Marketing communications–have you ever wondered if it could be right for you?
As I posted earlier, marketing communications is one of a dozen, or so, highly paid writing fields.
It is a good freelance writing field because nearly every company needs to market their product. According to the most recent salary figures from Indeed.com the average income for a marketing communication writer is $62,000 a year. However, a talented marketing writer can earn much more.
Fortunately, I can also share my own experiences in this field since this is where I started as a writer. Also, many of my current freelancing projects fall into this category. In this post I’ll do my best to let you know what this type of writing is like.
What Do Marketing Communications Writers Do?
A marketing communications writer creates marketing materials for companies and organizations.
Whenever a company needs well-written persuasive materials to explain the benefits of a product or service, they turn to marketing communications writers.
Some of the projects that I’ve personally tackled as a marketing communications writer include:
- Writing copy for advertisements
- Writing product benefit sheets and brochures for the sales force
- Writing copy for a product landing page
- Creating and editing newsletters for an organization’s clients
- Writing press releases
- Writing a script for a company’s telemarketers
- Editing copy for a company’s website and blog posts
Marketing communications is a broad term that covers many areas of marketing including (but not limited to):
- Public relations
- Advertising
- Branding
- Packaging
- Online marketing
- Direct marketing
It is not unusual for a freelance writer to specialize in a particular aspect of marketing communications. Also, projects in this field tend to be shorter in duration than technical writing projects.
What Skills Do You Need to Be a Marketing Communications Writer?
While many colleges offer marketing degrees, it is not unusual for a company to hire a talented freelance writer who does not have a degree.
However, be aware that the marketing communications field is very competitive. Any advantage, such as a degree or other specialized training, can be beneficial.
There are also a number of professional societies for marketing communications writers including:
- The Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP)
- Direct Marketing Association (DMA)
- Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)
Many of these professional societies offer seminars, training classes, and networking opportunities.
Some character traits that a marketing communications writer might find useful include:
- Creativity–Must produce creative and original ideas that reflect the company’s vision and image.
- Persuasiveness–Must be able to write in a manner that entices others to take action.
- Research skills–Should have good research skills. Not only do they need to learn about the product that they will be writing about, they also must learn about the target market for the product.
- People skills–Must be able to get along with management and sales people as well as other creative professionals such as graphic designers.
Is There a Future for Marketing Communications Writing?
Every company needs to market its products or services in order to survive. Companies often turn to freelance professionals to perform the writing tasks associated with marketing.
The U.S. government also agrees that this type of writing still has a bright future. In the most recent U.S. Occupational Outlook handbook, it states that job opportunities in public relations (one type of marketing communications) are expected to grow more quickly than average.
The job title “director of communications” also made the CNNMoney.com list of the best jobs in America.
Feedback Time
Does marketing communications writing sound interesting to you? Do you have any questions? Is this your field of writing?
Share your thoughts.
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