The position of online marketing manager is important; it’s one of the first roles you’ll encounter if you join a growing company and it’s a job that can set you up for the rest of your career. But what does an online marketing manager do? How does an online marketing manager fit into a company? Who are the ideal candidates for this role? Read on to find out more.
The Essential Duties Of An Online Marketing Manager
If you’re reading this, then it’s probably safe to assume that you’re interested in pursuing a career in online marketing. You’ll be pleased to know that the essentials of the role are relatively few. Here are the fundamental responsibilities of an online marketing manager as defined by the market research firm Skillsoft:
- Research and analyze marketplace trends and performance.
- Develop and implement marketing strategies.
- Conduct marketing activity (inbound marketing activities) including attracting, engaging and delighting customers (Grow your revenue without increasing your marketing costs).
- Build and maintain customer relationships.
- Manage the marketing budget.
- Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of marketing activity.
- Prepare various reports.
- Design outreach and engagement strategies for new customers.
- Manage affiliate programs.
Additionally, you’ll need to be able to demonstrate experience in at least one of the following areas:
- digital marketing
- email marketing
- social media marketing
- pay-per-click marketing
- marketing analytics
- content strategy
- performance marketing
- growth hacking
- market penetration
- product management
- sales
- market research
- enterprise SEO
The Difference Between Marketing and Digital Marketing
Before we begin, let’s establish the difference between marketing and digital marketing. Marketing is the process of influencing people to buy your products or services. It tends to focus more on the acquisition of new customers while digital marketing focuses more on existing customers and driving them to behave in a certain way (growing your engagement with them).
In practice, this means that if you’re a restaurant owner, you may decide to market your products and services to millennials who are increasingly frequenting online reviews. You might sponsor a blog discussing food trends or collaborate with a food brand to promote their products.
However, you may also decide that you want to focus on driving traffic to your site. In this case, you would use digital marketing to help your website perform better so that it can rank highly in the search engine rankings.
The Advantage Of Being A “Chief Marketing Officer”
In practice, not all marketing managers work directly for a CMO. In fact, it depends on the company and the structure of the marketing department. In some cases, a marketer may report to a brand manager or a retail manager.
Wherever you fall on this axis, you can understand the value of having a “chief marketing officer” (CMO) overseeing the marketing department. This is becoming more important as businesses rise through the ranks and companies grow in size. As the responsibilities of a company’s marketing department grow, the need for a CMO to take charge of this function increases. In some cases, this may mean that you are the first to encounter problems as you navigate your way through your first position. But you’ll also likely have the opportunity to set the direction of the department and to implement strategies that will move the needle for the company.
Where Do I Begin?
So, now that we know the fundamental responsibilities of an online marketing manager, we can begin to think about the requirements for this role. Remember, you’ll be responsible for shaping and implementing marketing strategies to grow a business. This entails being familiar with a variety of software and tools used for marketing campaigns (MailChimp, HubSpot, Marketo, Pardot, etc.). Additionally, you may need to become familiar with different industries (retail, travel, technology, etc.).
Depending on how you begin your career, you may not need to prepare for a specific role. However, as you progress, you’ll undoubtedly become more experienced and more specialized. When that happens, you’ll be able to pinpoint the requirements for your next role. For example, if you’re looking for a marketing role in a fast-paced travel company, you’ll need to prepare for high work volumes and the ability to handle multiple projects at once.
If you’re looking for a career in digital marketing, it’s essential to get specialized training. You’ll need to take a course on marketing analytics or marketing research methods. Additionally, seek out internships in reputable firms to gain experience. After you’ve gained some experience, look for jobs in the marketing department of a company. You’ll be able to define marketing analytics as a specialty and continue your education while doing what you love most (marketing).
An ideal candidate for the role of online marketing manager will be an outstanding communicator. They will be able to express ideas effectively in writing and speaking and will be skilled at gathering feedback and presenting proposals. Additionally, you’ll need someone who is very detail-oriented and can follow instructions precisely.
The Difference Between Senior Manager And Director
If you’re reading this, then it’s probably safe to assume that you’re already somewhat familiar with the difference between a senior manager and a director. A senior manager is someone who has extensive experience in a certain industry or area of expertise. A director is a “board-level” professional who has oversight responsibilities for a certain business or department (e.g., finance, operations, sales, etc.).
Generally speaking, a senior manager’s responsibilities entail leading a group of people and overseeing a particular function. A director’s responsibilities are similar, but they may also include taking on a certain amount of responsibility for the whole company (e.g., sales, HR, etc.).
In practice, a senior manager is someone who has held a position of responsibility for at least three years. A director is someone who has held a position of responsibility for two years. So, if you’re looking for a role that will further your career, go for it! Just bear in mind the responsibilities that come with the role and prepare to take on more responsibility as you gain experience.
The Difference Between Marketing Management And Digital Marketing Management
Marketing management is the process of planning, implementing, analyzing, and optimizing marketing campaigns and programs. In practice, a marketer will be responsible for defining and executing marketing strategies while a digital marketer focuses more on technology and the different channels used to communicate with customers.
A marketer who is also a digital marketer is someone who is responsible for planning, implementing, analyzing, and optimizing marketing campaigns and programs using both traditional and digital methods. Additionally, they’ll need to be able to set the analytics framework for a marketing department and interpret raw data to determine marketing metrics and evaluate performance.
The advantage of being a “Marketing Management” is that you’ll have the opportunity to specialize in both marketing and digital marketing. Additionally, if you’re looking for a career in marketing, you’ll have two very distinct areas of specialization. If you’re looking for a career in digital marketing, then you’ll need to specialize further in that area. Generally, marketing managers who are also digital marketers will have the opportunity to become spokespeople for various industries and follow various marketing trends as they arise.
The Essential Soft Skills For An Online Marketing Manager
As we discussed above, being an online marketing manager is a fairly low-stress job. But it pays well and the amount of responsibility you have will depend on your experience and the size of the company. So, you’ll need to be prepared to take on more responsibility as you gain experience.
Here are the essential soft skills you’ll need to have as an online marketing manager: