Marketing project managers must be organized and creative.
A marketing project manager handles promotions of a company and its brand. Marketing project managers incorporate strategies to help sell products and services, using everything from graphics to catchy phrases to special deals to get the general public interested. Nearly every company, particularly successful ones, has someone in charge of marketing.
Basics
Marketing project managers promote their companies on a multitude of platforms. They oversee the design of websites, email newsletters, brochures, signs and anything else that gets the word out about the company. They work in unison with advertising and sales managers, as well as upper management and the public relations department. Sometimes, marketing project managers write press releases and arrange for the interviews of key company personnel with journalists. Most of the time, they oversee the graphics department to help create a positive image (and accompanying artwork) for the company.
Skills
Marketing project managers should be highly energetic and innovative. They need to work tirelessly to not only promote a company, but also to present it in a positive light. They must be confident, organized, adaptable and possess strong leadership skills. Marketing project managers also need to be excellent communicators and very aware of what is "trendy," often building their strategies around it. And in today's workforce, marketing project coordinators must possess at least basic computer skills, and likely even need to be accomplished in that area.
Background
A marketing project manager must have a bachelor's degree. Some are required to carry master's degrees as well. They have important jobs that require years of training, as many are among the highest earners in the country. Courses for aspiring marketing project managers typically include communications, public relations, advertising, media and computer studies. On top of that, marketing project managers normally spend time working in the lower levels of the field, or perhaps in the advertising, sales or graphics departments.
Prospects
Marketing project managers are likely to see their opportunities increase for quite some time. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs for marketing managers will grow by 12 percent from 2008 through 2018. That is about as fast as the national average for all professions.
Earnings
Marketing project managers earned a median salary of $108,580 per year in May 2008, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Those in the computer systems design industry earned $127,870 per year, while those in the insurance carrier industry made $103,210 per year.
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