Marketing managers are responsible for analysing industry trends as well as the demand for products and services. They then create a strategy in order to market the product or service which they are responsible for. In addition, they may also be responsible for establishing as well as maintaining a brand’s image as well as making sure that it conforms with the company’s vision in addition to values. (If the company is larger, they may employ a brand manager who will be tasked with this.)
Marketing managers often collaborate with sales managers, financial staff as well as advertising companies in order to ensure that they have a successful strategy to implement. Marketing managers will oversee their marketing strategy, from cradle to grave, and gather data regarding its effectiveness.
Marketing managers oversee the various stages of all marketing efforts. Examples of what they manage include:
- Logos,
- Package design,
- Advertising campaigns,
- Pricing strategies, and
- Media outlet selection.
These professionals also monitor every activity which is related to brand awareness, such as email campaigns and newsletters, contests, celebrity endorsements as well as product placement in the media.
The role of the marketing manager
The marketing manager’s role is commonly confused with the one of a public relations manager who conducts the planning as well as directing of material-creation which is aimed at maintaining or enhancing the public image of a company or client.
These two positions are complementary and attend to very specific aspects:
- Marketing focuses on “paid media” as advertising is paid for and will appear as requested.
- Public Relations is linked with “earned media” as press releases are sent to media outlets with no guarantee of being shared with the public.
Marketing managers have a number of responsibilities, such as putting together estimates and budgets for marketing campaigns, submitting these for approval, working with advertising agencies, being involved in negotiations, preparing sales and advertising contracts, and reviewing advertising material such as print material, TV commercials, and online advertisements.
What environments do marketing managers work in?
Most marketing managers work in an office. They usually have their own offices however they may attend meetings which take place in conference rooms or communal workspaces.
Some marketing managers may work in a number of locations if they are directly engaged with the production of the company. Marketing managers may also give facility tours to media or, alternatively, potential business partners.
More companies are beginning to make use of open offices, which means that marketing managers work at desks near their employees as opposed to in their own offices. Dependent on how you work, this can either result in collaboration across multiple departments or, alternatively, it can serve to create a distracting environment.
As a marketing manager, you will usually have a company laptop. Sometimes, you may even have a company smartphone. You may be required to take these home if you’re close to a tight deadline. Some companies permit their marketing managers to work from for a few days during the week as long as they have a reliable connection to the Internet.
Many marketing professionals toil for years in order to become marketing managers. Candidates at the marketing coordinator level should enlist in leadership training classes in addition to finding a professional mentor. Once a person reaches the position of manager, it could take six months to a year in order to become fully trained. As there are so many moving elements that it is necessary to the position, it takes a long to master each one.
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