Marketing manager

Marketing managers plan how to promote products, services or brands and oversee all marketing activity.

In this guide

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

As a marketing manager you'll:

  • create marketing and social media strategies
  • plan and manage the launch of new products and services
  • oversee and approve campaign content, budgets and targets
  • work with in-house or external agencies
  • report on the effectiveness of campaigns

Working environment

You could work in an office or at a client's business.

Career path and progression

With experience, you could move up to:

  • regional manager
  • marketing director
  • brand or account director

You could choose to work as a freelance marketing consultant.

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • the ability to sell products and services
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • the ability to use your initiative
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • leadership skills
  • maths knowledge
  • business management skills
  • customer service skills
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently

Most relevant

  • Business - Marketing managers need a strong understanding of how businesses operate, including strategy, competition, and customer behaviour. They set budgets, manage campaigns, and make decisions that directly affect a company's revenue and brand positioning.
  • Mathematics - Marketing managers work with budgets, sales figures, and campaign performance data every day. They need to analyse metrics like return on investment, conversion rates, and market share to decide whether a campaign is working and where to spend money next.
  • English Language - Marketing managers write briefs, approve campaign copy, and communicate with clients, agencies, and senior leaders. Being able to craft clear, persuasive messages – and spot when something isn't quite right in a piece of content – is central to the role.
  • Psychology - Marketing managers need to understand what motivates people to buy products or engage with brands. Knowledge of how people think, make decisions, and respond to different messages helps them design campaigns that genuinely connect with target audiences.

Also relevant

  • Economics - Marketing managers consider market conditions, consumer spending trends, and pricing strategies when planning campaigns. Understanding supply and demand, competition, and how economic changes affect buying behaviour helps them make smarter decisions.
  • Media Studies - Marketing managers work across television, print, digital, and social platforms, so understanding how different media formats reach audiences is important. Media Studies builds knowledge of audience segmentation and how messages are constructed – helping them brief agencies, evaluate content, and pick the right channels.
  • Art and Design - Marketing managers review and approve visual content such as adverts, packaging, and social media graphics. Having an eye for design, branding, and visual communication helps them give useful feedback and ensure campaigns look professional and on-brand.
  • Sociology - Marketing managers research and segment audiences based on factors like age, culture, lifestyle, and social trends. Understanding how different groups in society behave and what influences them helps when tailoring campaigns to specific markets.
  • Computer Science - Marketing managers increasingly work with digital tools that involve data analytics, search engine optimisation, and automated marketing platforms. Understanding how algorithms and digital systems work helps them make better use of technology to target and track campaigns.

How to become

You could get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • an apprenticeship
  • working towards this role
  • applying directly

You can become a marketing manager as graduate of any subject. Some higher national diploma or degree subjects might be particularly relevant like:

  • marketing
  • business management
  • digital marketing
  • advertising
  • psychology

Some companies might offer graduate marketing management schemes.

You might be able to fast-track through professional marketing qualifications if your degree is accredited.

You can find out more about the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) accredited degree.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a higher national diploma
  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

More Information

You could start by taking a Marketing Assistant or Marketing Executive Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship.

If you already have some marketing experience, you might be able to do a Marketing Manager Level 6 Higher Apprenticeship.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship

More Information

You could start as a marketing executive and then take a qualification offered by a professional marketing body such as:

You might be able to apply directly for marketing manager jobs if you have experience in a related area like:

  • sales management
  • advertising
  • communications
  • public relations

Professional and industry bodies

You can join The Chartered Institute of Marketing for professional development and training opportunities.

Further information

Learn more about how to get into marketing from The Chartered Institute of Marketing.

You can also find out about marketing events and challenges by DMA Talent on the Institute of Data and Marketing.

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