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Advertising Account Manager Job Description

Advertising Account Manager Job Description

Job ads for an advertising account manager are common in most job boards but what exactly does an advertising account manager do? While it is easy to guess that this post has something to do with advertising and marketing, the responsibilities that go with this job are more specific than that. Read on know about the basic advertising account manager job description as well as what you need to do if you want to build a career in this field.

What Does Advertising Account Manager Do?

An advertising account manager is a person who acts as the liaison between an advertising agency and its clients. Advertising firms may assign one account manager to one client and he or she handles all advertising-related responsibilities for this client. The account manager is the one who establishes a good stream of communication between the firm and client so that the client can voice out what they need in terms of marketing strategies. Aside from determining the needs of the client, he or she also oversees advertising and marketing projects and ensures that clients’ expectations are met. An advertising manager handles plays interpersonal, creative, and executive roles because he also handles relationships with the creative team. Aside from acting as a liaison, he or she puts marketing strategies into action, usually by working with a creative team that may involve graphic designers, layout artists, photographers, videographers, and other creatives.

Duties and Responsibilities

Because an account manager is tasked with handling a business account primarily for its advertising and marketing side, he or she is responsible for coordinating with advertising teams and the clients form the start of the project until the end. This means handling brainstorming, preparing for sale pitch presentations, doing the actual sales pitches, among other tasks. The account manager may be the one tasked with designing marketing strategies for the clients, which means he or she has to come up with marketing or advertising ideas that fit the client’s brand and business goals. He or she may be tasked with explaining what the cost factors are, and ensuring that these projects meet the client’s budgets and timelines. He or she is also expected to give the client regular updates and evaluations of ongoing marketing programs and strategies. In some firms, advertising account managers may also be tasked to handle client onboarding and upselling of services.

Advertising account managers may be required to be available for clients 24/7. Account managers may be expected to give clients timely updates on how a project is going, so this means being available to take a call or meet in person when the client requests an update. Availability is essential for building trust with the client and to ensure that projects are not delayed.

Good Skills To Have

A good advertising account manager must have fundamental business and marketing skills. A creative mindset is also ideal since he or she will be required to come up with creative ways to market the client’s products or services. Account managers must also be independently-motivated, natural self-starters who have the initiative to look for unique marketing solutions for the client. The creative nature of this job means that good account managers must be keen observers of current trends and a good understanding of human behavior. With these skills, an account manager can craft marketing and advertising campaigns that can speak to the wants and needs of the client’s target demographic.

Most importantly, a good account manager must have strong interpersonal skills. These skills include the ability to interact with people, communicate efectively and with authority, and the ability to make clients feel at ease.

Advertising Account Manager Salary

The typical salary of an advertising account manager can range from as low as $30,000 a year to $70,000 a year or higher. Factors that affect median salaries include the size of the firm, the type of clients handled, and even the geographical location. In bigger, more metropolitan cities, advertising account managers tend to get paid higher than those working for local firms in smaller cities.

Education, Experience and Certification

The minimum educational requirement to be an advertising account manager is a bachelor’s degree in journalism, marketing, or advertising. However, with the right on-the-job experience, some people can get hired for this position even with other educational backgrounds such as communications and even psychology. You can gain experience by opting for entry-level work in advertising or marketing firms where you can hone the skills needed to succeed in this position, such as marketing, interpersonal communications, and management.

The Main Goal

The main goal if you want to have a career in account management is to get the basic foundational skills and experiences needed to get a job in this industry. Most advertising account managers start off by building their skills in marketing and communications. Once you are confident enough you can start applying for account management positions especially if you feel that you have the skills and the creative talent to lead marketing and advertising campaigns that meet client expectations.

Written by Vitalii Butiluk

Editor and CTO at Jobitin

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