/ How to Become a Marketing Communications Manager - Career Salaries, Job Stats and Education

Looking for a career in Marketing and Communications?

Marketing communications encompasses knowledge and expertise in advertising, direct marketing, your online digital presence to name a few. If you're looking to begin your career in a discipline that has begun the transition to digital, Open Colleges can provide the pathway you need. 

Marketing Manager Job Outlook

The graph shows historical and projected (to 2019) employment levels (thousands) for this occupation.

Source: *Job Outlook Government website. ABS Labour Force Survey, DEEWR trend data to November 2014 and DEEWR projections to 2019. Estimates have been rounded.

Over the five years to November 2019, the number of job openings for Marketing Managers is expected to be high (greater than 50 000). Job openings count both employment growth and turnover (defined as workers leaving their occupation for other employment or leaving the workforce).

Employment for Marketing Managers to November 2019 is expected to continue growing strongly. Employment in large sized occupation (140,900 in November 2014) grew steady in the past five years and rose strongly in the long-term (ten years).

Marketing Manager Salary

Source: *Job Outlook Government website. ABS EEBTUM survey August 2014 cat. no. 6310.0. Estimates have been rounded and consequently some discrepancies may occur between sums of the component items and totals.

Note: These figures are indicative and cannot be used to determine a particular wage rate.

Payscale.com lists the wage for Marketing Managers (in Sydney, mid-career) as being between a median of $86 000 per annum and $122 000 at the highest end of the market. According to Job Outlook, earnings for Marketing Managers are high (in the ninth decile) - making it a highly sought after career path. 

Please note: For roles in Marketing and Communications, rates of pay will vary depending on the type of business and the type of environment.

Business Weekly Work Hours

The graph shows the average weekly hours (by gender and full-time and part-time) worked for this occupation, compared with all occupations. 

Marketing Managers have a high proportion of full-time jobs (92 per cent). For Marketing Managers working full-time, average weekly hours are 43.3 (compared to 40.9 for all occupations).

Source: *Job Outlook Government website. ABS Labour Force Survey, annual average 2014.

Marketing Manager Age Profile

The Marketing and Communications industry has a healthy distribution of individuals in all age groups (junior, mid-level, senior levels). 

Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, annual average 2014.

Marketing Manager Employing Industries

Marketing managers are mainly employment by Wholesale  Trade, Manufacturing, Professional, Scientific and Technical Services industry. 

Source: *Job Outlook Government website. ABS Labour Force Survey, annual average 2014.

What Marketing and Communications Qualification Do You Need?

Certificate IV in Marketing and Communication (Digital Marketing)

If you are looking to break into the dynamic world of digital marketing, this course is for you. We partnered with the best experts in the industry to design a course that teachers how to get started in the fast paced world of online marketing. You will become familiar with concepts such as search (SEO & SEM), social media marketing, foundations of User Experience (UX) and Data Analytics.

Certificate IV in New Small Business and Certificate IV in Marketing and Communication (specialising in Digital Marketing)

This course is specifically designed for small business owners and managers wishing to apply marketing concepts and tactics to their business and offers student 2 complementary skill-sets without doubling their time and cost investment. Open Colleges' flexible program allows you to study when it suits you, making this dual qualification ideally suited to those who wish to continue working while they study for additional skills. 

Diploma of Digital Marketing Pathway

Go deep in digital - this Diploma level course requires you to finish the course with your own digital portfolio to demonstrate your expertise to potential employers. Awarded by our partners with North Coast TAFE, the Digital Marketing Pathway is a unique and powerful combination of cutting edge digital marketing techniques and fundamental marketing strategies. You will learn promotion in various marketing channels, social media marketing, User Experience (UX), marketing analytics as well as managing a digital brand. 

Why Study Marketing and Communications through Open Colleges?

Our Marketing and Communications courses are delivered online, giving you the flexibility of organising your study around your life. You can enroll anytime of the year and study at your own pace.

Among other things, you'll learn cutting edge digital marketing techniques and strategies that are valued and sought after by employers, as well as acquire skills that will you will need to manage projects in the corporate world. 

Your course includes comprehensive student support to help you throughout your study. Some of the diplomas and certificates allow you to graduate with a government-accredited, nationally recognised qualification that can boost your chances of employment.

Interview with a professional from the Marketing Industry

Saskia Fairfull

Chief Experience Officer at KJR

In two sentences, tell us a bit about your role in the Marketing industry.

I’m a marketing manager at a boutique technology consultancy with offices down the East coast of Australia.  My position is responsible for creating and implementing company wide and regionally targeted strategies covering both traditional marketing methods and hosting industry relevant events.

What does a Marketing Manager do on a day to day basis?

It depends on the industry you work in, the company’s direction and established marketing efforts, however for me everyday is same, same but different.  Specifically, my team are aligned to the core business objectives (which provides structure) and implementation defines how and what we do everyday.  

First and foremost, we ask questions like are we developing activities for brand awareness, profiling product/service offerings, promoting an upcoming event, managing inbound leads or collaborating with the sales team for successful conversions? 

For example I work in a niche tech sector, I’ll boot up my iMac and check analytics – social and web, peruse industry news, create visual designs for an upcoming event we’re hosting (email banner and social images), draft event overview and eDM, add content to our social media dashboard, check in with head of talent and culture regarding internal employee initiatives, record attendees who have registered for an event.  In between priorities, sending and replying to emails, maintaining an active presence on LinkedIn and most weeks attending networking events.

What skills/attributes do potential Marketing Managers need to have?

1. Traditional and Digital Marketing skills 
2. An understanding of customer and user experience
3. A well-rounded sense of how a business works
4. Management skills - must be organised, able to delegate tasks
5. Be assertive and empathetic
6. Constantly being ahead of the game - looking for the next big thing and being able to adapt
7. Able to retain all kinds of information

What are the best parts of being a Marketing Manager?

The role of a marketing manager can be incredibly varied and provide immense satisfaction from both measuring results and reporting to receiving real time customer feedback via social channels and face-to-face.  A marketing manager plays a vital role to a business in creating and communicating the brand ethos to customers and employees.  We have an opportunity to help develop a community and culture by sharing valuable content about a product, service, values and vision. 

What advice would you offer students looking to become a Marketing Manager?

Learn everything there is about marketing and then some – traditional and digital methods, you will always be learning when you become a marketing manager.  Think broadly about what additional skills you could leverage to have a differentiating advantage in the market, it’s your personal brand as well which a company will find value in employing.  Start networking as soon as possible.

Thanks Saskia, for sharing your story with Open Colleges.