How to become a marketing manager in Germany

Have you ever thought about becoming a marketing manager?

Marketing management is a challenging, exciting and creative field that’s always growing and evolving.

In this post, we’re going to discuss how to become a marketing manager in Germany. 

Why Germany, you ask? Well, in the best case scenario, your job as a marketing manager will come with some employee benefits – and it just so happens that Germany offers some great ones!

Take a look!

Employee benefits in Germany

No matter what your job in Germany, there are a few things you can be assured of. Here are a few highlights:

Maximum working hours 

A maximum of 48 hours of work are allowed per week. Most people work eight hours per day, however, from Monday to Friday. On the occasion when overtime is allowed, this can be extended to up to 60 hours, but the employer will usually offer time off in return. 

In addition, employees are expected to take regular breaks and must be allowed a rest period of at least 11 hours before returning to work.

Unemployment insurance

In Germany, there are tax-free benefits available in case an employee loses their job (through no fault of their own).

Every employee who has worked at least 18 hours a week will receive 60% of their past year’s earnings, or 67% if they have children. That amount is paid out between six and 18 months, depending on how long the employee was working. 

After that period, people can still receive around 374 euros per month, with an extra child allowance. 

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Health insurance

It’s a requirement for every employee in Germany to have health insurance. Because the government program is very good and covers a variety of medical services, most companies will enroll their workers in that program. 

Sick pay

Workers in Germany can normally get paid 100% of their salary for up to six weeks if they get sick. If you’re sick longer than that, you can generally get 70% of your salary through the country’s health insurance plan – this can last up to a year and a half. 

Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? Want to learn more about how to become a marketing manager in Germany? We’ve got you covered!

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How to become a marketing manager in Germany

Qualifications 

First things first: You’re going to need the right qualifications to become a marketing manager in Germany. In most cases, unless you have tons of experience, you’ll need at least a bachelor’s degree.

Here are the degrees that are most relevant to get started on the right path:  

• Marketing
• Accounting and finance 
• Public relations
• Business and finance
• Communications

In certain circumstances, you may also need to upgrade to a master’s degree in order to advance your career. 

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Experience 

To become a marketing manager in Germany, you’ll likely need to have on-the-job experience. In fact, almost half of all marketing managers have at least 10 years’ experience in a marketing role; just 4% have been in the field under two years.

Where do you get the experience needed to get hired as a marketing manager in Germany? You can start in a more junior, entry-level position such as a social media specialist, marketing coordinator or content marketing specialist. 

You could also try to target smaller companies with fewer employees and more flexible qualification requirements.

Skills needed to be a good marketing manager

A marketing manager oversees everything their marketing team does to bring a product or services to consumers. It includes creating policies, being a target market expert and growing consumers’ interest in products or services (and a lot more). 

To do this job effectively, you need a variety of skills. Let’s look at some expertise you could be expected to have (though, of course, your responsibilities will depend on your job):

• Strong writing skills: You may need to write blogs, emails, reports, ad copy and press releases, to name just a few.
• Content management know-how: You need to ensure that the brand’s content (such as blogs and emails) is high-quality, valuable and effective
• An understanding of people: You have to know what motivates your consumers so you can create effective marketing strategies
• Social media skills: It’s important to know social media channels in-depth – including when to post, what your audience wants and how to use the platform’s analytics.
• Knowledge of different advertising channels: You need to understand both traditional and digital channels.
• UX design skills: User experience (UX) design skills are a must if you’re going to be a digital marketing manager. 
• SEO and SEM expertise: Search engine optimisation (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) skills are also crucial in digital marketing channels to make sure content ranks on search engines and reaches the right audience.
• Interpersonal skills: You need to be able to motivate and lead teams to achieve marketing campaign goals.
• Analytics skills: Knowing how to use analytics tools and analyze data is essential for effective marketing.
• Creativity: You’ll need to think creatively to build unique marketing campaigns that people notice.  
• Language skills: To become a marketing manager in Germany, your German language level will have to be at least upper intermediate, or CEFR level B2. After all, this job is all about communicating: with your teams, clients and consumers. Your messaging needs to come across loud and clear.

Get one step closer with Lingoda

If you’re not sure your German skills will get you into a marketing manager role in Germany, Lingoda is the solution. We’ll help you learn the German language skills that will get you closer to your career goals.

Get in touch with Lingoda, choose a plan that suits you and start improving your German today!