If you are considering a career in advertising it is wise to understand the different positions that exist within the industry as well as advertising industry salaries. Advertising salaries differ based on the size of the agency as well as your job responsibilities.

An advertising salary depends on whether you are a copy writer or an account executive, a graphic designer or a media planner. It is also worth noting that advertising agency salaries may vary from salaries in advertising paid by companies that have in-house advertising departments. In order to provide you with advertising salary tools basics and teach you where to make informative comparisons, you need to do the following:

1. Compare advertising compensation according to role.

2. Check out advertising industry salary scales based on experience.

3. Learn how agency advertising salaries stack up according to what type of company you work for.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Compare advertising agency salaries according to role

The number of roles that exist in the field of advertising are too numerous to count. There are creative roles, money management roles, sales roles and administrative roles. Within these areas there are entry level positions up to more senior roles, where people management is required.

I recommend: Salary lists advertising salary ranges for a variety of roles within the advertising industry. The site also includes benefit and perks information. Readex Research's compensation calculator allows you to compute salaries for various types of advertising sales-related positions.

Compare advertising agency salaries based on experience

Salary analysis indicate that advertising salaries are modest for those with less than five years of experience. Perhaps surprisingly, research appears to show that pay does not vary much for those who have had anywhere from five to 20 years of experience. Once you've reached the top, however, advertising executive salary pay is much higher.

I recommend: PayScale lists salary information for an advertising account executive according to years of experience. Crain Communications' Advertising Age publication has produced many surveys that show pay at the highest and most experienced levels. Scroll down to Executive Compensation and click on the survey that interests you.

Compare advertising salaries at various places of employment

Advertising salaries vary according to the type of business that employs you. Public relations and marketing, media and communications companies, as well as other companies where public image and branding are important, all hire employees to work in advertising-related roles.

I recommend: Vault lists various salaries for a variety of different advertising positions at several different companies. The salary range depending on the type of company doing the hiring is clear, according to the listings for advertising managers at Jobs-Salary.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  While there is no doubt that a career in advertising is fast-paced and exciting, the industry is known for requiring long hours of its employees. Be sure to consider this when weighing what you learn regarding advertising industry salaries.

Advertising compensation should line up with your business plan and strategies, as it impacts recruitment, retention and job performance for your sales staff. Make an analysis of your current compensation system your starting point. From there, you can determine pay structures and develop pay ranges through survey sources.

With a compensation and advertising salaries system in place, you will be positioned to strengthen your business and improve your compensation and reward structure, thus improving performance. The ultimate goal is, of course, to send your profits to new heights.

The average annual salary for advertising jobs is listed between $45,000 and $59,000. However, salaries in advertising vary significantly, depending upon the level of responsibility, length of service, education, firm size and location. Other factors to consider include:

1. Advertising salaries may depend on the size of sales territory a representative has to cover.

2. Advertising agency salaries should reflect the representative's experience.

3. Potential for bonuses and commissions should be reflected in advertising salary.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find advertising pay scale online

A number of online sources exist when it comes to researching advertising agency salaries. Much research has been conducted on the subject and most salary reports can be ordered online. You can usually find basic information for free.

I recommend: Access salary survey information from PayScale. You'll find not just base salary data but also commission scales as well.

Hire a consultant to come up with an advertising salary guide

If you're not a human resources professional, it may be best to hire one on for the job of establishing advertising salary ranges and policies. You may find professional help especially great if you're revamping your entire performance evaluation system.

I recommend: HR Consultants, Inc. offers a number of human resource services including compensation analysis and design. The Employers Resource Association offers its member organizations human resource specialist services where a professional can help out a business, based upon its needs, with no contract, just hourly billing.

Compute advertising industry salaries through software

If your budget won't allow for hiring a professional human resources specialist, consider software as a valuable option when it comes to determining advertising industry salaries. There are many different software packages to choose from.

I recommend: Receive a free trial, schedule a demo or product tour of Halogen Software's eCompensation software. Callidus Sales Performance Warehouse software covers incentive compensation management, territory management, quota planning and performance analytics. Download a data sheet or an incentive management white paper.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Employment in advertising positions is expected to increase. Job growth will increase because of competition in products and services offered to consumers, spurring activity in a variety of advertising media.

It's important to understand the advertising industry salary ranges when hiring or looking for a job. The salary surveys and tools available can help with negotiations and possibly relocation expenses, but only with proper utilization of the tools. Advertising salary tools education and training involves understanding how to calculate a decent salary for an advertising position at different ranges. There are entry-level positions, administrative positions and executive positions. Each position has its own salary requirements and perks.

When researching salaries in advertising, it's important to remember that salaries vary based on location and size of the agency. An advertising salary calculator will give you the approximate salary for an area, but researching advertising agency salaries is important, too. When using salary tools to help with negotiations or relocation expenses, remember the following:

1. The base salary isn't the only compensation for advertising jobs. Bonuses and incentives affect your salary.

2. Factor in the cost of living when negotiating advertising salaries with employers.

3. Stock options are another factor that increase salary earnings for advertisers, so consider those when using salary tools.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Understand the key terms of advertising compensation

When researching average advertising salaries, knowledge of industry terms is important. If you don't understand the terms used in salary survey and reports, you won't be able to utilize them properly when doing salary research.

I recommend: Check out the definitions of some key terms used in salary reports at Advertising Age, published by Crain Communications. A list of useful terms can be found at Quintessential Careers.

Use a cost of living calculator along with an advertising salary guide

The cost of living is an important factor when negotiating salary. A $50,000 salary may sound ideal, unless the average cost of living in that area averages $75,000 or more. Take advantage of more than one cost of living calculator, since different calculators give different averages. One idea is to use two different calculators and choose a median salary range based off the two calculations. For example, if one calculator says you need to make $40,000 and another says $60,000, you can guess that a salary of $45,000 or more is what you need.

I recommend: CBsalary.com lets you approximate salary based on location or job title. The calculator at Fast Forward breaks down the cost of living by food costs, taxes and housing costs.

Read surveys and calculate advertising industry salaries for various positions

Salary surveys are a great training tool for giving background information on various advertising career salaries. In-depth surveys usually require a fee for service, but are worth the investment if aiming for an executive position within an advertising agency. Using a salary calculator that narrows down average salaries based on information of your current advertising position may be more accurate than a general salary calculator.

I recommend: Readex Research offers a compensation calculator based on job function, number of people employed and ad revenue. Vault.com offers a variety of salary surveys for the advertising field, but does have a membership fee.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Consider taking a class on job hunting, if you're a recent graduate. These classes will teach you a little more about salary tools and salary negotiations that you can apply to salaries in the advertising industry.