In my 2015’s Most In-Demand Digital Marketing Careers blog series, I wanted to discuss a highly evolutionary role that is often particularly difficult to define. The role of Digital Marketing Manager. It’s in very high-demand, and is particularly interesting due to the varied meanings of the title. The title is widely in use, but can mean something entirely different at each individual organization.
Some companies refer to their Digital Marketing Manager for anything and everything internet/ecommerce related. In fact, he/she may be the only person in the company with that sort of expertise, which could be a very tactical play.
On the flip side this person could be quite strategic, overseeing all strategy for paid and earned media, all lead generation efforts, and essentially directing the efforts of outsourcing partners or agencies to accomplish business goals.
To emphasize how varied this title can be, I’ll share a recent situation. I saw a posting just yesterday in which a company was looking for a Digital Marketing Manager with a strong technical background, including experience with a major Demand Side Platform (DSP) like MediaMath or AppNexus, with building custom dashboards, and with web development (HTML, CSS, & JavaScript). Needless to say, the role of the DMM is constantly evolving and strong candidates are not easy to find.
In a search for a role like this, I will ask the hiring manager (usually a Director or VP of Marketing) a number of questions relating to their current marketing strategy and tactics in order to undercover the opportunities that could come from filling this role, especially if it’s a new role to the company.
I typically have to calibrate expectations as well – companies simply aren’t going to find someone with 8+ years experience in SEO, paid search, email, social media, mobile, CRM, and analytics for a $60K salary.
In a client conversion about a Digital Marketing Manager role, as I discussed the role’s requirements, we decided that experience with a specific CRM wasn’t necessary, but a track record of diving in and learning different CRM tools was a must. It was also important to find someone who was as comfortable working in paid search as they were spending $10K a month with an external agency and had the oversight to ensure that money was being used as efficiently and effectively as possible.
In virtually every search, companies must make some tough decisions on what to do in-house and what to outsource. Gone are the days of keeping your digital marketing manager for life – these candidates typically move every 2-3 years to ensure they stay as up-to-date on trends and technology. So now more than ever, companies must do more to keep their digital marketing talent engaged and satisfied in the work.
What do you see happening as more and more companies decide to hire digital marketing talent? Will outsourcing be necessary to stay competitive? Are companies more likely to utilize contract consultants in digital marketing? Continue the conversation in the comments below and tell me what you think the rest of 2015 will bring!
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