When searching for a job in marketing, many different titles come up, along with many title variations of the same job. Two of the highest demanded jobs in the marketing industry today are Marketing Specialists and Marketing Coordinators. While those in the industry may know about these roles, many do not know the specifics that each job entails. This inquiry provides us with our questions, What are the differences between a Marketing Specialist and a Marketing Coordinator?
Similarities in Marketing Specialists and Coordinators
There is overlap between these roles, but more so in the big picture general marketing sense. For example, both a specialist and a coordinator work on marketing campaigns, more likely than not also on the same marketing team. More shared general responsibilities include performing marketing research, focusing on brand consistency, the use of marketing tools, and incorporation of data and analytics. There are many similarities in the end goal of each role, however the individual responsibilities of each job are entirely separate.
In their most basic form, the key difference is that a marketing specialist creates marketing strategies for businesses and nonprofit organizations and a marketing coordinator helps execute the marketing strategies for the business. To dive deeper into the differences, one can look at the day to day responsibilities. A marketing specialist focuses on advertising, public relations, and product promotions. A marketing coordinator coordinates planning, development, and the execution of marketing campaigns; said campaigns could include advertising, digital marketing, or public relations.
Duties of a Marketing Specialist
An informative way to look at the differences between these roles is to look at what their job asks for in given marketing situations. When working on a marketing campaign, a specialist will develop ideas and manage the execution of said ideas for the campaign. A coordinator will assist in implementing the specialist’s ideas, and could conduct other tasks such as expense reports and scheduling meetings. The required skills are also different; a marketing specialist should be able to create a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy, while a coordinator only needs to understand the basics of why SEO is important. Similarly when using tools to carry out marketing strategies, a specialist needs to know how to use tools such as Google Analytics.
Duties of a Marketing Coordinator
While a coordinator should be familiar with these, they are not generally required to have the in-depth analytical skills necessary to use these tools. To summarize these differences, marketing specialists use more advanced skills in their work than marketing coordinators. However, a difference in the level of skills used does not make one job more important than the other. These two jobs rely on collaboration and the work provided by the other to succeed.
All of this information clarifies the main differences between a marketing specialist and a marketing coordinator, however each job is a little different than others. While you have a general overview of the differences, let’s look at a real world example of a specialist and a coordinator job in Wisconsin: Marketing Specialist at NEWaukee in Milwaukee Wisconsin (Marketing Specialist - NEWaukee - Big Shoes Network, Inc.) and Marketing Coordinator at Systems LLC in Germantown Wisconsin (Marketing Coordinator - Systems LLC - Big Shoes Network, Inc.).
NEWaukee is looking for a Marketing Specialist “who can think strategically, execute flawlessly, and adapt quickly”. This individual will work under their VP of Marketing, and will oversee client campaigns, agency marketing efforts, and all tasks in between. This individual will be responsible for campaign management, media + public relations, client + internal communication, and live events. An ability to perform these tasks, along with years of experience in different aspects of marketing, is who NEWaukee is looking for in their Marketing Specialist. More information on the specifics of the responsibilities for this role and the requirements to apply can be found by following the link above.
Meanwhile, Systems LLC is looking for a Marketing Coordinator who will work on “digital marketing including video production, social media activity, marketing email campaigns, website management, lead generation, writing content and more”. Some responsibilities include collaboration with the marketing team, monitoring website content, and supporting the development of content, social media channels, and business development. Systems LLC is looking for an individual with years of experience in a few fields. More information on the specifics of the responsibilities for this role and the requirements to apply can be found by following the link above.
Final Note: What Does the Company Need?
The final note on the differences between these roles is clarifying which job a business needs. If your company needs someone to support your marketing team with day to day responsibilities and help with preparations for expansion of campaigns; your company should look to hire a marketing coordinator. If your company needs someone with advanced marketing skills and depths of knowledge, used to create marketing initiatives and campaigns; your company should look to hire a marketing specialist.
By now you should have a pretty good sense about the key differences between a Marketing Specialist and a Marketing Coordinator. Use this information to aid in your search for a job or search for a new employee. If this blog helped to clarify the differences and improve your idea of the job you’re looking for, let us know in the comments. Best of luck on your job searching, and remember keep #FillingBigShoes!
