Marketing has changed drastically over the past several years. From having a limited reach to clients, companies can now be in the minds of customers 24/7. It’s all thanks to the many social media platforms and cutting-edge technology that continually emerge. Now, everything is digital.
And if you think you’re the only one who can use digital marketing to your advantage, you are mistaken. Your competitors can do the same thing. It’s truly a competition among brands to win the attention of customers. Competition can be fierce, so you’re going to have to step up your marketing game. And how can you do that? By getting a marketing director to take charge of your marketing process.
What is a marketing director exactly, and why do you need one? Read on to find out and see how hiring one can drastically boost your marketing efforts.
What Is a Marketing Director?
A marketing director is your company officer in charge of marketing. The director takes care of strategy in communications and the overall branding and image of the company. Marketing directors must ensure a clear message resonates from your brand and that your customers can unquestionably see that message. Directors help customers feel a personal connection with the company and encourage them to become repeat investors in products or services. The role is in charge of establishing a marketing plan, creating a calendar of campaigns, and setting the marketing budget. They also conduct competitor research to see how your brand stacks up against other companies. Marketing directors do whatever it takes to ensure they effectively promote the company and its products.
The most important thing that a marketing director can do for a company? Clarifying the direction of company marketing to make certain products sell. Remember, you are running a business. If your products are not selling, your company will not survive.
A marketing director is also known as a marketing manager or a chief marketing officer. Those titles are used interchangeably to refer to the same position. Companies determine for themselves what term to use.
Some companies use the term marketing director only for specific segments of marketing. For example, there’s a social media marketing director and a content marketing director. But here, we’ll be talking about the marketing director as the person in charge of overall marketing.
As you can see, a marketing director is not just another employee of the company. Stepping into the role is a big responsibility. Therefore, you have to be highly discerning when it comes to hiring for this position.
What Skills Should a Marketing Director Have?
When you look for a marketing director, you can’t randomly select from those who used an ATS resume template. The person who fills the position needs to be an analyst, manager, and strategist. They have different roles to play at any given time, depending on the needs of your company.
In no particular order, here are some skills you should look for in a marketing director:
Experience
The experience level of an applicant is absolutely a crucial requirement. The one you hire should have at least five years of experience. In fact, the more years of experience, the better. After all, the marketing director must be ready for any marketing challenge your company may encounter. A less experienced employee might buckle under the pressure. That won’t be the case with a veteran marketing director.
Education
A marketing director must at least have an undergraduate degree. The courses they’ve taken are preferably related to marketing or business studies. Some companies require marketing directors to have MBAs. This condition isn’t necessary, but it’s another way to ensure you’re getting a top-quality employee.
A marketing director can also have various marketing certifications from different programs. Again, those certifications are not necessary, but they will help the applicant stand out. And that might be a good sign for you since it says they value ongoing learning.
From that, you can be sure they won’t give you half-baked marketing decisions. They will thoroughly research the product and the market beforehand.
Communication Skills
Since a marketing director is in charge of a team, they must be a pro at communicating. And this applies to more than just with customers. It also concerns the team they manage.
An applicant may have the most brilliant marketing mind ever. However, if they fail to convey necessary information and guidance to the team, they won’t benefit your bottom line or company. The best marketing directors can work cooperatively with different personality types in a variety of settings.
In addition, they can communicate well with other departments, vendors, and clients. But don’t just pay attention to verbal communication. Notice their nonverbal and written skills as well. Your director must be able to communicate through multiple forms.
Problem-Solving Skills
A lot of work in marketing involves the solving of problems. Perhaps, the company’s sales aren’t doing as expected. Our campaigns aren’t reaching the target customer, and they’re growing less aware of the brand. Maybe a competitor is surpassing the company in popularity. Or, your company isn’t growing as fast as you would like.
Whatever the problem is, the role of the marketing director identifies and takes action to solve the issue.
Management Skills
As a manager, a marketing director is expected to… well, to manage.
They oversee both projects and people. It’s critical to have tried-and-true management skills with multiple campaigns, products, team members, and deadlines. Additionally, the director must possess exceptional time management skills.
A huge part of making progress and meeting deadlines is knowing how much time can and should go to each task. This is especially true with various projects happening all at once.
Data Analysis Skills
Data skills are exceptionally vital. Why? Because the data gathered from customers is going to be the basis of your next marketing move.
But, numbers don’t mean much unless someone understands what they mean. \A marketing director must know how to analyze and interpret the data. They continually study market trends, customer behavior, and competitors’ moves.
Creativity and the Understanding of Creativity
Keep an eye out for creativity when looking for a marketing director. With the role’s numerous duties, your hire doesn’t necessarily have to be a creative force. However, they must have an understanding and appreciation of creativity.
The team will consist of people responsible for this area, but the director must encourage and recognize inventive ideas to boost marketing efforts.
An original and imaginative concept that a director overlooks is a missed opportunity for your company.
Teamwork and Leadership Skills
A marketing director has a team under them, but they don’t just manage it. They also lead it, and a big part of leading is actually teamwork. If a marketing director has a “me only” mentality, that might be a sign to change the person in that position.
A company has no time to cater to only the wishes of one person. The marketing director must work well with people by leading by example. A great leader puts in the work and creates an environment where everyone feels vital to the task at hand.
What Are Some of the Specific Responsibilities of a Marketing Director?
A marketing director is essential to any company, but the responsibilities assigned to one are hard to describe precisely. If you try to search for specific roles of a marketing director, you will get varied results in return. There’s no such thing as a typical day for a marketing director.
Each day might seem arbitrary. One day, they’re in meetings listening to ideas, and the next, they’re overseeing the launch of the newest campaign. The reason for this is that each company has different marketing needs. However, some do not change, no matter the company.
Some of the expected responsibilities are as follows:
- planning and executing a marketing strategy for your company and products or services
- developing a brand strategy
- creating a marketing calendar for all quarters per year
- guiding daily activities of the marketing team
- fixing and justifying marketing budgets to accounting
- reaching out to media agencies for promotion needs
- identifying new ways for the company to earn revenue
Fast Track Your Marketing Efforts by Hiring a Marketing Director Today
Now that you know what you’re actually getting when you hire a marketing director, why wait? If you haven’t started the search, make plans to begin soon. Marketing plays a significant role in the survival of your company.
The best decision involves selecting someone to steer the marketing wheel for you. And if you have already filled that position, it might be time to evaluate their performance against your expectations. If they are doing a good job, support and encourage them. If they aren’t, determine if the role needs replacing. Remember, your company depends on it.
One final reminder: not just anyone can fill this position. So even if you’ve narrowed the search to a top pick, take things slowly. Don’t hire someone for the sake of hiring someone. You might end up wasting a lot of time and money. Use this information to hire a marketing director that can help make your company profitable for years to come.
Author’s Bio
Issa Johnston is a writer who produces articles mostly about marketing. She is a regular contributor to www.contentcampfire.com. You can catch her typing furiously at the neighborhood coffee shop.
