Compensation & Benefits Survey Reinforces Adaptability for New Growth Roles

After hearing an overview of the 2026 Biennial Compensation Survey at the Summit in Palm Springs, growth professionals have asked additional questions about how they can prepare themselves and their teams for constant change in accounting.

This year’s survey data reveals that marketers, business development and practice growth professionals have more career opportunities when they can deliver strategic skills and oversee AI and other technologies. Team restructuring due to M&A integration and new approaches to offshoring are fueling a greater need to demonstrate business value.

For example, on a recent AAM Roundtable call, participants acknowledged that hiring for new positions has slowed but that team structuring is more strategic…focused on business development, operational strategy and client experience.

Call participants cited responsibilities to oversee AI task forces, software implementations and training, which are operational responsibilities they did not manage before. The rise of specialists identified in the 2024 survey has given way to expectations that growth professionals will oversee operational analysis, martech management and pursuit improvements more than ever.

Other call participants mentioned the sheer volume of work coming their way while still operating in small teams or a team of one.

This feedback mirrored survey results about new hires and promotions. Promotions were down from 33% of respondents in 2024 to 24% of respondents in 2026. In addition, only 6% of respondents reported new hires on their teams.

Other Key Insights of the Survey

Salary Changes

We see salaries advancing faster among strategic team leaders and technology specialists compared to more traditional marketing, creative and growth roles. Conversely, there has been a higher demand for coordinators and administrators to manage firm logistics and internal communications. However, salaries for logistical roles are much lower than strategic roles and may not keep up with cost-of-living increases.

At firms experiencing M&A, team restructuring has led to mostly larger teams and new roles, but respondents noted that some roles were not replaced after attrition and some team sizes decreased after M&A or AI investment. Advancement opportunities were reported for titles such as Growth Director, Proposal Specialist, Senior Marketing Manager and Multimedia Specialist.

Insight: For any role, whether creative or strategic, professionals can gain influence and advancement by adding value to operational and communications improvements. Firms are hiring for client experience and internal communications while also advancing professionals with CRM and other martech skills, for example.

More Diverse Benefits & Perks

Just 81% of survey respondents reported a medical benefit at their firm. This may indicate that medical benefits are no longer a given in professional services. Respondents who reported medical benefits gave a variety of options, from 80/20 plans to high-deductible plans with Health Savings Accounts, Health Reimbursement Accounts and supplemental medical insurance for catastrophic events or disability. This indicates that most firms are exploring cost-conscious offerings as health care premiums rise.

The variety of benefits and perks offered is much more diverse at firms of all sizes. Flexible schedules still rank at the top while unique benefits that include volunteer time off, personal wellness stipends and pet insurance are emerging at more firms than before.

To attract or retain people, firms continue to experiment with benefits that differentiate from their competitors.

Insight: Pay attention to efforts to expand benefits while not providing cost of living increases or monetary increases after a promotion. While profit sharing and merit bonuses are still popular incentives, lagging salaries for logistical and creative roles point to the need for all growth professionals to demonstrate strategic ROI.

Signs of Offshoring

Offshoring of marketing and growth roles showed up in this survey for the first time, mainly among large and major firms of $50 million to $200+ million in revenues with multiple offices.

Common roles offshored include proposal writers or managers, digital marketing specialists and website/SEO management. Mid-sized firms were most likely to hire and build relationships with outsourced contractors than to consider offshoring. Small firms indicated little to no outsourcing in the past two years, relying instead on in-house teams exclusively.

Insight: As firms get larger or have PE interests, notice plans for offshoring to international offices or contractors. Identify how your role can adapt in ways that offshore professionals can’t, or perhaps how you or your team can oversee an offshored team.

In positive trends overall, more respondents reported formalized salary structures for each member of the team. Equity opportunities are increasing, specifically at mid-sized firms that are positioned to stay independent. There are also opportunities for more movement between traditional marketing roles and strategic, client and business development roles.

Career Takeaways

Similar to when the digital wave transformed marketing more than a decade ago, current advancements in automation and AI agents are requiring growth professionals to stay adaptable, curious and creative. Using their skills to help firms identify and pursue new business opportunities, they can do it smarter and more efficiently by employing tools and partnerships that add value.

• Stay focused on people and how they make decisions.
• See where the needs of people and the benefits of technology intersect.
• Identify gaps and unmet needs on your team and among clients.
• Get creative! Share your ideas.

About the Survey

The full 2026 AAM Compensation & Benefits report offers low, mid and high salary averages for 75 different titles in accounting marketing, creative roles and business development. This includes entry level roles to executive leadership. More than 154 respondents from 35 U.S. states and Puerto Rico weighed in on experiences with M&A, technology shifts, promotions, new hires, unique perks and benefits.

For the first time this year, respondents at any level in their career could choose to take the survey just for themselves, which allowed for more detailed analysis. Senior level leaders could also report on their team, which provided a snapshot of team organization and new hires.

To help you benchmark your own career and plan ahead for team members, the full report provides resources for calculating competitive salaries by region or city.

More career takeaways for professionals at small, mid-sized, large or major firms are addressed in the report to support team momentum and career advancement at all levels of marketing and business development.   

The AAM Biennial Compensation Survey is the only survey that measures the evolution of accounting marketing and business development careers, compensation and benefits since 2010. Seeking pulse points and leading indicators of this specialized field, the report delivers analysis and recommendations to advance the profession.

The Association for Accounting Marketing 2026 Biennial Compensation Survey is a collaboration between AAM and Ingenuity Marketing Group, LLC, dedicated to providing valuable data on marketing and business development professional compensation and benefits within the public accounting and advisory services industry. The report can be found here on the AAM website.

Christine Nelson is a communications consultant with Ingenuity Marketing Group, LLC