Marketing Communications Manager Salary

Created by Henry Steele

By Henry Steele - January 8, 2018
Reading Time: 8 minutes
Reading Time: 8 minutes

The following article discusses the career path of Marketing Communications Manager. Learn about how to become one, education requirements, job duties, traits and qualities, national salary outlook as well as top national employers of Marketing Communications Managers.

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Job Duties

Marketing communications managers are responsible for the organization’s marketing activities, ensuring that positive brand awareness is developed. Their main goal is to grow a positive customer base made up of customers that trust the company and come back again and again because they are pleased with the service they have received. To achieve this, these managers develop strong marketing and advertising strategies and monitor their effectiveness. This means that they must also understand all forms of modern technology and modern advertising methods. They must also research the demographics of their target audience and their customers, understanding how to meet those needs and deliver on this in an efficient and effective way.

Usually, marketing communications managers lead a team, which means they also have responsibility in terms of hiring and training new staff, conducting performance reviews, and handling disciplinary matters. They also develop strategies, policies, procedures and ensure that these are being adhered to. One of the most important elements of this is monitoring what the competition is doing and putting responses in place to remain competitive.

Other job duties of a marketing communications manager include:

  • Holding overarching responsibility for all initiatives in relation to marketing communications, including special events promotions and internal and external writings
  • Advertising new trends and budgets in the world of advertising
  • Acting as a point of contact between managers and outside vendors
  • Supporting and guiding other managers, helping them plan for marketing and public relations, and ensuring that marketing strategies are in alignment with the business’ objectives

Where We Work

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 31,300 advertising, promotions, and marketing managers in 2016. The largest employers of these professionals were:

  • Advertising, public relations, and related services: 34%
  • Information: 12%
  • Management of companies and enterprises: 7%
  • Wholesale trade: 6%
  • Retail trade: 6%

How to Become

A marketing communications manager is someone who has a great deal of knowledge about businesses, advertising, and marketing. They usually have a bachelor’s degree in marketing, advertising, communications, or a related field. Furthermore, they should have considerable professional experience through which they have proven their interpersonal communication skills.

Education Requirements

A marketing communications manager is generally required to hold a bachelor’s degree as a minimum. Usually, they will major in areas such as marketing, communication, journalism, psychology, or advertising. Those who have taken classes in photography, art history, visual arts, communication technology and methods, sales, market research, consumer behavior, and marketing are in the highest demand.

Additionally, it is often recommended to also complete courses in areas such as statistics, mathematics, computer science, finance, economics, management, and business law. This is because these courses will enable a marketing communications manager to best understand methods of driving traffic through communication online, an integral part of modern forms of communication.

Experience is also very important. Most marketing communications managers completed an internship as part of their degree. They will then have taken up an entry level position, through which they can grow to coordinator position.

Traits & Qualities

The most effective marketing communications managers have the following traits to some degree or other:

  • Strong analytical skills
  • Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written
  • Strong presentation skills
  • Creativity and being able to think outside the box
  • Decision making skills
  • Excellent interpersonal skills
  • Great organizational skills

Minimum Education

Bachelor’s Degree

National Salary

The national average salary estimate for Marketing Communications Manager was $70,119. This number is estimated from over 392,124 employees, users past and present job advertisements from Indeed.com. This equates to an hourly salary of $36.52 and monthly of $5,843.

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$17,000

$158,000

Salary Distribution

Salary by State

The following section lists Marketing Communications Manager salaries in each state around the country. The figures are based on the total number of job postings through Indeed.com. For example, New York had the largest quoted salary of $89,152 while Idaho had the smallest quoted salary of $36,844.

AlabamaIllinoisNew York
ArizonaMassachusettsOhio
CaliforniaMarylandOregon
ColoradoMichiganPennsylvania
DCMinnesotaTennessee
DelawareMissouriTexas
FloridaNorth CarolinaUtah
GeorgiaNew JerseyVirginia
IdahoNevadaWashington
Alabama$56,184Rank: 22nd
The average salary ranks 22nd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Auburn University.

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$20,000

$109,000

Salary Distribution
Arizona$56,874Rank: 20th
The average salary ranks 20th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like dvsAnalytics, Inc., Arizona State University, University of Arizona, and Derma Health.

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$20,000

$111,000

Salary Distribution
California$77,474Rank: 4th
The average salary ranks 4th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like International Programming & Systems, San Mateo County Community College District, Robert Half The Creative Group, and The Creative Group.

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$21,000

$168,000

Salary Distribution
Colorado$56,486Rank: 21st
The average salary ranks 21st among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like City and County of Denver, The Creative Group, The Grey Muzzle Organization, and University of Colorado.

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$13.55

$51.15

Salary Distribution
DC$65,753Rank: 14th
The average salary ranks 14th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like The Creative Group, HireKeep, Robert Half The Creative Group, and American University.

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$18,000

$142,000

Salary Distribution
Delaware$59,362Rank: 18th
The average salary ranks 18th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like The Creative Group.

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$15,000

$131,000

Salary Distribution
Florida$61,812Rank: 16th
The average salary ranks 16th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like JDZ PRODUCTIONS and Ding.

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$17,000

$133,000

Salary Distribution
Georgia$71,878Rank: 6th
The average salary ranks 6th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like University of West Georgia, The Creative Group, Special Olympics Georgia, Inc., and HirePower Personnel, Inc..

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$22,000

$150,000

Salary Distribution
Idaho$36,844Rank: 27th
The average salary ranks 27th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like University of Idaho.

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$9.75

$31.35

Salary Distribution
Illinois$70,986Rank: 8th
The average salary ranks 8th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like CyberCoders, The Creative Group, Creative Circle, and WunderLand Group.

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$24,000

$142,000

Salary Distribution
Massachusetts$78,667Rank: 3rd
The average salary ranks 3rd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Liberty Mutual, The Creative Group, Creative Circle, and Michael Page.

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$26,000

$159,000

Salary Distribution
Maryland$74,361Rank: 5th
The average salary ranks 5th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Johns Hopkins University, The Creative Group, and Capital Remodeling.

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$27,000

$144,000

Salary Distribution
Michigan$57,169Rank: 19th
The average salary ranks 19th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Adecco.

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$15,000

$126,000

Salary Distribution
Minnesota$53,184Rank: 24th
The average salary ranks 24th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Creative Circle, The Creative Group, Doherty Staffing Solutions, and Atterro.

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$8.40

$58.10

Salary Distribution
Missouri$50,726Rank: 25th
The average salary ranks 25th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Washington University in St. Louis, Robert Half The Creative Group, and The Creative Group.

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$7.25

$62.25

Salary Distribution
North Carolina$67,240Rank: 11th
The average salary ranks 11th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Search Solution Group, The Creative Group, Robert Half The Creative Group, and The Fayetteville-Cumberland Economic Development Corporation (FCEDC).

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$20,000

$142,000

Salary Distribution
New Jersey$71,863Rank: 7th
The average salary ranks 7th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like The Creative Group, NAFA Fleet Management Association (NAFA), Robert Half The Creative Group, and Mid-State Lumber Corporation.

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$20,000

$156,000

Salary Distribution
Nevada$66,967Rank: 12th
The average salary ranks 12th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like University of Nevada, Reno.

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$23,000

$132,000

Salary Distribution
New York$89,152Rank: 1st
The average salary ranks 1st among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like The Creative Group, CUNY LaGuardia Community College, CAMBRIDGE ASSESSMENT, and The City University of New York – Laguardia Community College.

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$20,000

$205,000

Salary Distribution
Ohio$60,809Rank: 17th
The average salary ranks 17th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Robert Half The Creative Group, The Creative Group, Ohio State University, and Kent State University.

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$18,000

$127,000

Salary Distribution
Oregon$65,805Rank: 13th
The average salary ranks 13th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like University of Oregon, Portland State University, The Creative Group, and Robert Half The Creative Group.

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$19,000

$141,000

Salary Distribution
Pennsylvania$82,093Rank: 2nd
The average salary ranks 2nd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like The Creative Group, Randstad, Allan Domb Real Estate, and Robert Half The Creative Group.

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$22,000

$178,000

Salary Distribution
Tennessee$54,466Rank: 23rd
The average salary ranks 23rd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like University of Memphis, Morris Marketing Group, Global Retail Enterprises, and The Creative Group.

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$16,000

$116,000

Salary Distribution
Texas$67,767Rank: 10th
The average salary ranks 10th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like CyberCoders, Robert Half The Creative Group, Frontline Source Group, Inc., and The Creative Group.

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$23,000

$135,000

Salary Distribution
Utah$44,623Rank: 26th
The average salary ranks 26th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like University of Utah.

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$14,000

$109,000

Salary Distribution
Virginia$63,109Rank: 15th
The average salary ranks 15th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like The Creative Group, Non Specific Employer, Ethics & Compliance Initiative, and AppleOne.

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$17,000

$138,000

Salary Distribution
Washington$70,002Rank: 9th
The average salary ranks 9th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like University Of Washington, Highline Public Schools, The Creative Group, and Software Specialists.

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$15,000

$166,000

Salary Distribution

Top 20 National Employers

According to Indeed.com, the following states had employers looking to hire a Marketing Communications Manager. The quoted salary figure represents the average salary from all job postings by this employer.

Employer NameLocationAverage Salary

Learn More

Related Careers

Career NameAverage Salary

Henry Steele
Managing Editor
Henry is Managing Editor of BusinessStudent.com. He is a seasoned business professional who regularly consults with local business's throughout Southern California. Henry pursued his undergrad in Business and Economics at the University of San Diego and gained valuable life changing experience through a unique internship upon graduation.

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