Newspapers, periodicals and every other media outlet that relies upon advertising revenue uses the skills of advertisers to make money. These workers can be found working for a wide range of media firms, and are generally responsible for finding and keeping clients that buy advertising. Advertisers may also be responsible for creating ad campaigns on behalf of employers or clients.

Responsibilities

Advertisers, also known as advertising sales agents, account executives, or advertising representatives, play an important role in generating income for many media outlets. These workers find both local and national clients willing to advertise with their publications or media outlets. They are responsible for finding new clients, maintaining relationships with current clients and ensuring the advertising needs of both the client and their employer are met.

Education

While some employers may allow those with only a high school education to work as an advertiser, many prefer entry-level positions to be filled by people with college degrees. Majors in marketing, communications, business or advertising are often considered ideal for these jobs. Many advertisers go through on-the-job training when they first start their careers, often learning under the tutelage of a more experienced advertiser.

Daily Life

The job of an advertiser can be quite stressful, especially if his income and job security is dependent on his successfully finding and maintaining a steady stream of advertising revenue. Many advertisers worked long and irregular hours, sometimes requiring travel to meet with prospective clients. Working more than 40 hours a week is common, as is working on weekends and holidays.

Skills

One of the most important skills and advertiser can possess is the ability to easily relate to and communicate with other people. Much of the success, or failure, of an advertiser lies in her interpersonal skills and ability to create strong and lasting relationships. The ability to be self-motivated, organized and persistent are also highly desirable skills.

Joss and Salary

The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that in 2008 there were approximately 166,000 advertising sales agent jobs in the United States. These jobs were expected to increase about as fast as average from 2008 to 2018. The average salary for these advertisers in 2008 was about $43,000 a year. The middle half earned between $30,000 and $64,000 a year in salary, with the top 10 percent earning more than $93,000 a year.