Marketing managers are in charge of driving sales, customer satisfaction and brand awareness. Marketing managers may also oversee other departments like sales and customer service if their company has a large customer base. Marketing managers need to stay on top of industry trends, understand how marketing tactics affect sales and make strategic decisions based on those factors. In any organization, there are many obstacles and challenges that can get in the way of achieving these goals. However, there are also a number of ways that marketers can overcome these obstacles and challenges and excel in their job function. If you've been thinking about becoming a marketing manager or are currently working in this capacity at an organization, read on for information about the job responsibilities of this role, common obstacles and challenges to success and ways you can prepare to succeed in this role before you start your job hunt.
Marketing managers are responsible for creating, managing and measuring marketing strategies and activities. Marketing strategies help marketers create a plan for how they will reach their customers and drive sales. Marketing strategies also include marketing tactics, which are the specific methods that marketers use to reach their customers.Marketing managers are responsible for creating marketing initiatives and managing the resources needed to execute them. Marketing managers also monitor the effectiveness of these initiatives to ensure that they are driving the desired outcomes.Marketing managers are also responsible for measuring marketing performance, understanding the impact that marketing activities have on the business and making adjustments as needed. Marketing managers should be familiar with a variety of marketing metrics and understand how they are calculated.
- Lack of access to data - Marketing managers are typically in charge of measuring and analyzing marketing metrics. However, many organizations don't have the data they need to do this. This means that marketing managers often need to make assumptions and use data that may not be entirely accurate.- Lack of resources - If an organization doesn't have the budget to fund marketing initiatives, it's likely that marketing managers will struggle to execute their plans.- Communication breakdowns - Marketing managers often need to collaborate with multiple departments to execute their marketing plans. If there are problems with communication, this will significantly slow down the entire process.- The "marketing-only" stigma - Some companies don't include marketing managers in executive meetings and focus only on sales numbers. Marketing managers need to work to combat this stigma while also making sure that marketing is given the attention it needs to succeed.
Network - Marketing managers should make an effort to meet and network with professionals from all different roles in the company. This will help them understand the challenges that other departments face and how they can support marketing operations and initiatives.- Build a portfolio of marketing-focused work - Marketing managers should create a portfolio of marketing-focused work throughout their undergraduate career. This will provide evidence of their marketing abilities and help them overcome the "marketing-only" stigma.
Get hands-on experience - Marketing managers should get as much hands-on experience as possible in marketing-related projects. This will help them develop the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in their role.
Build a network - Marketing managers should make an effort to build a network of professionals from various fields. This will help them gain insights into other industries and fields and understand how these industries approach marketing.
Learn the basics of your industry - As a new marketer, it's important to understand the basics of your industry. Marketing managers should be able to identify the key trends and drivers for success in their industry. This will help them make better strategic decisions and communicate their ideas to the rest of the organization more effectively.
Keep up with evolving industry trends - Marketing managers should keep up with industry trends and understand how they can affect marketing operations and initiatives.
Learn how different marketing channels work together - Marketing managers should understand how different marketing channels work together to achieve the company's overall marketing goals. This will help them make better strategic decisions and identify opportunities for synergy between marketing channels.
Develop relationships with key stakeholders - Marketing managers should make an effort to build strong relationships with key stakeholders in the organization. This will help them gain a better understanding of their business and make better strategic decisions.
Marketing managers are in charge of creating, managing and measuring marketing strategies and activities. Marketing managers are responsible for creating marketing initiatives and managing the resources needed to execute them. Marketing managers are also responsible for measuring marketing performance, understanding the impact that marketing activities have on the business and making adjustments as needed.