Marketing managers are responsible for planning, directing and overseeing the implementation of an organization’s marketing strategy. They lead teams focused on branding, product and service portfolio management, customer experience and communication, social media marketing, and other key marketing activities. Successful marketing managers are well-rounded individuals who are able to understand the business implications of their recommendations and communicate their findings clearly to other members of the organization. They also understand the importance of collaboration with other members of the organization and often have an informal role as a facilitator who can bring people together to explore new ideas.Marketing managers must be strategic thinkers who can recognize opportunities, develop plans to capture them and then lead implementation efforts to make sure all the proper actions are taken and all necessary resources are in place. They need excellent communication and people skills, as well as the ability to prioritize their tasks and work well with their colleagues in other departments.
A first step in the marketing management process is defining the role of marketing within the organization. Marketing managers should look at the company’s vision and mission statements to see where their work fits in and what the overall goals of the organization are. Marketing managers should also talk to other departments about their goals, so they can understand how their work fits in and what they hope to achieve.Marketing managers should also look at the company’s current marketing initiatives and see if any of those fit in with their goals. Marketing managers may want to create new initiatives, or tweak existing ones, to fit in better with their vision. They should also take a look at competitive marketing strategies to see what the competition is doing and how they are doing it. Marketing managers should ask themselves what can the company do better than the competition?
Once marketing managers understand their organization’s goals and the current marketing initiatives, they should build an action agenda. This is a list of initiatives that should be considered in light of the company’s vision and current marketing initiatives. It’s important to include a timeline for implementing each initiative and consider things like the resources and funding needed to make each initiative successful. Marketing managers should include metrics in their action agendas so they can measure progress and make adjustments as needed.
As marketing managers build the action agendas for their organization, they should also look at the capabilities that are necessary to achieve those initiatives. Marketing managers should identify the skills and knowledge each member of their team needs to achieve their objectives. This will help marketing managers evaluate their team members and determine if they have the right people for the job.
Once marketing managers understand their organization’s goals, competitive situation and capabilities, they can create an implementation plan. The implementation plan should include a timeline, a description of each initiative, a list of team members responsible for each initiative and a list of metrics to measure progress and success. For example, if a company wants to increase its presence in online retail marketplaces, an implementation plan may include creating a new website, hiring a designer to update the design of the company’s website, and making the website mobile-friendly.
Marketing managers should communicate the goals and progress of their organization’s marketing initiatives to the rest of the organization and also to customers. Marketing managers should communicate the vision for the organization, the competitive situation and the company’s current initiatives. They should then communicate their organization’s goals and what they hope to achieve with the marketing initiatives.Marketing managers should also communicate the progress of their initiatives, both with their teammates and with customers.
Marketing managers should also engage customers in the creation of marketing initiatives. Marketing managers should ask customers what they want and what problems they have with the products and services. Marketing managers should then use these insights to improve their organization’s products and services.Marketing managers should consider the use of co-creation tools that facilitate two-way communication between customers and companies.
Marketing managers are responsible for planning, directing and overseeing the implementation of an organization’s marketing strategy. They lead teams focused on branding, product and service portfolio management, customer experience and communication, social media marketing, and other key marketing activities. Successful marketing managers are well-rounded individuals who are able to understand the business implications of their recommendations and communicate their findings clearly to other members of the organization. They also understand the importance of collaboration with other members of the organization and often have an informal role as a facilitator who can bring people together to explore new ideas.