What Can You Do with a Marketing Degree? 11 Job Paths
Wondering what you can do with your marketing degree? Here are entry-level job titles and their associated career paths.
October 28, 2021
Article
Jobs in social media are projected to grow as social media usage for individuals and businesses continues to increase*. We have the resources you need to start your career in social media marketing.
Build your social media marketing skills
Skills you'll gain: Marketing, Digital Marketing, Social Media, Advertising, Communication, Media Strategy & Planning, Marketing Management, Customer Analysis, Brand Management, Business Analysis, Marketing Design, Sales, Strategy and Operations, Data Analysis, General Statistics, Market Analysis, Probability & Statistics, Leadership and Management, Research and Design, Creativity, Planning, Entrepreneurship
Build toward a degree
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Northwestern University
Skills you'll gain: Marketing, Social Media, Communication, Digital Marketing, Media Strategy & Planning, Market Research, Strategy, Marketing Management, Brand Management, Advertising, Customer Analysis, Entrepreneurship, Market Analysis, Research and Design, People Management, Persona Research
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Skills you'll gain: Communication, Marketing, Digital Marketing, Social Media, Media Strategy & Planning, Advertising, Entrepreneurship, Marketing Management
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Marketing is a broad career path with lots of opportunities for specialization. As a social media marketer, you'll likely collaborate closely with your marketing team colleagues working on channels such as email, paid media, or search engine optimization (SEO). Learning about marketing channels beyond social media and how they work together in an omnichannel marketing strategy can help you stand out to employers when applying for entry-level jobs. Learn more about Coursera and discover additional resources you can use to build foundational knowledge and new skills as you navigate the social media job market:
Brand Marketing: What It Is + How to Create Your Brand Marketing Strategy
Marketing Career Path: How I Became a Brand Marketing Manager at Coursera
While you can find job openings for the role of social media marketer, there are additional job titles in social media marketing that may come up in your job search.
Social media specialist: stays up-to-date on the latest social media trends and creates new campaigns and content
Social media coordinator: operates social media campaigns and maintains brand presence on social media platforms
As specific aspects of social media marketing become vital to executing a comprehensive social media strategy, you may discover more specialized job titles. Here are some examples:
Content creator/curator: generates original branded content to appear on social media and gathers relevant content from users and content creators to distribute
Social media community manager: builds relationships with social media followers and cultivates a community atmosphere
Engagement specialist: monitors conversations about the brand on social media and responds according to brand guidelines
Social media analyst: collects and analyzes data from social media accounts to recommend areas of improvement
Social media monitor: responds to customer requests for help, often in the comments of a post or in the reviews—and offers publicly visible assistance
Influencer manager: leverages relationships with social media influencers to reach new audiences
Depending on the job listings you come across, you may see some overlap in these roles in terms of duties and responsibilities.
The skills needed to be a social media marketer can range from workplace skills like communication and colaboration to writing skills to technical skills like data analysis. According to ZipRecruiter in October 2023, these skills appear most frequently in social media marketer job postings:
Your earning potential in social media marketing may depend on factors such as your skills and experience, the company you work for, and the industry you work in. Researching current salary averages is a good way to get an idea of what you can expect to earn. Here is the average total US pay for different roles, including base salary and additional compensation such as commission and bonuses, according to Glassdoor as of October 2023:
*US Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Occupational Outlook Handbook: Advertising, Promotions, and Marketing Managers, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/advertising-promotions-and-marketing-managers.htm#tab-6." Accessed December 14, 2023.