Marketing Managers
Also called BD Director (Business Development Director), Brand Manager, Marketing Director, or Product Manager
Updated · Source: O*NET 31.0
What Marketing Managers do
You decide who a product is for, what it should cost, and how people hear about it, then answer for the results.
Marketing managers figure out what customers want and how to sell it to them profitably. You study demand for your company's products and what competitors are doing, set prices that balance profit against keeping customers happy, and shape the plans that get a product in front of the right people. You also watch trends and push for new products or changes to existing ones, down to packaging and design.
It is a leadership job, not an entry-level one. You usually hire, train, and review marketing or sales staff and oversee their daily work. You handle budgets, forecasts, and profit projections, so numbers matter as much as words. Most people reach this role after a bachelor's degree and five years or more of related experience. Titles vary: brand manager, product manager, marketing director.
A day in the life
You work indoors at a desk, in climate-controlled offices, and you sit a lot. Mornings often start with email and a look at sales numbers or the results of a market research study. Then you move into meetings: a check-in with your team on a campaign, a conversation with product developers about color or packaging, a review of a budget with finance. Between meetings you read reports and write the plan that ties it all together. Afternoons bring the pressure part: a launch date that will not move, a price decision someone needs today, a staff member who needs coaching. You spend real time face to face with people, and real time alone with spreadsheets and documents.
This could fit you if you…
- ✓Enjoy persuading people and taking charge of a plan
- ✓Like digging into research and numbers to figure out why customers behave the way they do
- ✓Can keep several projects organized and on schedule at once
- ✓Listen carefully and explain your thinking clearly in writing and out loud
- ✓Want a role where you manage and develop other people
You might not like it if you…
- –Dislike deadlines and the pressure of being judged on results you do not fully control
- –Want to stay hands-on with the creative work instead of overseeing budgets, staff, and strategy
- –Prefer a job that is not mostly sitting indoors at a computer and in meetings
- –Want to start at the top, since this usually takes a degree plus five years or more of experience first
How people get in
- 1Finish a bachelor's degree; programs in marketing, digital marketing, or international marketing lead here directly, though other majors can work if you build marketing skills.
- 2Get real practice early through internships, campus clubs, part-time sales jobs, or running promotion for a small business.
- 3Take an entry-level role such as marketing specialist, market research analyst, or sales associate and learn how your industry makes money.
- 4Build the two halves of the job: comfort with data, budgets, and pricing, and the ability to present and persuade.
- 5Take on leading a project or a small team, then a campaign with a real budget, so you have results you can point to.
- 6Move up to manager or director once you have five years or more of experience; many people switch employers or industries to get there.
Who tends to enjoy it
Leading
People who like persuading, selling, starting things, and taking charge.
Organizing
People who like keeping things accurate, orderly, and running on schedule.
Curious
People who like figuring things out, research, science, and solving problems.
Official task list
Marketing Managers plan, direct, or coordinate marketing policies and programs, such as determining the demand for products and services offered by a firm and its competitors, and identify potential customers. Develop pricing strategies with the goal of maximizing the firm's profits or share of the market while ensuring the firm's customers are satisfied. Oversee product development or monitor trends that indicate the need for new products and services. (O*NET)
- Formulate, direct, or coordinate marketing activities or policies to promote products or services, working with advertising or promotion managers.
- Use sales forecasting or strategic planning to ensure the sale and profitability of products, lines, or services, analyzing business developments and monitoring market trends.
- Identify, develop, or evaluate marketing strategy, based on knowledge of establishment objectives, market characteristics, and cost and markup factors.
- Direct the hiring, training, or performance evaluations of marketing or sales staff and oversee their daily activities.
- Evaluate the financial aspects of product development, such as budgets, expenditures, research and development appropriations, or return-on-investment and profit-loss projections.
- Develop pricing strategies, balancing firm objectives and customer satisfaction.
- Initiate market research studies, or analyze their findings.
- Compile lists describing product or service offerings.
A typical day involves
Skills that matter most
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Active Learning
- Monitoring
What you'll need to know
- Sales and Marketing
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Communications and Media
- Administration and Management
How much Marketing Managers make
The median pay for Marketing Managers in the U.S. is $166,790 a year ($80.19 an hour). Most earn between $90,260 and $293,610. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025)
Pay depends a lot on where you live: the median is highest in Massachusetts ($212,020) and lowest in Guam ($79,890).
Pay by state and territory
| State | Median pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $120,160 | 1,540 |
| Alaska | $116,270 | 240 |
| Arizona | $132,220 | 4,870 |
| Arkansas | $136,520 | 1,860 |
| California | $193,620 | 54,660 |
| Colorado | $182,730 | 6,010 |
| Connecticut | $169,240 | 5,800 |
| District of Columbia | $177,170 | 3,470 |
| Florida | $142,620 | 24,820 |
| Georgia | $160,760 | 8,510 |
| Guam | $79,890 | 120 |
| Hawaii | $117,770 | 570 |
| Idaho | $142,090 | 1,320 |
| Illinois | $162,860 | 21,140 |
| Indiana | $136,260 | 3,350 |
| Iowa | $131,120 | 2,210 |
| Kansas | $154,510 | 1,570 |
| Kentucky | $128,930 | 1,930 |
| Louisiana | $120,650 | 940 |
| Maine | $135,380 | 1,320 |
| Maryland | $154,160 | 6,510 |
| Massachusetts | $212,020 | 14,270 |
| Michigan | $138,510 | 6,620 |
| Minnesota | $173,300 | 8,500 |
| Mississippi | $100,940 | 770 |
| Missouri | $130,550 | 6,550 |
| Montana | $165,580 | — |
| Nebraska | $110,570 | 1,910 |
| Nevada | $107,550 | 3,430 |
| New Hampshire | $143,280 | 1,460 |
| New Jersey | $180,040 | 13,510 |
| New Mexico | $122,980 | 800 |
| New York | $181,200 | 54,000 |
| North Carolina | $165,480 | 10,790 |
| North Dakota | $125,580 | 180 |
| Ohio | $132,330 | 10,620 |
| Oklahoma | $126,920 | 1,420 |
| Oregon | $161,560 | 4,960 |
| Pennsylvania | $150,810 | 13,840 |
| South Carolina | $143,290 | 3,760 |
| South Dakota | $167,750 | 220 |
| Tennessee | $131,990 | 7,730 |
| Texas | $147,880 | 44,680 |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | $97,760 | 60 |
| Utah | $139,830 | 6,100 |
| Virginia | $187,820 | 6,890 |
| Washington | $172,270 | 8,880 |
| West Virginia | $98,750 | 300 |
| Wisconsin | $133,600 | 4,890 |
| Wyoming | $161,580 | 100 |
Where to study for this
College programs that commonly lead to this career, and how many US colleges offer each.
- Marketing 1,077 colleges
- Digital Marketing 124 colleges
- Marketing, Other 117 colleges
- Apparel and Textile Marketing Management 50 colleges
- International Marketing 20 colleges
- Marketing Research 48 colleges
- Consumer Merchandising / Retailing Management 18 colleges
- Pharmaceutical Marketing and Management 9 colleges
Related careers
Business and Financial Operations
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists
Research conditions in local, regional, national, or online markets. Gather information to determine potential sales of a product or service, or plan a marketing or advertising campaign. May gather information on competitors, prices, sales, and methods of marketing and distribution. May employ search marketing tactics, analyze web metrics, and develop recommendations to increase search engine ranking and visibility to target markets.
$78,760/yr median Considerable preparation
Management
Sales Managers
Plan, direct, or coordinate the actual distribution or movement of a product or service to the customer. Coordinate sales distribution by establishing sales territories, quotas, and goals and establish training programs for sales representatives. Analyze sales statistics gathered by staff to determine sales potential and inventory requirements and monitor the preferences of customers.
$148,270/yr median Considerable preparation
Management
Advertising and Promotions Managers
Plan, direct, or coordinate advertising policies and programs or produce collateral materials, such as posters, contests, coupons, or giveaways, to create extra interest in the purchase of a product or service for a department, an entire organization, or on an account basis.
$133,660/yr median Considerable preparation
Business and Financial Operations
Search Marketing Strategists
Employ search marketing tactics to increase visibility and engagement with content, products, or services in Internet-enabled devices or interfaces. Examine search query behaviors on general or specialty search engines or other Internet-based content. Analyze research, data, or technology to understand user intent and measure outcomes for ongoing optimization.
$78,760/yr median Considerable preparation
Sales and Related
Advertising Sales Agents
Sell or solicit advertising space, time, or media in publications, signage, TV, radio, or Internet establishments or public spaces.
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Computer and Mathematical
Business Intelligence Analysts
Produce financial and market intelligence by querying data repositories and generating periodic reports. Devise methods for identifying data patterns and trends in available information sources.
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Management
Public Relations Managers
Plan, direct, or coordinate activities designed to create or maintain a favorable public image or raise issue awareness for their organization or client.
$146,910/yr median Considerable preparation
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
Public Relations Specialists
Promote or create an intended public image for individuals, groups, or organizations. May write or select material for release to various communications media. May specialize in using social media.
$74,750/yr median Considerable preparation
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA), occupation 11-2021.00, used under CC BY 4.0 and modified by Whittle. Pay: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), SOC 11-2021. Outlook and entry education: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35. Program links: NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. How we build these pages.