10 Things Every Marketing Director Needs to Know
As a marketing director, keeping abreast of digital marketing trends is critical.
Your marketing teams depend on you to provide them with direction for generating winning advertising campaigns. With that in mind, here are 10 of the most important areas marketing directors should concentrate on in 2023.
10 Things Every Marketing Director Needs to Know
Digital Advertising
Digital marketing is at the top of our list simply because few businesses can afford to go without it. You and your marketing team must understand the ins and outs of digital advertising, including all the newest trends and media. Since this industry is constantly changing and evolving, regular education is non-negotiable if you hope to stay relevant.
Social Media
Numerous social media platforms are available today, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. That’s just a few of the big ones; many other platforms out there attract different segments of the population.
No company can afford to ignore social media, so having a team that’s knowledgeable of social media advertising strategies is a must.
Email Marketing
Email marketing isn’t limited to sales and discounts. It’s an important technique to build brand loyalty and awareness and engage customers.
Using email, you can connect with your clients comfortably, whether they’re individuals or business contacts. Marketing teams should understand the various email marketing platforms available and use their automation features to develop a cultivated and connected strategy for staying in touch with clients.
Content Strategy
While social media and email are the best ways to communicate with an organization’s audience, developing a content strategy is essential. Without a content strategy, you’re essentially creating content that may or may not attract customers.
A well-versed marketing team will start from the top, identifying the target client base and their current problems, then using those details to determine topics that will attract their attention.
Content Creation
Content creation goes hand-in-hand with content strategy. Through a thorough and cultivated process, marketing teams determine the appropriate content to create through the channels available.
For instance, they may start with a long-form video, then turn it into shorter reels, blogs, and articles that can support their audience’s needs in whatever format they prefer. All businesses that engage in digital marketing must have a content creation strategy they adhere to if they want to succeed.
SEO
While marketing directors don’t typically handle technical SEO, having a basic understanding of SEO principles is crucial for any digital marketing strategy.
Marketing directors can identify the keywords and terms most relevant to their customer needs and content, ensuring that they’re well-placed to obtain higher rankings in organic search. However, simple keyword stuffing no longer works, meaning marketing teams must expand their efforts by identifying relevant terms and topics for their content.
Organic search is central to most organizations, especially those without a million-dollar marketing budget.
Technological Proficiency
With the vast array of marketing tools and digital marketing platforms available today, all marketing directors and their teams must have strong technical know-how. They should be able to operate various platforms comfortably and understand the features and benefits of each system.
PR and Media Relations
Businesses that regularly interact with the public through press releases and other news items need marketing teams that are comfortable interacting with publishers and know how to attract the right kind of attention.
To this end, they should understand what to include in a press release and be comfortable speaking with the organization’s top executives, including the board of directors.
Traditional Advertising
Digital marketing may reign supreme in contemporary advertising, but traditional methods still have their place.
Marketing directors can identify when traditional methods may bring better results than digital advertising can. They’ll understand how to buy ad spots on television or through print mediums, and they’ll support the in-store shopping experience with store displays and other advertising methods.
Analytical Skills
Of course, creating and implementing a marketing strategy aren’t the only responsibilities of a marketing director and their teams. Marketing staff must also measure the results of each campaign and determine what works and what doesn’t.
They’ll review every KPI metric from their campaigns and try various tests to determine whether specific changes could enhance their results. Marketing directors must be very comfortable handling data and using it for marketing presentations.
Marketing Is Evolving, and Marketing Directors Must Evolve with It
The bottom line is that marketing directors must be ready for future changes in the industry, as marketing methods and platforms are constantly changing.
Marketing strategies were much different a couple of decades ago than they are today. Staying on top of current industry trends will ensure that your marketing department achieves — and exceeds — its goals.
