You’re a marketing whizz, with significant experience and success in strategic campaign management, data-driven decision-making, and team leadership. But, how do you communicate this message and encourage a hiring manager to invest in you?
A compelling marketing manager cover letter is the answer. This—often underrated—document can pique the interest of a recruiter and convince them that you have the skill set to achieve all their marketing goals.
How can you get the right marketing mix and land your dream job? By presenting yourself as the product that the employer needs.
Marketing full text-only cover letter example
Dear Mr. Yates,
I am writing to express my strong interest in the Marketing Manager position at Marks & Spencer, as advertised on your company website. With over eight years of experience in marketing and a proven track record of successful campaign management, I believe I would be a valuable asset to your team.
In my current role as Senior Marketing Executive at John Lewis in Leeds, I have developed and implemented strategies that increased customer engagement by 35% and boosted sales by 22% over the past two years. I have a particular passion for retail marketing and have always admired M&S for its innovative campaigns and commitment to quality.
My key strengths include:
- Digital marketing expertise, including social media management and SEO optimization
- Strong analytical skills, with experience in data-driven decision making
- Excellent team leadership and project management abilities
I am excited about the opportunity to bring my skills and experience to Marks & Spencer and contribute to your marketing initiatives. I would welcome the chance to discuss how I can add value to your team.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
Sadie Gibson
Sections of a marketing manager cover letter
When you’re launching a major marketing campaign, you’ll be focused on developing a plan to reach your target audience. The same goes for your marketing manager's cover letter. Having a plan in place in terms of format and structure will ensure you tick all the boxes.
Here are the key sections you need to cover:
- Cover letter header. List your essential contact information, including name, contact details, and LinkedIn URL, in a professional cover letter header.
- Greeting. Address the hiring manager by name, rather than using a less personalised approach such as the generic ‘Dear Sir or Madam.’
- Introduction. Grab the attention of a prospective employer with a powerful introduction that sets you apart from the crowd. Share your enthusiasm for the role.
- Body. Highlight your standout qualifications and contextualise your experience for the specific marketing manager role in the main (body) section of your cover letter.
- Conclusion. Summarise key points and reiterate your strong interest in working with the company. Include a call to action to encourage the hiring manager to get in touch.
- Signature. Wrap up with a professional sign-off, including your full name.
Your marketing manager cover letter should be short and sweet. Stick to a one-page cover letter that is concise, informative, and engaging to avoid the hiring manager zoning out.
Remember, the devil is in the details. Always give your cover letter a thorough review once you’ve finished writing to eliminate any potential errors. One of the top reasons recruiters reject candidates is because of poor grammar and spelling errors in application documents.
Writing a cover letter can be a daunting task. If you need some inspiration, check out our library of related marketing manager cover letter examples:
Another great resource is our article on how to write a cover letter. This provides comprehensive information and details about preparing each section of the perfect cover letter.
Once you’ve perfected your header and greeted the hiring manager, it’s time to move on and create a powerful intro that generates some interest.
Introduction of a marketing manager cover letter
Your cover letter introduction needs to convey your passion for marketing, your strong track record of success, and why you want to join the company. This is your initial pitch, so it needs to sell you as the marketing guru the company needs to hire.
When starting your cover letter, generate some interest by mentioning a notable achievement, anecdote, or providing a compelling backstory.
Dear Mr Yates,
Holding over 10 years of marketing experience, including five years in leadership roles, it is with great interest that I submit my CV for the Marketing Manager position with Elevate. Recently shortlisted for the PRWeek UK Marketing Awards in the FMCG category and with a passion for digital marketing, I’m confident of my ability to excel in this role.
Dear Josh
Hope you’re well. I am writing to apply for the Marketing Manager role with Elevate. I’ve acquired significant experience and success in the field of marketing management, so feel ideally suited to this opportunity.
Highlighting relevant areas in which you have excelled in your marketing career to date is going to resonate much more with the employer than a generic, run-of-the-mill type introduction. For example, if you’ve been nominated or won a marketing award in your chosen sector, then this information should be front and centre in the opening sentences of your cover letter.
Aim to keep your introduction as concise as possible. You don’t need to go into the weeds here. This is more of a teaser to pique the reader's curiosity and encourage them to read on. Stick to two or three sentences that directly relate to the core goals or objectives of the job opening.
Dear Mr. Yates,
I am writing to express my strong interest in the Marketing Manager position at Marks & Spencer, as advertised on your company website. With over eight years of experience in marketing and a proven track record of successful campaign management, I believe I would be a valuable asset to your team.
Marketing manager cover letter body
Follow this tried and tested formula when creating the body section of your cover letter:
- Focus on your unique skills and experience in marketing management
- Demonstrate how you’ll be a great fit for company culture
- Summarise key points via a direct and impactful conclusion
- Wrap up with a persuasive call to action that compels the hiring manager to contact you
First body paragraph
Start strong with a first body paragraph that highlights your stellar marketing and leadership capabilities. Think of this like a compelling marketing campaign that encourages a customer to give your product or service a chance.
Here’s how you can present your skills and experiences in your marketing manager cover letter:
- Showcase your marketing achievements. Cherry pick accomplishments that are relevant to the job opening and demonstrate your industry expertise and leadership skills. Make sure to back these up with quantifiable information.
- Highlight specific marketing expertise. If you’re an expert in digital marketing, SEO optimisation, social media, or retail marketing then highlight these strengths. Use the job description as your guide as to which specific information to include.
- Analytical skills. Recall times when you’ve applied your strong analytical skills to make data-driven decisions and ensure positive outcomes for the organisation.
- Communication. Highlight your strong communication skills in action, including success communicating with cross-functional teams as well as engaging with clients and key stakeholders to manage expectations.
- Leadership. Mention your experience in project management and team leadership. From juggling multiple project tasks to high-quality standards, through to motivating marketing teams to achieve and exceed objectives.
Expand on your CV, but avoid repetition in your cover letter
Cover letters can feel like an add-on task, especially when you’ve channelled all your energy into creating a great marketing management CV. As such, it can be easier to just copy and paste content over from your CV and reword this a little.
Try to view your cover letter as a compliment to your CV, but not identical. Essentially, your CV is the bread and your cover letter is the butter.
Here are some strategies to help you expand and differentiate from your CV:
- Marketing is a creative field so sprinkle some personality in your cover letter by using engaging language and compelling stories. Just keep it professional.
- Elaborate on your key selling points, qualities, and potential in more detail.
- Refer to industry trends, opportunities, and challenges to demonstrate expertise.
Second body paragraph
Companies are looking for marketing professionals who are passionate about joining their organisation, so any opportunity to build rapport is one not to be missed.
Researching the company website and social media platforms is a great way to connect your expertise to a company’s vision and values. You can then communicate this in your cover letter.
For example, John Lewis states their core purpose as, ‘Working in partnership for a happier world,’ and breaks their core values into five key areas:
- Do right: Act with integrity and use judgement to do the right thing.
- All or nothing: Put everything we have into everything we do.
- Give more than you take: Put more in, so everyone gets more out.
- Be yourself. Always: Quirky, proud, and at our best when free to be ourselves.
- We not me: When we work together anything is possible.
Incorporating specifics from a company’s vision and values will ensure your cover letter hits the right note. For example, your strong work ethic and success in leading multidisciplinary marketing campaigns could strike a chord with many of the core values outlined in this example.
In my current role as Senior Marketing Executive at John Lewis in Leeds, I have developed and implemented strategies that increased customer engagement by 35% and boosted sales by 22% over the past two years. I have a particular passion for retail marketing and have always admired M&S for its innovative campaigns and commitment to quality.
My key strengths include:
- Digital marketing expertise, including social media management and SEO optimization
- Strong analytical skills, with experience in data-driven decision making
- Excellent team leadership and project management abilities
I am excited about the opportunity to bring my skills and experience to Marks & Spencer and contribute to your marketing initiatives. I would welcome the chance to discuss how I can add value to your team.
Call to action & conclusion
The closing section of your cover letter needs to persuade the hiring manager to give you a shot at an interview. This is where you need to deliver a compelling end to your marketing manager cover letter and leave a lasting impression.
Focus on the added value you can bring to your prospective employer. Reiterate your commitment to applying your skills and expertise to benefit future marketing initiatives.
Make sure to thank the employer for reviewing your application. This shows you respect their time and may improve your chances of an interview.
End with a confident call to action that invites the hiring manager to contact you about the next steps or schedule an interview.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
Sadie Gibson
Sign off respectfully with a professional closing, such as ‘Sincerely,’ followed by your full name or typed signature.
Key takeaways
A cover letter is an essential component of any job-winning application and provides the opportunity to position yourself as the best marketing manager for the job.
Showcase your top-flight marketing skills, experience, and achievements, combined with your strong leadership capabilities throughout your marketing manager cover letter. Adopt a clear and professional format, then add a dash of personality for the perfect marketing mix.
Try our cover letter builder to commit your professional marketing career story to paper and boost your job interview prospects!
