How to Become a Marketing Manager

Marketing managers use their right brain (creativity) and left brain (analytical skills) to generate consumer awareness and interest in products, brands, and services. They are in charge of communicating across various media channels to reach the target audiences. To successfully land a role as a marketing manager, you'll typically want to have a degree and a few years of relevant work experience.

UK marketing managers earn an average annual base salary of £45,087, ranging between £37,000 and £55,000 depending on experience and where you work [1]. 

Discover the steps you can take to pursue a career in marketing, including what skills and degrees you'll need, how many years of work experience you need, and how to leverage your network.

How to become a marketing manager

To become a marketing manager, you'll need to show employers that you can create marketing strategies and plans, launch marketing campaigns, analyse data and track metrics, manage budgets, and help design products or services. Wherever you are in your career, the following steps can bring you closer to your goal.

1. Build your marketing skills.

The following skills are most commonly found in marketing job descriptions.

Workplace skills:

• Analytical thinking

• Communication

• Creative writing

• Leadership skills

• Teamwork and collaboration

• Problem-solving

Technical skills:

• Microsoft Office

• Google Analytics

• Salesforce

• Social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok)

• Adobe Creative Suite

• MailChimp

• Marketing analytics

• Graphic design

• Social media marketing

• Search engine optimisation (SEO)

If you’re already in the workforce, consider taking a course to level up your career. You can build your technical skills by learning the basics of marketing or enhance your workplace skills with courses such as Leadership for Marketing, Intercultural Management, or Leading People and Teams. You might also focus on an area such as digital marketing or social media marketing.

If you switch from another field, focus on articulating your workplace skills. Sales, business development, graphic design, and many other fields often involve skills like data analysis, communication, and creative thinking, all transferable to marketing.

2. Consider a marketing degree.

Employers often require a degree even for entry-level positions, but you may also be able to land a position with a higher national diploma and the right experience. The degree subject isn’t important, as the focus is on experience, but you will benefit from a subject like marketing, business management, or advertising. If you are hoping to pivot your career, you can open many doors with a master's degree in marketing or a professional certificate.

By earning a bachelor’s (BA or BS) in marketing, you can gain a solid foundation of skills to add to your tool kit through courses in marketing principles, economics, finance, accounting, consumer behaviour, cross-cultural marketing, and advertising.

Make the most of your degree

Consider pursuing modules in a field such as psychology or graphic design. You might brush up your management skills by taking on publicity or another leadership role in a club.

During the summers, seek internships in marketing. You may decide to specialise in brand, content, digital, communications, product, or social media marketing. Internships are an excellent way to apply classroom learning in the real world. You can learn as much as possible, network, and gain mentorship in a limited span of time without the pressures of a permanent job.

3. Create a marketing portfolio.

Your portfolio should be a curated selection of your best work. It can feature marketing campaigns you worked on, brand stories that you collected and wrote, and marketing materials you helped design. If you don't have any work experience, your portfolio can highlight relevant coursework and internship experiences.

Build a portfolio with guided projects

You can complete these projects in under two hours. Here are some options to get you started:

• Google Ads for Beginners

• Small Business Marketing Using Facebook

• Use Mailchimp to Build an E-mail Marketing Campaign

• A Start Guide: Product Marketing Using G-Suite

• Small Business Marketing Using YouTube

• Brand Marketing and SEO Tools Using Wix

While employers may not require a portfolio in a job application, having one can distinguish you from a pool of applicants with similar education and job experience. Portfolios can be especially helpful for brand communications or strategist roles to illustrate your creativity.

Include accomplishments that suit the job’s needs, adding metrics like sales increases and brand conversions to demonstrate that you are data-driven and strategic.

4. Practise common marketing interview questions.

Once you have wowed the employer with your CV (and portfolio, if you submitted one), they might invite you to interview for the role. Below, you’ll find  eight common questions a recruiter might ask you in a marketing interview:

1. Tell me about yourself.

2. Why are you interested in a career in marketing?

3. What is a marketing trend or campaign you liked?

4. What do you think of our recent marketing campaign?

5. How do you manage the launch of a new product?

6. What motivates you?

7. What are your hobbies and interests?

8. Do you have any questions?

For marketing manager roles, employers may ask you questions about your leadership potential. To prepare, you might reflect on experiences when you managed an intern, a project, or the creative brief process at a former job.

5. Gain work experience.

Start by landing an internship or an entry-level position in marketing, where you can develop an understanding of the processes, systems, tools, and ideas that drive brand or product growth. Then, you can develop your career from there.

The typical trajectory for marketing professionals begins as an intern, assistant, or coordinator, then specialist and associate roles, before moving on to become a manager. Marketing managers can aspire to become directors, vice presidents, and then chief marketing officers (CMOs) in the future. Remember that not all marketing managers follow this conventional path to get to where they are.

Once you’ve gained a few years of solid work experience, you may be ready to apply for marketing manager positions. Some marketers work their way up from associate to manager on the same team, while others switch companies to move up.

6. Expand your network.

Networking can be an intentional, even enjoyable, practice of connecting with people in marketing who inspire you. One way to do this is on the job by getting to know your colleagues outside of the professional setting. With many jobs using team chat tools to communicate, it is easy to grab a coffee or have an informal 15-minute Zoom meeting.

Another way to make connections is to join a professional organisation for marketers, such as the Chartered Institute of Marketing. Benefits of joining include training opportunities, qualifications, resources, and networking. 

Volunteering can also expand your network. Many organisations need marketing assistance but cannot afford it. Giving your skills and knowledge to a worthy cause can lead to unexpected professional connections.

7. Consider an MBA degree.

With some years of marketing experience under your belt, you could qualify to become a marketing manager. However, if you have specific skills you hope to build upon (like organisational behaviour or strategic marketing), you may consider an advanced degree like an MBA. 

Get started in marketing

Marketing is an in-demand career with potential for progression. Consider launching your marketing career with an online Bachelor of Science in Marketing from the University of London, a top-25 UK university. This programme features internationally renowned experts in marketing and business and is available on Coursera.

Alternatively, strengthen your marketing skills with a Professional Certificate in Marketing Analytics or Social Media Marketing from industry leaders at Meta, also on Coursera.