Building Your Digital Skillset: the Key Roles of the Modern Marketing Department

Seven marketing roles that are essential to your digital marketing strategy

The success of any digital marketing strategy depends on effectively managing the shift from tactical campaigns to strategic content. It pays for any business to ask itself: does my marketing department have the right people with the right skills?

According to Tomorrow People’s recent survey, an estimated 55% of businesses don’t feel their content is achieving maximum ROI.

The same study shows that just 51% rate their own ability to provide content to customers and prospects appropriate for each stage of the buying process at 5 out of 10, or less with just 15% awarding themselves 8 out of 10 or more.

Marketers may understand the importance of inbound marketing and feel confident putting together the content that supports it, but it seems that a lack of sophistication in approach compromises the effectiveness of many strategies. For this reason – in any business – having the right people with the right skills set and expertise is a prerequisite for inbound marketing success.

Face up to the facts.

Old-style marketing departments with out-dated structures and roles predominantly filled by those with business and marketing degrees, just aren’t suited to creating the responsive, social real time content on which today’s digital marketing strategies depends.

Today’s marketing department needs a careful balance of both traditional marketing skills and new, as well other skills and expertise that – until recently – may not even have been associated with marketing at all.

Seven marketing roles you need in your digital marketing strategy

Irrespective of the precise titles different organisations choose, the modern marketing department now depends on having people in place to fulfil seven clear, distinct and increasingly important strategic marketing roles. 

1. The visionary

The person with ultimate responsibility for the content marketing strategy. Typically, this is the departmental head reporting into the C-suite, closely aligned to the strategic values and goals of the business.

2. The project manager 

Responsible for executing the content strategy once it has been agreed. Roles include developing a plan to execute the content strategy vision, identifying the different content required.

3. The storyteller 

Creator of compelling stories that meet the content brief outlined in the content plan. Perhaps someone with a journalistic background.

4. The editor 

Reviewer and editor of the storyteller’s compelling stories. Also responsible for ensuring all content has the desired tone of voice.

5. The creative 

Responsible for ensuring the content is presented creatively. Typically, someone with a design background. Increasingly, someone with multimedia expertise.

6. The technical director 

In charge of digital execution and distribution of content across different digital formats, platforms and channels.

7. The analyst 

The person responsible for evaluating the impact and effectiveness of the content strategy. Ability to extract meaningful insight from a plethora of data to be used by the visionary to inform decision-making is key.

P.S. Beware failure to evolve.

Above all else, businesses should remember to remain flexible and open-minded at all times. Yesterday’s skills and expertise are no longer appropriate for today’s needs in digital marketing strategies, so there’s no guarantee that today’s approaches will meet the needs of tomorrow.