What is a marketing director and how to become one

Q: How long does it take to become a marketing director?

It takes about 15 to 20 years to become a marketing director. Marketing directors must complete significant education and training before leading a marketing team. On average, most marketing directors spend four to six years in school and another eight to twelve years working in marketing and a management role.

Q: How much do marketing directors make a month?

Marketing directors make $6,187 a month, on average. However, this can range from as little as $1,583 a month to as high as $10,750 a month. Factors such as location and the company all impact how much a marketing director can earn a month.

Q: How much do marketing directors make?

Marketing directors make $84,245 a year, on average. However, this can range from as little as $68,000 a year to as high as $140,750 a month. Factors such as location and the company all impact how much a marketing director can earn a month.

Q: What makes a good marketing director?

What makes a good marketing director is the ability to maintain high standards and behave predictably and consistently. One example of being a good marketing director may include holding your team to a consistently high standard of work rather than being the leader by example.

Q: What qualifications do you need for marketing?

The qualifications you need for marketing are the right combination of educational background and real work experience. Although most employers require a bachelor's degree, marketing specialists must possess an associate degree in marketing or related disciplines.

Q: What qualifications do you need to be a marketing director?

The qualifications you need to be a marketing director include the right combination of educational credentials and work experience. Most marketing directors have a bachelor's degree in business, marketing, communications, or related fields. Over 75% of marketing directors have a bachelor's degree, and 12% have master's degrees. In addition, at least 4-5 years of experience working in marketing and running a marketing team is also needed before having what it takes to serve as marketing director.

Q: What skills do marketing directors need?

Marketing directors need marketing expertise, management experience, and the right mix of soft and hard skills. A marketing director develops a brand's strategy, creates campaigns to improve brand awareness, and helps increase sales. Marketing directors lead marketing teams, guiding them to complete projects and meet marketing objectives.

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Experts

Dr. Gail Hudson Ph.D.,

Richard Tate

A marketing director works as a senior executive to oversee the marketing efforts of a company. They develop and implement marketing strategies to promote products or services, build brand awareness, and increase revenue. Marketing directors analyze market trends and consumer behavior to identify opportunities for growth and create targeted campaigns. They also manage a team of marketing professionals, collaborate with other departments, and work with the sales team. Marketing directors aim to drive business success through marketing.

What general advice would you give to a Marketing Director?

Dr. Gail Hudson Ph.D.

Director, College of Business Internship Program, Arkansas State University

As the world has shown us most recently, we need to be flexible as the marketplace can change, without warning.
The need to differentiate yourself from others will always be necessary, so keep learning while you are in school and beyond.
I believe that technology and social media skills will continue to be necessary. Seek and achieve as many certifications as possible to hone these skills and differentiate yourself in the market.

ScoreMarketing DirectorUS Average

Salary

8.0

Avg. Salary $114,906

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

7.5

Growth Rate 10%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.23%

Asian 8.15%

Black or African American 3.04%

Hispanic or Latino 8.67%

Unknown 5.32%

White 74.58%

Gender

female 53.30%

male 46.70%

Age - 38

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38

Stress Level

7.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

9.0

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

3.5

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Marketing Director?

Pros

High salary potential
Opportunities for career growth and advancement
Exposure to a wide range of industries and markets
Constantly evolving field with new technologies and strategies to learn
Chance to work with exciting products or services

Cons

Long hours and high levels of stress
Need to constantly stay up-to-date on the latest trends and technologies in marketing
Difficulty in measuring the success of certain marketing efforts
Possibility of burnout or loss of passion for the job over time
Possibility of job instability due to changes in company priorities or financial situation

Key steps to become a marketing director

Explore marketing director education requirements

Most common marketing director degrees

Bachelor's

75.7 %

Master's

12.5 %

Associate

7.6 %

Start to develop specific marketing director skills

Skills	Percentages
Digital Marketing	11.94%
Marketing Campaigns	6.20%
Market Research	4.96%
Sales Strategies	4.31%
Integrated Marketing	3.84%

Complete relevant marketing director training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New marketing directors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a marketing director based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real marketing director resumes.

Research marketing director duties and responsibilities

Manage staging of NCAA athletics events.
Manage RFP, RFI & SOQ process; track, analyze and report on sales pipeline.
Train, manage, and develop customer service / sales team strategies and oversight of day-to-day operations.
Manage the portal website build, including PPC and search engine optimization, email broadcasts and affiliate marketing efforts.

Get marketing director experience

Generally, it takes 8-10 years to become a marketing director. The most common roles before becoming a marketing director include marketing manager, account executive team lead and marketing coordinator.

Prepare your marketing director resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your marketing director resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a marketing director resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Marketing Director Resume templates

Build a professional Marketing Director resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Marketing Director resume.

Apply for marketing director jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a marketing director job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do marketing directors rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Marketing Director reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020

Cons

Antigienic people, irresponsible people, lazy employees

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019

Pros

Overseeing printing For direct mail. Packaging design Developing hot mail list.

Cons

Unreasonable deadlines.

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2019

Pros

Autonomy, relationship biolding

Cons

Meetings needs of all parties can be difficult but good negotiation helps!

Marketing Director FAQs

What is a marketing director and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a Marketing Director?

What are the pros and cons of being a Marketing Director?

Marketing Director career paths

Key steps to become a marketing director

Explore marketing director education requirements

Most common marketing director degrees

Start to develop specific marketing director skills

Complete relevant marketing director training and internships

Research marketing director duties and responsibilities

Get marketing director experience

Prepare your marketing director resume

Choose From 10+ Customizable Marketing Director Resume templates

Apply for marketing director jobs

How Did You Land Your First Marketing Director Job

Average marketing director salary

How do marketing directors rate their job?

Marketing Director reviews

Marketing Director FAQs

How long does it take to become a marketing director?

How much do marketing directors make a month?

How much do marketing directors make?

What makes a good marketing director?

What qualifications do you need for marketing?

What qualifications do you need to be a marketing director?

What skills do marketing directors need?

Search for marketing director jobs

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