It takes more than marketing know-how to be a decent marketing manager.
You’ll require a variety of abilities, from technology to project management to finance. Unless you took many majors in university, you probably don’t possess all the skills needed. You’ll need to master these seven skill-sets if you want to be a master of your profession.
Marketing Skill #1: Recruitment
It’s quite likely that you’re also in charge of a team if you’re in charge of marketing. One of your most important responsibilities is to ensure that your team is comprised of the most competent individuals to meet the demands of your customer or stakeholder. With the right team, you’ll have various voices and viewpoints at the table. Avoid reusing the same old concepts over and over again.
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Marketing Skill #2: Leadership
A competent manager knows how to get the most out of his or her team members’ talents. There is no right or wrong answer in leadership – it all depends on who you have on your team and what they respond to best. Every member of a team should be treated as a unique individual by a good leader. To maximize their talents and minimize their shortcomings, it is key to know each of them well enough and to play to their strengths.
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Marketing Skill #3: Risk Management
No, it doesn’t imply that you shouldn’t take any chances. A certain amount of risk is inherent in any marketing effort, no matter how big, how little, or how colourful it is. While not every customer will understand a particular funky or humourous marketing message, that doesn’t mean we cannot be slightly adventurous. At the same time, you will need to determine whether or not certain techniques offer a sufficient potential return on investment to justify the dangers they entail. In case something goes wrong, always have a backup plan in mind.
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Marketing Skill #4: Creativity
While in a managerial position, you may spend more time managing timetables and meeting deadlines than you do creating graphics or coming up with new concepts. The importance of creativity, however, should not be overlooked. As the team’s leader, your approach will trickle down to the rest of the team. If everyone else gets the impression that your tastes skew towards traditional, straightforward, boring work, then that’s what they’ll give you and you do not want that.
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Marketing Skill #5: Social Media
Even if you have a dedicated social media executive or team, it is still vital for you to understand what they are doing, and why so. Social media has often been overlooked by many in managerial positions as it is seen as a ‘cost’ but is growing in importance recently. Understanding how different platforms operate and how to leverage them will be essential in integrating social media into the broader marketing strategy.
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Marketing Skill #6: Decision Making
Essentially, your role as a manager is one of decision-making, followed by implementation. Indecisiveness makes action and follow-throughs impossible. It is worth noting that during the time it takes to make a choice, your team members will not be able to get things moving. Do also remember that it takes more effort to correct a mistake than to produce an incisive decision!
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Marketing Skill #7: Mentorship
Although your position as manager is likely because you have more talents and experience than your colleagues, you will not remain successful by hoarding all that knowledge. It is your team’s performance that determines your success. Hence, it is crucial to empower those around you to soar, thrive, and improve.
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Master these marketing skills for the best results
As a marketing manager, you and your team are responsible for managing the promotion and positioning of the company’s brands, products, and services. The skills mentioned here are extremely important traits that you should have in your skills bank. Once you are able to master and exercise them, improvement and success will be more likely to come your way. All the best!