Bonafide Marketing Genius

What is an Online Marketing Manager?

In today’s ever-evolving digital world, the roles and responsibilities of marketing leaders are expanding and changing. What was once an offline marketing function is now an essential part of a company’s (or institution’s) digital strategy, with marketers responsible for everything from SEO and content creation to social media and email marketing.

If you’re responsible for the digital marketing of a business or organization, you may be called an online marketing manager. In today’s world, your job is basically to build and grow a business unit that can produce revenues and achieve profitability. In addition to this, you’ll be responsible for leading the marketing function, setting the strategic direction of the business, and ensuring the marketing budget is efficiently used.

Why Online Marketing?

The evolution of business has brought with it a new era of competition, customer engagement, and productivity. Traditional marketing, which mainly consisted of billboards, magazine spreads, and radio ads, simply cannot compete with the digital marketing and data-driven marketing that emerged in the late 1990s. Even before the digital marketing revolution, the line between marketing and management was blurred, and traditional marketers were tasked with executing marketing plans that involved everything from advertising to sales.

In today’s digital marketing world, marketing plans are no longer necessary. Instead, each department (including marketing) works together to establish specific monthly goals and then measures the results of those efforts. This results in a much more data-driven approach to marketing, with each department, including marketing, sharing the same goal of driving revenue and profit. This close collaboration is essential for digital marketers as they strive to meet the unique demands of the customers that choose their products or services.

Key responsibilities of an online marketing manager:

  • Creating and maintaining clear communication channels across all marketing platforms
  • Maintaining and expanding the business’s digital footprint
  • Analyzing marketing data and acting as a market intelligence resource for the business
  • Developing and implementing marketing strategies, focusing on increasing productivity and driving revenue, while decreasing costs and waste
  • Setting the strategic direction of the business, both short and long term
  • Building and leading a marketing organization that can generate profitable growth
  • Ensuring the marketing budget is efficiently used
  • Meeting the unique demands of customers through relevant and timely delivery of products and services
  • Working with suppliers and vendors to establish a cost-effective and comprehensive supply chain
  • Developing and implementing plans to maximize the business’s online reputation and prevent brand damage
  • Creating compelling and consistent messaging, both online and off
  • Leveraging digital marketing to attract and retain customers
  • Creating and maintaining effective work environments for employees
  • Developing and maintaining effective business relationships
  • Growing and maintaining a high level of professionalism

Key tasks of an online marketing manager:

  • Planning and implementing digital marketing campaigns
  • Analyzing and interpreting online activity, from marketing to sales and engagement
  • Developing and executing marketing strategies, projects, and programs
  • Collaborating with other departments, such as sales, to identify and address marketing-related issues
  • Measuring the success of marketing efforts and adjusting strategies as needed
  • Researching and analyzing current and emerging trends in marketing
  • Creating and maintaining a good reputation for the business online and offline

So, what is an online marketing manager? What is the difference between an online marketer and an online market manager? Simply put, an online marketer creates and drives marketing activity across all marketing platforms, including SEO, content marketing, social media, and email.

An online marketing manager is responsible for the long-term growth and profitability of a business or organization via digital marketing. He or she is typically a senior level manager with a marketing background, and is experienced in leading and growing a marketing function. In addition to this, he or she has responsibility for developing and executing a digital marketing strategy, setting the direction of the business, and measuring the performance of marketing content.

As a marketing leader, you’ll have the opportunity to set the strategic direction of your department or team. To do this, you’ll need to develop and maintain strong communication channels with your employees, as well as external stakeholders, including sales and customer service.

Whether you’re a solo entrepreneur or part of a larger company, digital marketing requires unique skills and a different approach. To ensure you’re equipped to lead the marketing function of your business or organization, consider the following:

Strategic thinking

In the digital marketing world, data-driven marketing is the name of the game, as you’ll never know what will work and what won’t until you try it. To remain successful, you’ll need to develop the ability to think strategically about your efforts, analyzing marketing data and results to determine what is and isn’t working and adjusting your strategies accordingly.

Decisiveness

No one factor will make or break your strategic leadership. Instead, it’s a combination of your ability to make the right decision quickly and effectively, using your judgment to weigh the pros and cons of various options and coming to a sound conclusion.

Creativity

If you’re looking to establish a career in digital marketing, you’ll need to have the creative spark to come up with ideas that will grow your business or organization. To be successful, you’ll need to have the ability to think outside of the box and be innovative, coming up with new approaches to traditional marketing that will produce outstanding results.

Analytical skills

Analogies often fail in the digital marketing world, but it’s similar to the way sports work. If you want to be a successful (and profitable) marketer, you’ll need to develop the ability to analyze data and results, determine cause and effect, and draw conclusions and recommendations.

Communication skills

To be successful in your role, you’ll need to possess the communication skills to both listen and speak with customers, partners, and other departments within your organization, analyzing and interpreting data to determine results.

Leadership skills

To lead a marketing department, you’ll need to have the ability to motivate and encourage your employees, establishing clear metrics for success and then holding yourself accountable to meet or exceed them. In addition to this, you’ll need to be a strong leader, setting the direction of the business and ensuring all departments work cooperatively towards a common goal.

How can you develop these skills?

As a budding entrepreneur, you’ll start your journey to building a successful business with little knowledge of marketing. But, like any other facet of business, once you develop the mindset and approach, you’ll be able to understand and implement the various principles of marketing so you can grow your business successfully.