A marketing director He is a fundamental figure in those companies that are already beginning to have a considerable size. The person who occupies this position will be responsible for planning, organizing and managing all the activities and resources of the department of marketing. Its objective is to achieve the objectives that the company has set in this area.
In this article we tell you in depth what the exact functions of a marketing director are, what characteristics it is ideal for a person who wants to dedicate themselves to it and be successful, as well as some tips to get the most out of yourself in the profession and make the best possible job.
What are the functions and responsibilities of a marketing director
At a general level, a marketing director is the person who will create a company’s marketing plan and who will lead and guide the team in charge of developing it. Below we break down each of the functions and responsibilities of a marketing director so that you can see all the tasks that he can do. However, each company has its own organization and distribution of tasks, so not in all organizations the functions of the marketing director will be the same. We can find companies in which the marketing director covers all the functions that we break down below and others in which he only deals with some.
- Creation of the branding strategy: The implementation and development of aspects such as values, image and brand identity are your responsibility.
- Monitoring of digital marketing and/or traditional marketing actions: All actions, both in the offline and online environment, are supervised and measured by the marketing director.
- Coordination with the sales team: The figure of the marketing director is closely linked to the sales team in order to provide the marketing team with the materials, content and tools they need and, thus, make the customer experience much more satisfactory.
- Help the People or Culture team: on many occasions he helps professionals in this area of the company by providing corporate materials, such as internal newsletters, merchandising, newsletters, etc. For this reason, the figure of the marketing director is very important when creating a corporate culture. strong and a high feeling of belonging of professionals towards the company.
- Realization of the marketing plan: As we have said before, one of the main functions of the marketing director is to define marketing objectives, carry out budget planning for this area of the organization so that it is as efficient as possible and attend to suppliers.
- Detection of user needs: You must also provide a creative and innovative vision to help the production team create products that are well received by the public. Therefore, he is a person who must know market trends and competition very well, as well as detect both threats and business opportunities very well.
- Supervision of new platforms: You must have an active participation when the company explores new paths, such as, for example, a marketplace or the opening of an online store.
What requirements must someone meet to be a marketing director?
At we firmly believe that seeing a marketing director (or any leading figure in a company) from a classic perspective as an authoritarian director has already become obsolete. Corporate well-being and good relationships between teams are increasingly taken into account. Therefore, the characteristics that companies look for in a marketing director are no longer the same as they were a few years ago.
- Empathy and closeness: that inflexible leader, who imposes his ideas and who works in his office without having contact with the rest of the teams, is already left behind. Empathy and trust are values that make a company strong and that are not achieved with a haughty and distant person, but with an emotional and collaborative leader who can understand those who work with him and put himself in their shoes.
- Good communication and listening: Good communication is key so that people can give their best and do a good job. At , for example, we rely on constant feedback so that professionals know if they are on the right track or if it is better to change their strategy. It is crucial that a marketing director knows how to form his or her own opinions and communicate them assertively, but it is also crucial that he or she listen to the opinions of others to consider all points of view.
- Resolving capacity: When faced with a problem, it is crucial that you know how to think coldly in order to find the best possible solution. In this sense, negotiation skills will also be an extra point, because in this way you will be able to achieve the best alternative for all parties.
- Modesty: A marketing director must convey confidence and security in his team, since they have to trust him. However, this does not mean that he should show himself as a perfect person without flaws. A good leader recognizes his mistakes and his limitations. This is one of the virtues that I value most in a professional who will occupy this position, since I believe that humble people have their feet on the ground and are capable of creating better teams, as well as better strategies.
- Ability to create teams: Finally, it is essential that a marketing director knows how to detect people’s abilities and offer them a position or activity accordingly. A good team is one in which each of its members performs the function that they like the most and that they are best at. Only in this way can good performance and good member satisfaction be achieved at the same time.
Tips for leading as a marketing director
Next, I want to give you three recommendations based on my experience that can be very useful to become a better leader and get a good job done:
- Do not isolate yourself: In marketing it is very important to give the brand movement and not let it stagnate. To avoid this, I advise you to never stop creating bridges with other brands, with clients or with influencers in order to create a sociable and empathetic brand. One way to do this is through collaborations.
- Ask the customer more: Don’t be afraid to ask those who have tried your brand firsthand. This way you will not only get faithful and very useful responses, but you will also make your audience feel heard and cared for.
- Have the Inbound Marketing methodology as your flag: thanks to it you will be able to control the entire conversion process and you will have a better chance of getting qualified leads.