If you’re serious about growing your business through online marketing then you need to be thinking about creating a marketing department, aka an Online Marketing Manager (OMM).

What is an OMM and how do I become one? Let’s take a look.

About LinkedIn

If you haven’t heard of LinkedIn, then I’d recommend you Google it. They are a social media platform with over 250 million users (that’s about half of the total population of the planet).

Think of all the people you know; whether they work in marketing or not, they are all probably on LinkedIn. And if they’re not, then it’s about time they were (I mean, why should you spend all your time running your business when you could be gaining valuable connections).

So, what is LinkedIn? Well, according to Wikipedia

“LinkedIn is a business social network that allows professionals to connect with other professionals, look for jobs, and develop business relationships.”

So basically, LinkedIn is a business networking tool that allows you to create a professional network and connect with people who have something valuable to offer (of course, you have to join to create value).

What is an OMM?

An OMM is someone responsible for developing and executing a digital marketing strategy for a business. If you’re wondering what that even means, here’s an example:

“The Digital Marketing Manager oversees the marketing department and is ultimately responsible for the strategic direction and execution of the department’s plans. This includes overseeing the development of marketing plans, setting business objectives, and the measurement and optimization of marketing activities.”

So basically, your Online Marketing Manager will be responsible for creating and implementing a marketing strategy that will help you grow your business. This might include things like SEO (search engine optimization), social media marketing, email marketing, etc.

Why create an OMM?

If you’re serious about growing your business through online marketing then you need to be thinking about creating a marketing department, aka an OMM. Why? It’s quite simple; having an OMM will help you manage all the different channels (we’ll get into more detail below) that you might use to promote your business.

By having someone specifically responsible for online marketing, you will be able to ensure that all the platforms and technologies that you use are actively promoting your business, rather than accidentally harming it (we’ll discuss how to avoid this issue below).

If you’ve been using online marketing the wrong way, without careful consideration of what you’re doing and why you’re doing it, then you might find that your business begins to suffer, albeit not necessarily immediately. But over time, as competition intensifies, you will find it harder and harder to gain traction in your industry, especially if you’re not equipped for the digital age.

Throwing resources at SEO and digital marketing without a careful consideration of how to utilize these tools effectively might lead you down a path of diminishing returns. The same applies to social media marketing, where you might find yourself drowning in sometimes confusing content, with no clear idea of what is actually working and what isn’t.

An OMM will give you a clear vision of what is working (and, more importantly, what isn’t working) in your online marketing strategy. This person will work closely with you to develop and implement a more effective plan.

Create a plan for your OMM

If you’re wondering what an OMM consists of, then you’ve probably already created one for yourself. But if you haven’t, then you should probably do so now, before you begin to execute the plan. Think of all the different platforms and technologies that you utilize; whether it’s SEO, PPC (pay per click), social media, email marketing, or a combination of these, you need to have a plan in place, so that you’re not wasting any time, energy, or money, and can concentrate on what is working, and what needs to be changed.

Your plan should consist of everything from the overall vision and strategy of your digital marketing campaign, to the specific goals and metrics that you will use to determine your success (more on these below).

You might also want to consider creating a detailed plan, with specific dates and tasks that you will use to accomplish your goals.

The value of a plan

Having a plan is incredibly valuable; you should not underestimate the power of having a plan. By creating a detailed plan and working through each step, you will be able to see exactly how a plan comes together, and what needs to be changed and adjusted as you go along. A plan will also help you track the success of your campaign, and determine what is working and what is not.

Creating a plan gives you a clear idea of where you’re heading, and what needs to be done to get there. You don’t want to leave any stone unturned, and you especially don’t want to skip a step, because then you’ll find yourself in a situation where you didn’t anticipate, and won’t have any clear idea of what happened or where you went wrong. This is why it’s so important to create a detailed plan; without one, you leave yourself open to all kinds of unexpected errors, and the likelihood of getting things wrong is much higher.

Key responsibilities of your OMM

Now that you have a clear idea of what an OMM is and what you’ll be responsible for as an OMM, let’s take a look at the main responsibilities of your position.

As the name implies, your main responsibilities will be to develop and execute a digital marketing strategy for your business (hence the reason why you were responsible for creating the plan in the first place).

What does this mean? Well, it means that you will be creating and implementing marketing plans, setting business objectives, and the measurement and optimization of marketing activities. You’ll also be responsible (at least in part) for the following:

• creating and maintaining business websites
• making effective use of digital marketing platforms and social media
• monitoring industry trends and using this insight to inform your strategy
• conducting keyword research
• compiling and analysing marketing performance data
• producing regular reports
• analyzing competitors’ websites and performing in-depth research into the competitive landscape
• attending trade shows and engaging with customers at events
• responding to and monitoring customer feedback
• ensuring the integrity of the company’s digital footprint
• monitoring and analyzing online reviews
• developing and executing paid media campaigns, such as pay per click and social media marketing
• developing and maintaining email marketing campaigns
• providing support to other departments, such as sales or production, during the planning and execution of marketing campaigns
• regularly analyzing the effectiveness of company websites and social media
• optimizing marketing content, such as web pages, blog articles, and social media posts
• setting up automated emails, such as drip campaigns, to engage and connect with customers
• promoting and measuring the success of company initiatives, including benchmarking and comparing performance against key metrics
• identifying key success stages and measuring progress against these
• managing day-to-day activities, such as analyzing marketing performance and reporting on progress to stakeholders
• project planning and analysis, to track the success of marketing initiatives and determine what changes need to be made
• research and report writing, to provide internal and external customers with information on industry trends, customer needs, and the performance of the business

How to become an effective Online Marketing Manager

If you’re wondering how to become a successful Online Marketing Manager, then you’ve come to the right place. Here are a few tips; follow them and you’ll be on your way to creating an effective marketing department, so you can grow your business.

Understand the field

You might be surprised to learn that marketing isn’t as straightforward as you’d imagine. As the name suggests, marketing is the practice of spreading the word about your product, service, or brand, and gaining interest and loyalty from potential customers. But that’s not all there is to it. Marketing is a constantly changing field, with new technologies emerging, and new industries becoming more digital.