Marketing communications, or marcoms, professionals are involved in a range of activities, from public relations and advertising to organising trade shows and managing social media activities. All large companies and public sector organisations need a marcoms function, with some having in-house teams and others using specialist agencies to get their message across to clients.

There are a wide range of job roles in the field, including designer, copywriter, marcoms manager and account manager. Staff tend to specialise in either client-side or agency work, with a focus on B2B, B2C or public sector campaigns.

Most people who make a career in marcoms begin as a graduate trainee or account executive with a salary of around £18,000, having obtained a degree in marketing, business, communications or design. As well as improving their skills through hands-on work experience, they will usually study towards industry qualifications approved by either the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) or Communication, Advertising & Marketing Foundation (CAM).

Qualified staff with a good portfolio will discover there is strong demand for their skills and that specialist marketing recruitment agencies have a wide range of suitable permanent employment opportunities. In-house communications managers and agency account managers can expect salaries of between £30,000 and £40,000 in most of the UK and up to £55,000 in London, while director-level positions usually pay in excess of £65,000. Experienced marcoms professionals also have the option of going freelance, with their earnings dependent on how successful they are at selling their services.