist will be perfect.

Requirements:

• Having a bachelor's degree in marketing, computer science, computer engineering, information systems, or mathematics. 
• In addition to English fluency, knowledge of HTML and JavaScript programming languages may be required. 
• The ability to multitask efficiently with excellent time management skills.

Main skills:

• Keyword research 
• Optimizing webpages 
• Link building 
• Working independently 
• Multi-tasking 
• Detail oriented 

5) Digital Marketing Managers & Directors

The digital marketing manager & director oversees all things digital for their company. As a digital marketing manager or director, you will be responsible for planning, executing, and overseeing all aspects of an organization's digital marketing strategy. 

This includes creating and managing online advertising campaigns, developing and managing the company website, overseeing social media accounts, conducting market research, and creating and managing email marketing campaigns. 

They work with a team of designers, developers, and writers to create cohesive campaigns that achieve the company's marketing goals.

To be successful in this role, you will need strong analytical skills and experience with various digital marketing tools and platforms.

Requirements:

• Previous experience in digital marketing and a degree or certification in digital marketing, web design, graphic design, or related field.
• Extensive knowledge of search engine optimization (SEO) practices and techniques. 
• Understanding of paid search advertising platforms like Google Ads and Facebook Ads. 
• Proven success with social media management 
• Familiarity with mobile platforms such as Android and iOS 
• Experience managing a content strategy 
•  Expertise in creating conversion rate optimization (CRO) tactics

Main skills:

• Knowledge of SEO best practices 
• Previous experience in management 
• Attention to detail 
• Strong leadership skills 
• Ability to delegate 
• Clear communication 
• Familiarity with social media 
• Understanding of content marketing 
• Proficiency in Google Ads 
• Experience using web analytics tools such as Google Analytics or Omniture
• Basic knowledge of HTML and CSS 
• Expertise in Adobe Creative Suite

6) Social Media Manager

A social media manager is responsible for creating and managing a company's social media presence. This includes creating content, monitoring activity, and engaging with customers. 

The social media manager’s ability to engage with customers will help to create a positive brand image by generating unique content, monitoring activity, and managing follower growth.

A successful social media manager can grow a company's online following and create a positive brand image. 

Requirements:

• Some understanding of design trends 
• An understanding of web analytics
• Knowledge of different social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram, and Pinterest would help make the job easier. 
• Being creative and knowing how to write well in a professional manner are essential to this position.

Main skills:

• Excellent written communication skills 
• Creativity 
• Experience in digital marketing or advertising 
• Knowledge of different social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Linkedin, etc.
• Knowledgeable about design trends

7) Data Analyst or Digital Marketing Analyst

As a data analyst or digital marketing analyst, you will be responsible for collecting and analyzing data to help inform marketing decisions. This could involve using statistical methods to identify customer trends, conducting market research, or developing marketing strategies. 

Additionally, you will need to be able to effectively communicate your findings to others, as well as have strong problem-solving skills.

Requirements:

• College degree in business, statistics, economics, or computer science.  
• Prior experience in some form of quantitative analysis is necessary.  
• Must be familiar with database management and how to manipulate data.  
• Must know advanced statistical methods.

Main skills:

• Must know how to use statistics and other numerical tools 
• Must know how to solve problems 
• Must be knowledgeable about marketing principles 
• Must possess strong communication skills 
• Must enjoy being involved in the decision-making process 
• Must be willing to take on various tasks 
• Must love interacting with people 
• Desire an analytical career 
• Enjoy working in a fast-paced environment 

8) SEM Specialist

An SEM Specialist, or Search Engine Marketing Specialist, is responsible for planning, executing, and managing online marketing campaigns that promote a company and its products or services. 

This may include paid search engine ads, organic search engine optimization (SEO), and other types of online marketing.

Requirements:

• Many people assume that SEM specialists only do work involving keyword analysis and ad copywriting. 
• However, it's equally important for them to understand how customers interact with different web pages and how their behavior impacts conversion rates. 
• SEM specialists are usually responsible for everything from ensuring the site is optimized for mobile devices to maintaining relationships with search engine representatives to ensure proper link-building strategy. 
• No matter what industry you're working in, you'll want someone on your team who understands both the technical aspects of SEO and the psychology behind customer interaction patterns!

Main skills:

• A bachelor's degree in marketing with at least 3 years of experience as an SEM specialist.
• Knowledge of keywords and phrases related to the company's product or service. 
• Ability to research target markets and make decisions about which platforms will be most effective for campaign execution. 
• Knowledge of best practices for optimizing landing pages to achieve higher rankings on SERPs. 
• Strong analytical skills and ability to gather data from various sources to make recommendations about future actions that should be taken. 
• Skills in SEO, PPC, CRO, and HTML/CSS coding are also important. 

9) UX Designer

A UX designer is responsible for creating and improving the user experience. They work with developers and product managers to create prototypes and wireframes, conduct user research, and create detailed specifications. A UX designer should have strong problem-solving skills and be able to think creatively.

In addition to a bachelor's degree, many employers also require that UX designers have at least three years of relevant work experience.

Requirements:

• Minimum 3 years of professional experience as a UX Designer or related field. 
• Expertise in designing interfaces across multiple platforms (web, mobile).
• Experience developing end-to-end design systems that address the usability needs of broad populations. 
• Demonstrated fluency with one or more design software suites (Adobe CC, Sketch). 
• Understanding of responsive design principles, including fluid grids and typography.

Main skills:

• Strong problem-solving skills 
• Creative thinking 
• Excellent communication 
• Team player who can lead and innovate
• Ability to produce creative ideas under pressure
• Communicates effectively both orally and in writing 
• Uses time efficiently

10) CRM Specialists

Customer relationship management specialists are responsible for monitoring customer data and their interactions with various company resources. They maintain a close relationship with their customers to understand their preferences and needs. CRM specialists are skilled at analyzing data, and they also track leads. 

These specialists will also take over tasks such as sending out promotional emails or organizing events to bring in new business. 

Requirements:

• A CRM specialist will generally have one or two years of experience in a marketing-related field before being considered qualified for this position. 
• They must have strong interpersonal skills, which are necessary when communicating with clients regularly. 
• It is not uncommon for these specialists to hold degrees in business administration or computer science, although not all do.
• Knowledge of HTML and Microsoft Excel is needed for this position. 
• A good understanding of statistics is also helpful, especially since many companies use them to decide where to invest marketing dollars. 
• People working in this profession should be good communicators who can interact easily with others from various backgrounds. 
• Candidates should be adept at making decisions based on gathered information and interacting well with others while still maintaining confidentiality.

Main skills:

• Analyzing data
• Tracking leads
• Organizing events
• Communicating with clients
• Strong interpersonal skills
• The ability to analyze data 
• Basic knowledge of HTML and Microsoft Excel

Final Thoughts

Marketing is a career that has always been in demand and will continue to be. In addition, the field of marketing is ever-changing, making it important for marketers to stay current with the latest trends. 

There are many different marketing positions available, and all have unique challenges. So whether you're looking for a new job or just interested in learning more about what's out there, this guide should help provide an overview of all that marketing has to offer.