5 core functions in a modern marketing organisation
and how to reinvent them

In today’s fast-paced business environment, staying competitive requires a deep understanding of the core functions that drive success in a modern marketing organisation. These functions include brand marketing, marketing operations, content management, product marketing, and demand generation. While these functions have always been important, their execution must evolve to keep pace with the rapidly changing digital landscape. In this post, we’ll take a closer look at each of these core functions and explore how they can be reinvented to stay relevant in today’s digital world. By understanding and reimagining these key components, businesses can gain a significant competitive edge in their industry.

Corporate Marketing

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    Corporate marketing roles are focused on promoting the overall image and reputation of a company, rather than specific products or brands. The goal of corporate marketing is to create a positive perception of the company as a whole, and to communicate the company’s values and mission.

    Some specific responsibilities that a corporate marketer might have include:

    1. Developing and executing marketing campaigns that promote the company as a whole, such as thought leadership campaigns, corporate social responsibility initiatives, and internal communications.
    2. Managing the company’s overall reputation and image, including monitoring the media and online conversations to ensure the company is portrayed positively.
    3. Creating and maintaining a company’s style guide, ensuring consistency across all communications and materials.
    4. Providing guidance and direction to other departments, such as product marketing or brand management, on how to align their efforts with the company’s overall marketing strategy.
    5. Collaborating with other departments, such as public relations, investor relations, and government affairs, to ensure that all communications and actions are consistent with the company’s overall image and reputation.
    6. Analysing market trends and identifying opportunities to improve the company’s reputation and image.

    Reinventing corporate marketing roles in a fast-changing digital world can be a challenging task. There are a few key points to look at:

    1. Embrace digital marketing: In today’s digital world, it’s important for corporate marketers to have a deep understanding of digital marketing tools and tactics. This includes social media, search engine optimisation, email marketing, and content marketing. By embracing digital marketing, corporate marketers can reach and engage with audiences in new and innovative ways.
    2. Emphasise data and analytics: With the availability of vast amounts of data, corporate marketers need to be able to analyse and interpret data in order to make informed decisions. This includes understanding metrics such as website traffic, social media engagement, and customer behaviour. By using data and analytics, corporate marketers can measure the effectiveness of their campaigns and make adjustments as needed.
    3. Focus on customer experience: With the rise of e-commerce and the increasing importance of customer experience, corporate marketers need to ensure that the company’s digital presence is seamless and easy to navigate. This includes designing an intuitive website, creating personalised content and offers, and providing fast and effective customer support.
    4. Prioritise personalisation: Leveraging customer data and insights to create a more personalised experience can help establish a deeper connection with customers. With personalisation, you can target specific audiences and create more relevant, meaningful messages that resonate better.
    5. Embrace a test-and-learn mentality: In a fast-changing digital world, it’s important to be willing to try new things and experiment. This means testing different marketing strategies, tactics, and channels, and then using data and analytics to determine what works and what doesn’t. Corporate marketers should be able to iterate and adapt quickly in order to stay ahead of the curve.
    6. Emphasise on a strong digital brand: In the digital world, having a strong digital brand can be make or break. Corporate marketer’s role becomes crucial in managing the digital brand, which is a representation of the company in the online world. From website design to social media presence, they should be responsible to ensure the company has a consistent, positive online presence.

    Ultimately, reinvention of corporate marketing roles in a fast-changing digital world requires a focus on innovation, a willingness to try new things, and a deep understanding of digital marketing tools and tactics. This can help corporate marketers stay ahead of the curve and effectively promote the overall image and reputation of their company.

Marketing Operations

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    Marketing operations roles are focused on the behind-the-scenes work that is required to support and manage the day-to-day operations of a marketing department. These roles are responsible for ensuring that the marketing department runs efficiently and effectively, and that marketing efforts are aligned with the overall business objectives.

    Some specific responsibilities of a marketing operations role may include:

    1. Developing and implementing marketing processes and workflows to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
    2. Managing and allocating the marketing budget, tracking expenses, and reporting on ROI.
    3. Identifying and implementing marketing technology solutions, such as marketing automation and CRM systems, to improve processes and workflow.
    4. Managing and analysing data, such as customer data and campaign metrics, to inform decision-making and measure the effectiveness of marketing efforts.
    5. Collaborating with cross-functional teams, such as sales, product, and IT, to ensure alignment and coordination of efforts.
    6. Creating and maintaining marketing performance reports, dashboards, and scorecards to provide visibility into key performance indicators and trends.
    7. Managing relationships with vendors and third-party providers that support marketing operations.
    8. Coordinating with other departments and vendors to ensure the timely delivery of marketing materials and services.
    9. Providing marketing support to ensure that the team has all the necessary tools, resources, and assets to execute campaigns effectively.
    10. Developing and optimising marketing automation systems and processes to improve lead generation and conversion rates.
    11. Managing lead scoring, nurturing and routing processes for the best lead experience.

    Marketing operations roles require individuals to have a good understanding of marketing technologies, data, and analytics, and to use that knowledge to improve the overall performance of marketing campaigns. They should be able to plan and prioritise projects effectively, which requires strong leadership and communication skills. They must have good project management skills, and should be able to work with cross-functional teams.

    As the marketing industry changes, the role of marketing operations is becoming more critical, as it is responsible for ensuring that the marketing department runs efficiently and effectively and that the marketing campaigns aligns with the company’s overall business objectives.

    To reinvent marketing operations in a fast-changing digital world, here are a few key points to look at:

    1. Embrace automation: Automation can help streamline many of the tasks associated with marketing operations, such as data entry and analysis, campaign management, and lead generation. This can free up time for marketing operations professionals to focus on more strategic tasks.
    2. Leverage data and analytics: As the amount of data available to marketers continues to grow, marketing operations professionals need to be able to effectively collect, analyze, and act on that data. Investing in data and analytics tools can help them do this, and also help to identify new opportunities for growth.
    3. Focus on the customer journey: Marketing operations professionals should work closely with other teams, such as product development, sales, and customer service, to understand the entire customer journey. By doing so, they can ensure that the right marketing efforts are being made at the right time in the customer’s journey, and also identify areas where the customer experience can be improved.
    4. Optimise the marketing technology stack: The proliferation of marketing technology can make it difficult to know which tools to use and how to use them effectively. Marketing operations professionals should work with the rest of the marketing team to evaluate and optimize the marketing technology stack, and integrate the tools that will best support the company’s goals and objectives.
    5. Embrace a culture of testing and experimentation: The digital world is constantly changing, and what worked yesterday may not work today. Marketing operations professionals should encourage a culture of testing and experimentation within the marketing team, so that the team can continuously optimize its efforts and stay ahead of the curve.
    6. Develop cross-functional skill sets: With the fast-paced digital environment, marketing operations should develop cross-functional skills to understand how the different department in the organisation functions. This will help in aligning the marketing operations with the overall goals and objectives of the organisation.

    It’s important to note that marketing operations role can vary depending on the size and structure of an organisation, but keeping a focus on being flexible, data-driven, and customer-focused can help your marketing operations team succeed in the digital world.

Content Management

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    Marketing content management roles involve the creation, distribution, and measurement of a company’s marketing content. These professionals are responsible for ensuring that the company’s message is consistent across all channels and that the content is engaging, relevant, and aligned with the company’s overall marketing strategy.

    Some specific responsibilities of marketing content management roles may include:

    1. Developing and managing a content calendar: This involves planning and scheduling content creation and distribution in advance, to ensure that the right content is being shared at the right time.
    2. Creating and editing content: This could include writing blog posts, creating videos, designing infographics, and more.
    3. Optimising content for search engines: Marketing content managers may also be responsible for ensuring that the company’s content is optimised for search engines, so that it can be easily found by potential customers.
    4. Managing a team of content creators: In larger organisations, a marketing content manager may lead a team of writers, designers, and other content creators to produce high-quality content at scale.
    5. Measuring and reporting on content performance: Marketing content managers will also track the performance of the content and the team. They will report on metrics such as engagement, website traffic, and lead generation, and use this information to optimise content and improve the overall content strategy.
    6. Collaborating with other teams: A marketing content manager will often need to collaborate with other teams such as product development, sales, and customer service to understand the customer journey and ensure that the content aligns with it.

    It’s important to note that content management roles can vary depending on the size and structure of an organisation. However, in general, the goal is to create and share valuable and engaging content that supports the company’s marketing goals and objectives and resonates with the target audience.

    Marketing content management is becoming increasingly important in a fast-changing digital world, as companies look for ways to effectively create, distribute, and manage the vast amounts of content that are required to reach and engage with their target audiences. To reinvent marketing content management roles in this environment, there are a few key strategies that you can use:

    1. Embrace new technologies: One of the most important ways to keep up with the fast-changing digital world is to stay up-to-date with the latest technologies. This might include things like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and automation tools that can help streamline the content creation and distribution process.
    2. Focus on data-driven decision making: Another key strategy is to shift your focus towards data-driven decision making. This means using data and analytics to guide your content strategy, and to track and measure the effectiveness of your content.
    3. Create a cross-functional team: A cross-functional team that includes experts from different areas, such as marketing, content creation, SEO, and IT, can help ensure that all aspects of the content management process are addressed.
    4. Build an agile work process: The fast-changing nature of the digital world requires a high degree of adaptability, To respond the fast pace of change, you’ll want to adopt an agile work process, which allows for quick iteration and testing.
    5. Prioritise content that is customer-centric: In a fast-changing digital world, it’s important to understand the needs and preferences of your target audience. Prioritise creating content that is valuable and relevant to your customer, this way you can help ensure that it will resonate with them, and will be more likely to drive engagement and conversions.
    6. Invest in employee’s skills: Invest in your employee’s skills and education, particularly in digital marketing and technology skills. By providing your team with the tools and resources they need to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices, you can help ensure that your marketing content management strategy is always at the cutting edge.

    These strategies can help you adapt to the fast-changing digital world, and ensure that your marketing content management efforts are able to keep up with the latest trends and technologies.

Product Marketing

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    Product marketing is a critical function within a company, as it involves creating and communicating the value of a product or service to potential customers. The roles and responsibilities within a product marketing team can vary depending on the company, but generally include the following:

    1. Conducting market research: Product marketers conduct research to understand their target market and customers’ needs, and to identify opportunities for their product or service. This can include researching competitors, conducting customer interviews, and analysing market data.
    2. Developing the value proposition: Product marketers work to develop a compelling value proposition for their product or service, which communicates its key benefits and differentiates it from competitors.
    3. Creating go-to-market plans: Product marketers develop go-to-market plans that outline the strategies and tactics that will be used to introduce and promote the product or service to the market.
    4. Coordinating with other teams: Product marketers often work closely with other teams, such as product development, sales, and marketing, to ensure that the product or service is positioned and marketed effectively.
    5. Managing product launches: Product marketers are often responsible for planning and executing product launches, which can include coordinating with other teams, developing launch materials, and managing the launch schedule.
    6. Tracking and analysing product performance: Product marketers track and analyse the performance of their product or service in the market, and use this data to inform decisions about how to improve the product or service and the marketing strategy.
    7. Providing sales team with necessary tools and training: Product marketer’s responsibility is to provide the sales team with the necessary tools and training to effectively communicate the value of the product to potential customers and make them successful.
    8. Building product positioning and messaging: Product marketers are responsible for building the product’s positioning and messaging by knowing their customer base and what their key pain points and value proposition is.

    Overall, product marketing roles involve understanding the market, customers, and competition, and then communicating the value of the product or service to potential customers and drive sales.

    In today’s fast-changing digital world, product marketing roles are evolving to keep up with the latest trends and technologies. Here are a few strategies for reinventing product marketing roles in this environment:

    1. Embrace digital technologies: Product marketers should be proficient in digital marketing technologies such as social media, SEO, and analytics to understand the customer and target audience better.
    2. Focus on customer-centricity: In a digital world, customer-centricity is more important than ever. Product marketers should be able to understand the customer’s pain points, needs and preferences, and align them with the product strategy.
    3. Leverage data and analytics: Product marketers should leverage data and analytics to understand customer behaviour, track product performance, and make data-driven decisions.
    4. Adopt an agile process: Product marketing teams should adopt an agile process to respond quickly to the fast-changing market trends and needs.
    5. Embrace content marketing: Content marketing has become an essential part of product marketing. Product marketers should be able to create and distribute valuable and relevant content that will resonate with customers.
    6. Collaborate cross-functionally: Product marketers should collaborate with other teams such as product development, sales, and customer support to ensure that the product is positioned and marketed effectively.
    7. Invest in employee’s skills: Product marketing teams should invest in their employee’s skills, particularly in digital marketing and technology skills. By providing your team with the tools and resources they need to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices, you can help ensure that your product marketing strategy is always at the cutting edge.
    8. Prioritise personalisation: With the use of technology, product marketers have access to more customer data than ever before. Prioritising personalisation in product marketing strategies can help increase customer engagement, brand loyalty, and ultimately drive revenue.

    In summary, to reinvent product marketing roles in a fast-changing digital world, it’s important to embrace new technologies, focus on customer-centricity, leverage data and analytics, and adopt an agile process. Additionally, cross-functional collaboration and personalisation are also key components of product marketing today.

Demand Generation & Field Marketing

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    Demand generation and field marketing are two distinct but closely related roles within the marketing function of a company.

    Demand generation is the process of creating interest in a product or service among potential customers. It typically involves a combination of tactics such as email marketing, content marketing, social media marketing, and search engine optimisation (SEO). The goal of demand generation is to generate leads and sales opportunities for the sales team.

    Field marketing, on the other hand, is the practice of promoting a product or service to customers and prospects in a specific geographic area. This is typically done through face-to-face interactions, such as events, trade shows, and roadshows, as well as through local advertising and promotions. Field marketing is focused on building relationships and creating a local presence.

    Some of the key responsibilities of a demand generation role can include:

    1. Creating and executing campaigns to generate leads and sales opportunities
    2. Developing and managing lead scoring and nurturing programs
    3. Building relationships with sales teams to understand their needs and priorities
    4. Analysing data and metrics to optimise campaign performance and ROI

    Some of the key responsibilities of a field marketing role can include:

    1. Planning and executing local events and promotions
    2. Building relationships with local influencers and partners
    3. Gathering market intelligence to inform product and marketing strategies
    4. Managing budgets and tracking expenses for field marketing activities
    5. Collaborating with the product and demand generation teams to align field marketing efforts with overall company goals

    Both the roles support and complement each other. Demand Generation focus on creating leads and opportunities, while field marketing focus on building relationships and creating local presence. Together they create a comprehensive strategy that helps companies to generate demand, create awareness and drive sales.

    In today’s fast-changing digital world, demand generation and field marketing roles are evolving to keep up with the latest trends and technologies. Here are a few strategies for reinventing these roles in this environment:

    1. Embrace digital technologies: Demand generation and field marketing teams should be proficient in digital marketing technologies such as social media, SEO, and analytics to understand the customer and target audience better, and create targeted campaigns that reach them.
    2. Focus on customer-centricity: In a digital world, customer-centricity is more important than ever. Demand generation and field marketing teams should be able to understand the customer’s pain points, needs, and preferences, and align them with the product and marketing strategy.
    3. Leverage data and analytics: Demand generation and field marketing teams should leverage data and analytics to understand customer behaviour, track campaign performance, and make data-driven decisions.
    4. Adopt an agile process: Demand generation and field marketing teams should adopt an agile process to respond quickly to the fast-changing market trends and needs.
    5. Personalise communication: with the use of technology, teams can have access to more customer data than ever before. Personalising communication and targeting campaigns to specific segments of the market can increase customer engagement and drive revenue.
    6. Embrace content marketing: Content marketing has become an essential part of demand generation and field marketing. Teams should be able to create and distribute valuable and relevant content that will resonate with customers.
    7. Leverage Influencer marketing: Influencer marketing can be a powerful tool for demand generation and field marketing. Partnering with influencers can help reach new audiences and build credibility.
    8. Invest in employee’s skills: Demand generation and field marketing teams should invest in their employee’s skills, particularly in digital marketing and technology skills. By providing your team with the tools and resources they need to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices, you can help ensure that your demand generation and field marketing strategy is always at the cutting edge.
    9. Incorporate virtual events and digital experiences: The rise of virtual events and digital experiences has been accelerated by COVID-19. Incorporating virtual events and digital experiences can help to reach a larger audience and track engagement in a more accurate way.

    In summary, to reinvent demand generation and field marketing roles in a fast-changing digital world, teams should embrace new technologies, focus on customer-centricity, leverage data and analytics, and adopt an agile process. Additionally, personalisation, influencer marketing, and digital events and experiences are also key components of demand generation and field marketing today.

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