A new review of salaries in the direct marketing space reveals that VPs of traditional marketing practices are being out-earned by their counterparts in digital marketing. The average base compensation for digital veeps is $162,600 versus $155,300 for straight-ahead marketing executives, according to the “Direct and Digital Marketing National Salary Guide” from Crandall Associates, an executive search firm that specializes in interactive marketing.
“There has been a steady escalation in salaries for marketers in the digital and online channels,” says Crandall President Wendy Weber. “Salaries for offline marketers have been relatively flat.”
Other titles leading the list were VPs of ecommerce at $179,900, VPs of merchandising ($160,200), creative directors of digital and interactive marketing ($142,400), and directors of marketing analytics ($142,100).
The growing importance of social media in the marketing mix is reflected by the appearance of the title of director of social media in the survey, which was compiled via interviews with company personnel officers, interviews with job candidates, and analysis of data involved in ongoing searches. Social media chiefs average $98,400, though the highest paid practitioner identified by Crandall earns $119,200. Social media managers average $76,900.
Weber is of the opinion that the social media role in marketing departments is here to stay, but she observes that respect for the function varies widely by company. “Some companies are allowing interns to maintain the corporate social media presence; others are paying six-figure salaries to social media teams,” she says . “A truly experienced social media professional is hard to find. Many fancy themselves social media pros, but few can deliver.”
Marketers most in demand at companies across the board are mid-level professionals such as marketing analysts, account managers, and SEO/SEM specialists. “These workhorse roles are very important to the success of their organizations and the best ones are making salaries approaching $100,000 in major markets,” notes Weber.
Mid-level positions topping payrolls include direct marketing managers ($82,600), SEM managers ($80,200), web analytics managers ($80,100), and SEO managers ($77,800).
