What Does a Marketing Analyst Do?

Marketing analysts help companies make data-driven marketing decisions. Also called marketing research analysts (or market research analysts), these professionals work in nearly every industry, powering a company’s marketing team through data analysis. But what does a marketing analyst do and how do you become one?

What Is a Marketing Analyst?

A marketing analyst analyzes data and recommends changes to marketing efforts. Sometimes called market research analysts, marketing analysts investigate changes, track trends, and uncover new opportunities. 

“Marketing analysts collect and analyze data on consumer behavior, market trends, and competitors to inform marketing strategies and tactics,” says Kacper Rafalski, digital marketing strategist at Netguru.

Marketing analysts are also skilled statisticians, using raw data to determine what products or services people want. These insights determine how companies focus on promotions, sales, and advertising campaigns. 

Ultimately, all companies benefit from in-depth research of their consumers and how to effectively target their audiences. 
Because of this common need across all companies, “marketing analysts can work in various industries, such as health care, retail, and finance,” says Jim Liu, CEO of SEO Vendor.

Typical responsibilities of a marketing analyst include:

• Performing user research through surveys, third-party studies, and website data
• Cleaning and sorting data to make it usable for analysis
• Running A/B and multivariate tests 
• Using Structured Query Language (SQL) to query databases 
• Defining target audiences and their behaviors 
• Reporting performance of marketing activities, such as campaign effectiveness
• Communicating projected tests and results to other teams with PowerPoint presentations 

“They may also collaborate with other departments, such as sales or product development, to align marketing efforts with business goals,” says Rafalski.

Marketing Analyst Jobs

Within the world of marketing, an analyst can specialize in specific areas of marketing. Some types of specialized marketing analysts include:

• Digital marketing analysts focus on online marketing.
• Product marketing analysts specialize in the marketing of specific products or product lines.
• Email marketing analysts primarily launch and test email marketing campaigns.

However, a marketing analyst can also be specialized in an area outside of marketing, bringing a different skill set to their company’s marketing team. For example, a marketing analyst may also be a: 

• Data analyst with high-level skills in discovering insights from massive amounts of raw data 
• Business analyst with a strong understanding of how businesses run, helping the marketing team prioritize broader business goals
• Financial analyst with in-depth knowledge of how to use financial data to understand the business and its customers

Marketing Analyst Salaries

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), marketing specialists and market research analysts across all industries, locations, and experience levels have an average annual salary of $78,880. 

However, estimates from other sources are slightly more conservative. For example, estimates from Glassdoor say that the average salary for marketing analysts, regardless of location, industry, or experience, is around $68,000. Those with less than one year of experience earn an average of $60,000 annually, and analysts with over 15 years of experience earn around $94,000 per year. 

Analysts working for major brands may have higher salaries since companies that operate globally or across the U.S., like Verizon and Walmart, need great analysts to keep them ahead of the competition. Additionally, marketing analysts may be eligible for other forms of compensation, like annual bonuses and profit sharing. 

How to Become a Marketing Analyst

Education

A marketing analyst’s role involves a lot of data, so a degree in a quantitative field like statistics, mathematics, or data science can help you gain the skills you need to be successful. However, marketing and business degrees are also valuable because you need a fundamental understanding of how businesses work and how marketing fits into a business’s structure. 

Regardless of your degree, taking “courses in statistics, data analysis, and market research can be particularly beneficial,” notes Rafalski.

Pursuing a graduate degree in marketing, statistics, or business can also be helpful for promotions and landing higher positions.

Certifications

The American Marketing Association (AMA) offers certifications in digital marketing, content marketing, and marketing management, all of which can boost your resume and help you demonstrate high-level skills in marketing strategy, analytics, email marketing, and social media marketing. 

Marketing analysts can also benefit from certifications like:

• Google’s data analytics, digital marketing, or UX design certification courses to show an in-depth understanding of the technical aspects of analysis
• Meta’s marketing analytics certificate to prove skills in strategy, evaluating a campaign’s effectiveness, Python programming, and Tableau software

“Certificates and certifications such as HubSpot Inbound Marketing and Marketo can also increase your credibility as a marketing analyst,” says Liu. 

>>MORE: Ace your next interview by practicing some common marketing analyst interview questions.

Skills

Hard and Technical Skills

The most crucial hard skill for marketing analysts is data analysis. Understanding how to take data and glean useful insights from it is vital for anyone pursuing this career. Other necessary skills include:

• Statistical analysis 
• Ability to use databases and query languages, like SQL
• Experience with web analytics platforms, like Heap and Google Analytics
• Familiarity with methods of collecting data, such as running polls, surveys, or focus groups
• Proficiency in Excel
• Data visualization using programs like Tableau or Google Charts 
• Understanding how to effectively test campaigns and efforts, such as using A/B testing on email copy 

Soft Skills

A marketing analyst needs to have impeccable analytical thinking skills first and foremost. More soft skills required in this career include: 

• Effective communication and presentation skills
• Critical thinking
• Creative thinking
• Attention to detail
• High level of organization and accuracy 

Advancement Opportunities

As marketing analysts progress through their career, they may be promoted to higher positions. 

“Senior marketing analyst, marketing manager, or director of marketing” are some of the possible promotions, says Rafalski.

Analysts who show a high level of skill and expertise may even become executives of a company, like a chief marketing officer. 

Some options exist to transition out of this traditional promotion ladder, though. For example, “if you start your own marketing agency, you can become an owner or CEO like myself,” says Liu. 

Using the skills you learn as a marketing analyst, you can also go into other analytical roles, such as financial market research, data science, or business analysis. 

Interested in exploring other jobs in analytics? Check out these careers:

• Data Analyst Career Path: What’s the Trajectory?
• What Is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)?
• What Is a Cybersecurity Analyst?
• How to Become a Quantitative Analyst

Pros and Cons of Marketing Analyst Careers

Pros	Cons
Variety of industries	Repetitive tasks
Growth potential	High-pressure environment

One of the best parts of a career in marketing analysis is how varied the role can be. 

You get “the opportunity to work with data and make data-driven decisions,” says Rafalski. 

That can be for any industry or product. Even within one company, it’s possible to be working on very different projects or products at the same time. 

There is also a high potential for growth. For skilled analysts, “positions such as director of marketing analytics, VP of marketing analytics are possible,” says Liu.

However, this role can become repetitive at times. Ultimately, marketing analysts spend a lot of time digging through data and running similar style tests for different campaigns. While there’s a lot of variety to the role, many of the day-to-day tasks can be monotonous for those who aren’t extremely passionate about data. 

Another downside to this career is “the need to work under tight deadlines,” notes Rafalski.

A lot of pressure is put on marketing teams and their analysts. For example, if a campaign doesn’t work or a product isn’t selling the way it should, the marketing team can be in a stressful situation. Additionally, analysts need to be very careful and avoid using inaccurate data that could lead to unsuccessful strategies. 

Start learning the skills you need to succeed with Forage’s free job simulations. 

Image credit: Canva