What Are the Advantages of Being a Marketing Manager?

Marketing managers develop strategies involving products. Most have a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university. The advantages of being a marketing manager are often inherent to the individual. Those who like being involved with numerous projects may enjoy using their writing talent or analytical, organizational and creative skills. Others may enjoy the status of being in middle management.

Marketing managers are usually too busy to get bored. They work on many activities involving product, pricing, advertising and distribution. For example, they are directly involved in determining which products their organizations sell; and how those products are priced. They also determine the packaging sizes, fragrances, flavors and dimensions of products, based on input from customer surveys. These professionals may also work with vendors or agencies, or help advertising managers decide which advertisements to use to attract customers. Additionally, marketing managers determine where products are sold, such as grocery or drug stores, mass merchandisers, wholesalers or industrial middlemen.

Marketing managers have high exposure levels in organizations. Their work in various areas like product introductions are highly recognized by executives, managers and even shareholders. For example, executives avidly read reports on how individual product sales fare each month, whether they are trending upward or downward. Marketing managers also coordinate sales collateral materials and company brochures, both of which are widely read by employees and upper management. They also serve as beacons for companies, recommending strategies that will directly impact their companys' sales and profits.

Marketing managers earn relatively high salaries. For example, the median salary for marketing managers was $110,030 per year in 2009, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle 50 percent earned median salaries between $78,340 and $149,390 per year. Additionally, marketing managers can earn bonuses, commissions and profit-sharing incentives based on the profits of their companies.

The number of jobs for marketing managers are expected to increase on par with most other professions. For example, job growth in this field will increase by 12 percent over a ten-year period from 2008 to 2018, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The importance of the job itself makes this career a viable one for any aspiring college student.

Marketing managers also learn valuable transferable job skills which they can use in future positions. Transferable job skills include project management, budgeting, computer, hiring, training, managing, report writing and interpersonal skills essential for any marketing job. Marketing managers can use these skills to advance to director and vice president positions in their current companies; or to pursue coveted marketing jobs with other companies.