Types of Marketing: 20 Kinds Explained, and the Jobs Each One Leads To

What are the main types of marketing?

Marketing splits into types by what it’s trying to do (build a brand, drive a sale, keep a customer) and by the channel it uses (search, social, email, events). The labels overlap, and a single campaign often uses several. But job titles follow these types closely, so they’re a useful map if you’re choosing where to start or where to go next.

Here’s the short version; each type has its own section below.

This page is about the kinds of work. For how the titles stack up by level, from coordinator to CMO, see marketing job titles.

Brand marketing

Brand marketing decides what a brand stands for and makes sure every campaign, product and channel says it. It works on long-term demand: whether people think of the brand when they need the category, and whether they prefer it.

The work includes positioning, campaign strategy, brand guidelines, agency management and brand tracking. In consumer goods companies, brand managers often run a product line almost like a small business, with responsibility for pricing, packaging and sales results too.

Jobs it leads to: assistant brand manager, brand manager, senior brand manager, brand director, VP of brand, CMO. See how to become a brand manager.

Performance marketing

Performance marketing buys ads that produce a measurable action, like a sale, a sign-up or a lead, and is judged on what that action costs. Search ads, paid social, shopping ads and retargeting are its core channels.

It’s numbers-heavy: bids, budgets, audiences, creative testing and attribution. The difference from brand marketing is mostly the time frame and the measure, and the strongest teams plan the two together. Our page on brand vs performance marketing covers the trade-offs and the careers.

Jobs it leads to: paid search or paid social specialist, performance marketing manager, head of performance, VP of growth.

Digital marketing

Digital marketing is the umbrella term for marketing through online channels: search, social, email, display, websites and apps. In practice, a “digital marketing” job is often a generalist role that runs several of those channels for a small or mid-sized company.

Jobs it leads to: digital marketing coordinator or specialist, digital marketing manager, director of digital. See how to become a digital marketing manager and digital marketing interview questions.

Content marketing

Content marketing creates articles, guides, video, newsletters and other material people choose to read or watch, so they find and trust the brand before they buy. It overlaps heavily with SEO and social.

Jobs it leads to: content writer, content marketing manager, content strategist, head of content, editorial director. See how to become a content strategist.

SEO (search engine optimization)

SEO gets a website found in unpaid search results, and increasingly in the answers AI assistants give. The work covers keyword research, technical site health, content planning and links.

It suits people who like both analysis and writing.

Jobs it leads to: SEO specialist, SEO manager, head of SEO, director of search. See how to become an SEO specialist.

Social media marketing

Social media marketing runs a brand’s own accounts: content, publishing, community replies, social listening and reporting. At larger brands it splits into organic social, paid social and community roles.

Jobs it leads to: social media coordinator, social media manager, head of social, director of social. See how to become a social media manager.

Creator and influencer marketing

Creator marketing pays or partners with people who have their own audiences to make content about the brand. The work is finding the right creators, briefing them, negotiating, managing contracts and disclosure rules, and measuring results.

It often sits inside the social team, sometimes in brand or PR.

Jobs it leads to: influencer coordinator, creator partnerships manager, head of creator marketing.

Email and lifecycle marketing

Lifecycle marketing (also called CRM or retention marketing) talks to existing customers through email, text messages, push notifications and in-app messages. Its job is to get people to use the product more, buy again and stay.

The work is segmentation, automated journeys, testing and reading cohort data. It’s especially valued at subscription, app and e-commerce businesses.

Jobs it leads to: email marketing specialist, lifecycle or CRM manager, head of retention.

Product marketing

Product marketing sits between the product team, sales and the rest of marketing. It decides how a product is positioned and priced, plans launches and gives sales the story and materials to sell it.

It’s most common at technology and B2B companies. Product marketers need to understand customers and competitors in depth, and to write clearly.

Jobs it leads to: product marketing manager, senior PMM, director of product marketing, VP of marketing. See how to become a product marketing manager.

Growth marketing

Growth marketing runs fast experiments across the whole customer journey (acquisition, activation, retention and referral) to grow the number of active users or customers. It mixes performance marketing, lifecycle, product changes and analytics.

Jobs it leads to: growth marketer, growth marketing manager, head of growth, VP of growth. See growth marketing interview questions.

PR and communications

PR earns coverage the brand doesn’t pay for: press, podcasts, reviews and expert commentary. Communications also covers reputation, crisis response, executive messaging and internal communications.

Jobs it leads to: PR coordinator, PR specialist, PR manager, director of communications, chief communications officer. See how to become a PR specialist.

Event and experiential marketing

Event marketing runs conferences, trade shows, launch events, pop-ups and sponsorships. In B2B, events are judged on the sales meetings they produce; in consumer marketing, experiential work builds the brand and creates content.

The work is planning, vendor management, budgets, logistics and measuring what each event produced.

Jobs it leads to: event coordinator, event marketing manager, head of events or experiential.

Partner, affiliate and channel marketing

Partner marketing sells through other companies: retailers, resellers, affiliates, co-marketing partners or app marketplaces. Affiliate marketing pays publishers and creators a commission on sales they send.

Jobs it leads to: partner or affiliate marketing manager, channel marketing manager, head of partnerships.

Field and trade marketing

Field marketing supports sales in a region or territory, often in B2B. Trade marketing works with retailers on how products are shown, promoted and stocked in stores. Both are close to sales and judged on sales results.

Jobs it leads to: field marketing manager, trade marketing manager, regional marketing director.

Marketing analytics

Marketing analytics measures what marketing does: reporting, attribution, testing, forecasting and, at larger companies, marketing mix modeling. Analysts often move into growth, strategy or leadership roles because they understand what drives results.

Jobs it leads to: marketing analyst, senior analyst, marketing analytics manager, head of marketing science. See how to become a marketing analyst and the marketing metrics glossary.

Creative

Creative teams come up with ideas and make the work: copy, design, video and art direction. They sit in-house or at agencies, and work closely with brand and social teams.

Jobs it leads to: junior copywriter or designer, senior copywriter or designer, art director, associate creative director, creative director. See how to become a copywriter and how to become a creative director.

Account-based marketing

Account-based marketing (ABM) targets a list of named companies with tailored campaigns, working hand in hand with sales. It’s a B2B discipline, most common at companies selling large contracts.

Jobs it leads to: ABM specialist, ABM manager, head of ABM or demand generation.

Video and audio marketing

Video and audio marketing produces and distributes video, streaming ads and podcasts, from short social clips to brand films. Some roles are mostly production; others are strategy and media buying for video and audio channels.

Jobs it leads to: video producer, video marketing manager, head of video or content production.

Community marketing

Community marketing builds spaces where customers talk to each other and to the brand: forums, Discord or Slack groups, ambassador programs and local meetups. It’s common at software, gaming and enthusiast consumer brands.

Jobs it leads to: community coordinator, community manager, head of community.

Word-of-mouth and referral marketing

Referral and loyalty marketing turns existing customers into a source of new ones, through referral programs, loyalty schemes and reviews. It usually sits with the lifecycle or growth team.

Jobs it leads to: loyalty or referral marketing manager, head of loyalty.

What’s the difference between B2B and B2C marketing?

B2B marketing sells to businesses; B2C sells to consumers. Most of the types above exist in both, but the work feels different.

Moving between the two is common, but expect interviewers to ask how your experience translates. Name the parts that carry over: running tests, owning a budget, managing agencies, writing positioning.

Which type of marketing should you go into?

Pick the type that matches the work you like doing day to day, not the one with the trendiest title. A few honest pointers:

• If you like numbers and fast feedback: performance, growth, lifecycle or analytics.
• If you like ideas and storytelling: brand, content, creative or PR.
• If you like people and live work: events, community, partner or field marketing.
• If you like understanding customers and products: product marketing or brand management.
• If you want the broadest base for a leadership role: a generalist digital or marketing manager role at a smaller company, then a specialty.

You don’t have to choose forever. Many marketers try two or three types before one sticks, and every one of them teaches skills that carry over. Pick the one that fits best right now and look at three postings for it this week.

Where you work matters too. The same type of marketing looks different at an agency and in-house; our page on in-house vs agency marketing covers that choice. If you’re starting out, see entry-level marketing jobs and how to get into marketing. If you’d rather work for yourself, freelance marketing explains how people build that.

How do the types come together at the top?

Leadership roles combine them: a marketing director might run brand, content and social, and a CMO answers for all of them plus the budget. People aiming for the top usually spend time in a creative discipline and a measurable one. See how to become a CMO for the usual paths.

FAQ

What are the 4 types of marketing?

There’s no official list of four. People sometimes mean the four Ps (product, price, place, promotion), which are parts of a marketing plan, not types. Others mean four broad groups: brand, performance, content and product marketing. The types on this page are the ones that map to real jobs.

Which type of marketing pays the most?

Pay depends more on level, industry and location than on the type of marketing. Leadership roles that own a large budget or revenue target pay the most. Our marketing salaries pages have US government figures by role.

What type of marketing is best for beginners?

Social media, content, email and digital generalist roles are common first jobs and let you build a portfolio quickly. Analytics and performance roles suit people with strong number skills.

Is digital marketing a type of marketing?

Yes, but it’s an umbrella rather than a single discipline. It covers SEO, paid search, paid and organic social, email, content and websites, and many digital marketing jobs combine several of them.

Can you switch between types of marketing?

Yes, and it’s common. Moves between neighboring types (content to SEO, social to creator marketing, performance to growth) are easiest because the skills overlap.

What are the main types of digital marketing?

The main types of digital marketing are search (SEO and paid search), social media (organic and paid), content marketing, email and lifecycle marketing, display and video advertising, affiliate and partner marketing, and creator or influencer marketing. Lists of “4” or “7” types group these differently, but they cover the same ground. Each one is also a job family, so it’s worth knowing which you enjoy most.

What are the types of email marketing?

The main types of email marketing are newsletters, promotional emails, welcome and onboarding series, triggered or behavioral emails (such as abandoned-cart or re-engagement emails), transactional emails (such as receipts and shipping updates) and announcement emails for launches or events. Email marketing jobs usually own several of these at once, and lifecycle marketing managers focus on the automated ones.

What are the types of content marketing?

Common types of content marketing are blog articles and guides, video, podcasts, newsletters, social content, case studies, ebooks and reports, webinars, and tools or templates. The right mix depends on where the audience spends time and what they need to decide. Content marketers often specialize in one or two formats, so a portfolio with a few strong examples beats one with a bit of everything.

What are the types of marketing research?

Marketing research is usually split into primary research, which you collect yourself through surveys, interviews, focus groups and tests, and secondary research, which uses data that already exists, such as industry reports and public statistics. It’s also split into qualitative research (why people think and act as they do) and quantitative research (how many and how much). Market research analysts do this work full time.