What is the role of the marketing director?

They develop communication strategies with the objective of increasing brand awareness amongst the business’s target audience and to help increase market share. A marketing director oversees the marketing activity of marketing teams and works closely with the marketing manager to ensure that they meet marketing objectives.

A key role, the marketing director will often report directly to the chief executive and be a board member.

Marketing director job description

The marketing director plans the annual marketing strategy for a company’s products or services to support business growth ambitions. They create a calendar of campaigns and events, develop brand strategy, set the marketing budget and analyse the market and competitors.

As head of marketing, the marketing director oversees the implementation of the marketing strategy through leadership of the marketing managers and wider marketing team.

What does a marketing director do on a daily basis?

A marketing director’s day-to-day duties include:

• Developing and implementing a marketing strategy to drive the business forward
• Analysing key marketing performance metrics and providing market research, forecasts, competitor analyses, campaign results and consumer trends
• Adjusting the marketing plan in light of the above and formulating unique insights to better understand the consumer and contribute towards the overall business strategy
• Providing tools and materials for the effective functioning of the sales team
• Advising on the development of the corporate brand
• Identifying new business opportunities and providing actionable plans to the marketing department and sales teams, ensuring the continuous improvement of the company’s marketing efforts
• Overseeing the management of annual marketing budgets
• Building strong relationships with managers across the business
• Delivering an overview of all marketing activities aiming to drive awareness and sales – ranging from digital, print, media and social media to market research and direct marketing
• Overseeing coordination with external agencies
• Providing development opportunities and guidance for the marketing team and marketing manager on work priorities, budgets, and resources

Responsibilities

The responsibilities of a marketing director include:

• Marketing and brand strategy development to raise brand reputation and recognition
• Strategy implementation of a high-performing marketing strategy to improve business performance across on and offline channels
• Market analysis and evaluation of marketing campaigns
• Ensuring that marketing initiatives are effective, proactive and engaging
• Communicating marketing goals effectively, both within the team and the wider business
• Developing and leading a multidisciplinary team to achieve strategic goals and deliver a measurable result
• Creating best practices and using insights to develop and implement marketing plans across the business

Requirements and skills

A successful marketing director will be a strategic thinker, creative with excellent analytical skills and exceptional leadership ability.

• Interpersonal skills – providing strong leadership and demonstrating the company’s values and leadership behaviour framework
• Innovative and results-driven – promoting a culture of high performance with a focus on successful outcomes
• Proven project management success and extensive knowledge of all aspects of marketing
• The ability to develop strong relationships and work closely with your team, other departments and with external multi-disciplinary teams
• A good communicator with the confidence to provide expert professional advice
• Technical skills – an understanding of content writing and creation, customer relationship management (CRM), social media marketing, search engine optimisation (SEO), public relations, email marketing, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising and automation
• Analytical skills – the ability to analyse and review marketing metrics and trends to identify opportunities and threats
• Agile and calm under pressure – able to adapt to a challenging environment where change is frequent and unpredictable
• A business qualification – BSc/BA/MSc/MA in business management, marketing, advertising, or a relevant field. Most marketing directors also have qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, the Institute of Data and Marketing, or the Digital Marketing Institute.

What makes a good marketing director?

In challenging times as well as periods of growth, an effective marketing director is critical, coordinating corporate marketing and communications and often having input into all aspects of a business’s corporate strategy.

A skilled marketing strategist who leads by example and can drive creativity and enthusiasm in the team will have:

• Experience in developing and implementing successful marketing strategies that align with the wider corporate aims of the business
• Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills
• Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to understand consumers and the wider market

Related resources and courses

The IoD’s professional development courses and qualifications are the gold standard for board-level competency. Designed by directors for directors, they will equip you with the practical know-how you need to succeed.

Call our training team on +44 (0)20 3855 4309 for more information or view our courses here.