18 jobs you can get with a Marketing degree

Marketing is an incredibly diverse and high-growth field with many different job opportunities for recent graduates. After all - successful and ongoing marketing campaigns are essential to the growth of every business. When you graduate with a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) or any similar degree, you will have a broad and exciting range of marketing jobs open to you.

So, what jobs can you actually get with a Marketing degree, and where might a career take you? From marketing data analysis to creative social media content development, a Marketing degree opens up many doors to jobs within marketing, but also to some surprising roles across other sectors.

The good news is marketing salaries are growing fast, and marketing jobs are in high demand in Australia right now.

We’ve compiled a list of 18 top marketing jobs ranging from a typical graduate position to more advanced careers. If you’re thinking of studying Marketing, pursuing a formal qualification from a diploma to a masters can significantly boost your career prospects and help you stand out from the crowd.

18 unique marketing jobs with career progression and salary

1. Digital Marketing Specialist

A Digital Marketing Specialist is responsible for creating, implementing, and managing online marketing campaigns across various digital channels such as social media, email, SEO, and paid advertising. Their goal is to drive traffic, engage audiences, and convert leads into customers by analysing digital performance data and optimising content and strategies. In this role, you could specialise in one of these niche areas, or be a jack-of-all-trades in the digital space.

• Career progression: Digital Marketing Specialists often begin in junior Digital Content or Social Media roles, and can advance to roles like Digital Marketing Manager or Head of Digital and Social Media Director.
• Digital Marketing Specialist salary: AUD $85,000 – $90,000 per year

2. Brand Manager

A Brand Manager oversees the overall branding strategy for a company, ensuring that all marketing efforts across channels align with the brand’s image and goals. This is a crucial role, impacting the direction and potential success of a company - well suited to those who think big, like to manage teams in a leadership capacity, and understand consumers.

• Career progression: Brand Managers can start their career in many different junior marketing roles, and then move into Senior Brand Manager or Marketing Director roles.
  
• Brand Manager salary: AUD $95,000 – $115,000 per year

3. Marketing Analyst

With so much consumer data out there, Marketing Analysts play an essential role in assessing and interpreting this data to understand consumers, track marketing performance and to develop marketing strategies and campaigns. This role is data-driven and involves making decisions based on market trends, so it’s well suited to those who enjoy the more market research-focused side of the marketing business.

• Career progression: Starting out in a Junior Analyst or Market Research role, you could move up to Senior Analyst or Marketing Insights Manager.
• Marketing Analyst salary: AUD $95,000 – $115,000 per year

4. Content Marketing Manager

A viral video or influencer endorsement can have a huge impact on the success of a business in 2024. It’s the role of a Content Marketing Manager to oversee the development of creative content and management of content strategies across blogs, videos, and social media platforms, and work with partners such as influencers to attract and retain customers. The ideal role for those with a creative streak, who live online and who love the challenge of developing digital content that consumers share and connect to.

• Career progression: Many Junior Content Managers or Digital Content Developers go on to become Chief Content Officers or Senior Content Marketing Directors.
• Content Marketing Manager salary: AUD $90,000 – $110,000 per year

5. Social Media Manager

A creative role suited to those who love producing or curating content, a Social Media Manager oversees a company’s social media presence, creating engaging content and strategies to boost brand and product awareness, and monitoring social media channels for customer engagement. If you’re a social media junkie, this is the career path for you.

• Career progression: Social Media Managers often start in roles like Junior Content Manager and move up into Digital Marketing Manager or Director of Social Media roles.
• Social Media Manager salary: AUD $80,000 – $100,000 per year

6. Sustainability Marketing Manager

If you want to align your marketing career with your ethics and values, a marketing role in the green economy might be your answer. A Sustainability Marketing Manager promotes eco-friendly and sustainable products or initiatives for companies or non-profits. They create campaigns that emphasise environmental responsibility and encourage consumers to make ethical choices.

• Career progression: Entry-level roles include Marketing Assistant or Public Relations Assistant in sustainability-focused organisations. With experience, you can advance to a Marketing Manager, Director of Communications or Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for eco-conscious brands or organisations.
• Sustainability Marketing Manager salary: Around AUD $96,000 per year (depending on company size and location)

7. Public Relations (PR) Specialist

PR Specialists manage the public image of companies, organisations or individuals, handling media relations and communication strategies. They craft press releases, develop media strategies, and build relationships with journalists to secure positive media coverage. PR specialists often organise press events, respond to media inquiries, and handle crisis communication to protect or enhance their organisation’s reputation.

• Career progression: A PR specialist starts as a Junior PR Specialist or Assistant, supporting tasks like media outreach and press releases. With experience, they move to PR Specialist, Manager or Executive, and eventually reach senior roles like PR Director or Head of Communications
• PR Specialist salary: AUD $85,000 – $95,000 per year

8. Advertising Manager

A jack-of-all-trades in the marketing industry, an Advertising Manager oversees the creation and execution of advertising campaigns across all communication channels, such as TV, print, digital, and social media. They work closely with creative teams, media buyers, and clients to ensure campaigns effectively promote products or services. This is a role suited to those who can lead teams, think creatively as well as strategically and understand the whole market.

• Career progression: An Advertising Manager typically progresses from roles such as Advertising Assistant or Coordinator to Senior Manager or Director of Advertising, and may eventually advance to positions like VP of Marketing or Chief Marketing Officer (CMO).
• Advertising Manager salary: AUD $85,000 – $105,000 per year

9. Market Research Analyst

Similar to a Marketing Analyst, a Market Research Analyst researches and interprets consumer data and market trends to help businesses develop effective products or strategies. However, rather than interpreting existing data, A Market Research Analyst uses surveys, interviews, observations, focus groups, and statistical tools to provide new information, leading to important insights that will guide a company's product development and marketing efforts. Great for those with people skills who also love research.

• Career progression: Analysts can advance to Senior Market Research Analyst or Research Director, managing larger teams and projects, and they may move into roles like Chief Data Officer (CDO).
• Market Research Analyst salary: AUD $110,000 – $130,000 per year

10. Creative Director (marketing agency)

A Creative Director is an important role in any agency, well suited to those with an artistic vision and an eye for talent. The Creative Director leads the overall creative vision for marketing campaigns, guiding the development of innovative and visually compelling content. They collaborate closely with designers, copywriters, and other creative professionals to deliver engaging campaigns.

• Career progression: Creative Directors often start in junior roles like Junior Content Manager and can progress to become Chief Creative Officers (CCO) or they may also move into senior executive roles like VP of Marketing or Head of Branding. Many also go on to start their own creative agencies.
• Creative Director salary: AUD $120,000 – $140,000 per year

11. E-commerce Manager

An E-commerce Manager is an incredibly flexible marketing role, where you could end up in virtually any sector that involves online commerce. An E-commerce Manager is ultimately responsible for overseeing online sales strategies and managing e-commerce platforms, with a focus on optimising user experience and driving growth. They work closely with marketing, product, and logistics teams to ensure a seamless online shopping experience across platforms and devices.

• Career progression: E-commerce Managers typically start out in roles such as Online Merchandising Assistant or Customer Service, and can move up to roles such as Senior E-commerce Manager or Head of Digital Commerce, or to further senior roles like Chief Digital Officer (CDO)
• E-commerce Manager salary: AUD $100,000 – $120,000 per year

12. Non-Profit Communications Director

If you’re looking for an ethical marketing career, why not use your marketing skills for good? This role involves managing the external communication strategies for nonprofits and charities, including public relations, social media, and content creation to raise awareness of their cause. Engage donors, volunteers, and the community in meaningful ways. They also manage the organisation’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.

• Career progression: A Non-Profit Communications Director typically starts as a Communications Assistant or Coordinator, then moves to Manager roles, and eventually becomes a Director, overseeing all communications strategy.
• Non-Profit Communications Director salary: AUD $75,000 - $90,000 per year (larger non-profits offering higher compensation)

13. Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)

The CMO is one of the most senior positions in the marketing world, and the salary reflects that. The CMO oversees the overall marketing strategy of a company, ensuring it aligns with business objectives and leads the marketing team to drive brand growth and revenue. They work closely with other executives to ensure marketing efforts are integrated into broader business goals.

• Career progression: CMOs can start out in virtually any junior marketing role such as Junior Marketing Assistant and work their way up through effective management.
• Chief Marketing Officer salary: Around AUD $225,000 per year

14. Marketing Entrepreneur

For anyone who dreams of starting their own marketing agency or consulting firm, Marketing Entrepreneur could be your ideal career path. After gaining some qualifications and a few years of experience in the industry, some marketing professionals take their skills and start their own specialised marketing services business, focusing on niche areas such as brand strategy, digital marketing, or content creation for businesses in various industries. You can choose to specialise in a particular niche or offer a broader range of services.

• Career progression: Many Marketing Entrepreneurs start out working in Marketing Management roles in other companies. When you start your own business, growth depends on its successes, with the potential to scale up and expand into a larger firm if it goes well.
• Marketing Entrepreneur salary: AUD $124,000 to $200,000 (Director of a marketing agency)

15. Freelance Marketing Consultant

Another career option for those who like to be their own boss: as a Freelance Marketing Consultant, you can work online and independently, offering marketing strategy development and implementation services to clients on a contract basis. You manage projects like market research, branding, and campaign management for a diverse set of clients on your own schedule.

• Career progression: Many Freelance Marketing Consultants start out working for agencies in mid-level Marketing, Analysis or Content roles to build up networks and client bases. Over time, you can increase your rates or scale your business.
• Freelance Marketing Consultants salary: AUD $80,000 – $130,000 per year (depending on clients and workload).

16. Advertising Copywriter

Advertising Copywriters are important members of an advertising team, crafting compelling copy for advertisements, websites, emails, and social media, in order to promote products or services and drive consumer engagement. Ideal for creative types who love to write, you would work closely with creative teams to develop messaging that aligns with brand goals.

• Career progression: Starting in Junior Content and Writing roles, Copywriters typically move up to Senior Copywriter, Creative Director, or Content Strategist roles as they gain experience.
• Advertising Copywriter salary: AUD $65,000 – $85,000 per year

17. SEO Specialist

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Specialists play an important role in an economy where search engines drive what consumers get to see online. As an SEO Expert, you work at the back end of digital space to ensure websites rank higher in search engine results, improving visibility and driving organic traffic. They use techniques such as keyword research, content optimisation, and backlink building to improve a website's performance in search engines like Google.

• Career progression: SEO Specialists often start out in junior Digital Content or Marketing roles and advance to SEO Manager, Head of SEO, or Digital Marketing Director as they gain expertise in the field.
• SEO Specialist salary: AUD $100,000 – $115,000 per year

18. Event Marketing Manager

Events play a big role in marketing, allowing brands to directly reach their community. Event Marketing Managers plan and execute marketing events such as product launches, conferences, and trade shows to engage with potential customers and build brand awareness. They handle event logistics, promotions, and post-event analysis.

• Career progression: Event Managers can progress to Senior Event Manager or Director of Events, managing larger teams and more complex events.
• Event Marketing Manager salary: AUD $90,000 – $118,000 per year

A marketing degree offers a broad range of job opportunities in today’s digital-focused economy. Whether you're passionate about data analysis or creative strategy, there are marketing jobs to match your interests and skills.