Marketing is a vital component of any business, serving as a bridge between a company’s products or services and its customers. Most mid- to large-size companies have a marketing department. Some companies farm out marketing functions, opting to work with marketing consultants or agencies that provide marketing services.
The field of marketing offers a wide variety of roles for professionals with skills and knowledge gained from a quality marketing degree program such as the online Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (B.S.B.A.) in Marketing program from Northern Kentucky University (NKU). The job role you choose to pursue will depend on your interests and the type of marketing that appeals to you. Whether it’s marketing communications, brand marketing, content marketing, digital marketing, e-commerce, sales or something else, you can find a niche that makes the best use of your skills.
Here are seven jobs available to marketing degree holders:
1. Marketing Specialist
Marketing specialists help create and manage marketing campaigns. Typically, you’ll stay up to date with the latest trends to keep your company’s products and services relevant to the consumer. Writing reports on market trends, the competition and market prices often falls to marketing specialists.
The median salary for marketing specialists (categorized along with market research analysts) was $68,230 per year in 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
2. SEO Specialist
In this position, you’ll work to improve the ranking of your company’s website or other webpages in search results. Your duties will involve keyword research and analysis of website metrics. You’ll also work to increase overall traffic conversion rates.
ZipRecruiter places the average base pay for SEO specialists at $67,388 per year, as of January 2024 data.
3. Content Marketer
In this role, you will optimize the use of content, including articles, social media content, white papers and case studies to increase site visits and conversions. In addition to strong research skills, a head for numbers and project management skills, the ability to produce grammatically sound, engaging, high-quality and visually appealing content is vital for success as a content marketer.
Content marketing jobs pay an average salary of $59,518 per year, according to ZipRecruiter (January 2021).
4. Social Media Marketer
Social media marketers make strategic use of social networks like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X to market a company’s offerings. Using social media to connect a brand with its customers is the main focus of this role. To increase the effectiveness of social campaigns, it is vital for these marketers to understand analytics as well as key metrics like reach, impressions and engagement.
The average annual salary for social media marketing jobs is $64,845, according to ZipRecruiter (January 2024).
5. Brand Manager
This position involves maintaining the integrity of a brand across marketing initiatives, platforms and channels. Brand managers focus on developing brand assets that resonate with the target audience. They may work closely with marketing communications and market research agencies to build strong brands and to track brand success in the marketplace. Those with strong creative and analytical skills are likely to do well in this role.
ZipRecruiter reports the average salary for brand managers to be $84,160 per year, as of January 2024.
6. Market Research Analyst
In this role, you’ll research and analyze market insights. Your data collection methods might include surveys and focus groups as well as the use of rapidly advancing analytics software tools. Given that marketing is becoming increasingly data-driven, the job outlook is bright for market research analysts, with employment projected to grow much faster than the average of all occupations, according to BLS. This is an excellent position for people who love numbers and digging into what makes the consumer tick.
As noted above, BLS categorizes market research analysts and marketing specialists together, with a median 2022 salary of $68,230 per year.
7. Corporate Communications Specialist
In this role, you’ll focus on various aspects of corporate communication, whether external or internal. External functions include drafting media statements and planning events. Developing messaging for the company intranet, writing executive speeches and creating presentations are typical internal functions. These specialists ensure that the messaging and tone align with the company’s brand voice.
The average salary for corporate communications specialists is $78,697 per year, according to ZipRecruiter (January 2024).
The variety of roles in marketing reflects the dynamic nature of the field. When you earn a B.S.B.A. with a marketing focus from NKU, it expands your career options. Earning a B.S.B.A. degree can help you identify an area of focus so you can build the skills that will help you thrive in your marketing career.
Learn more about NKU’s B.S.B.A. in Marketing online program.
