Do you really know all the marketing professions?

Navigating the endless professions and "job titles" of marketing is becoming increasingly complicated. For enthusiasts, for recruiters and especially for managers and entrepreneurs who need to equip themselves with competent professionals, internal or external, in managing communication, advertising and PR channels.

We have compiled for you a list of the most important jobs in the field of marketing, with their description to some interesting facts . From entry-level positions to management roles. We hope it will help you untangle this thicket!

Advertising and statistics area

Market Research Analyst

As a market research analyst, you are responsible for reporting and providing long-term guidance to get the company the greatest possible impact on sales and other business objectives. You will also gather information on competitors: pricing, sales, and marketing and distribution methods, employing search marketing tactics, analyzing web metrics, and developing ad hoc search and comparison strategies for each organization. In addition, you are the experts on sources, metrics, and data. You actually have a very solid foundation in data analysis and statistics.

You will be increasingly affected by machine learning and Artificial Intelligence innovations, as long as it has to do with quantitative and qualitative figures and trends Not in terms of content generation.

Advertising Manager

The campaign manager is responsible for planning and executing advertising efforts across multiple channels, collaborating with teams in the creative, research and sales departments to create effective initiatives that meet business objectives and are consistent with the marketing manager's requirements. Must also be able to manage budgets and monitor metrics to measure campaign success.

This position obviously requires a deep understanding of the technical tools and techniques of digital marketing and/or the logic of newsrooms and ad sales offices, as well as the ability to think strategically and creatively to create efficient and effective campaigns.

A similar role is that of the campaign manager. Given the development of digital marketing, the role of the digital advertising manager now takes center stage over the past decade. That is, the advertising professional verticalized to the world of bits.

Media Buyer

A Media Buyer is responsible for purchasing block advertising space on behalf of their clients. He or she conducts market research and analyzes target audience demographics, Uses information provided by advertising platforms and media outlets, psychographics, and buying patterns to define target audiences and determine campaign requirements and what space to buy and in what media. He then negotiates the price of media space and purchases it within newspapers, magazines, television, digital, radio, and other platforms.
In addition to negotiating media space, media buyers are consultants in developing advertising campaigns and overseeing day-to-day operations. The media buyer tracks expenditures and optimizes KPIs. Ultimately, his job is to ensure that his clients' marketing efforts are effective and at the lowest possible expense in terms of cost per impression and cost per click.

For some unquestionable reason in Italy, an advertising specialist verticalized on social media advertising is called a "media buyer." Clearly this has nothing to do with it. The media buyer almost always works in a large media center, with high budgets, negotiates wholesale and is unlikely to be at the forefront of active campaign management.

Customer relationship area

Account Manager

The account manager is an essential role in any marketing team. He or she is responsible for managing client relationships and coordinating activities. He or she must have extensive industry knowledge and be able to develop creative solutions to complex problems. In addition, he or she must possess excellent communication skills and be able to build strong relationships with clients. The Account Manager must be comfortable working with budgets, have a keen eye for detail, and spontaneously inclined to analyze data for better results.

Marketing Project Manager

Translated: the senior version of the account manager.

A project manager in marketing is responsible for planning, coordinating, and overseeing all projects, interfacing all professionals and work teams. Collaborates with clients to determine the scope and requirements of the project, then aligns the marketing strategy with the objectives. Works very closely with the marketing director to structure an actionable plan and with the creative department. The marketing project manager is responsible for mapping projects and overseeing all activities to execute the strategy. In addition, he or she must ensure that all goals and requirements are met in a timely manner. This role requires an excellent degree of marketing and neo-negotiation knowledge, as well as excellent organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills.

It falls among the most senior professions, although it is not technically a high decision-making role. However, it is probably the most important profession on this list because at the end of the day it is the project manager who brings home the result even when budgets, time, and resources are always in headwinds and problems seem never-ending.

A role not for everyone. Rightly, among the best paid, along with that of marketing director.

CRM Manager

The CRM manager is responsible for managing customer relationships and ensuring that interactions are smooth and effective. CRM managers are responsible for developing, executing and refining multichannel programs and campaigns for consumer loyalty and often upselling. They work with customer service, marketing and operations staff to maintain a customer-centric attitude and create profitable relationships with key customers.

He is also responsible for updating accounts and customers in the CRM system to reflect the accuracy, analysis, and monitoring of key performance indicators (KPIs) and CRM actions.

The biggest contemporary challenge for CRM managers is definitely multichannel, that is, gathering customer information from every source and aggregating the data in a way that is clean, has few false positives, and can provide exploitable information for business actions.

Management area

Marketing assistant

The marketing assistant is an integral part of the team and provides critical support to the initiatives of the marketing and communications department. He or she is responsible for planning, executing and monitoring programs, as well as performing daily administrative tasks to ensure the functionality and coordination of the department. Marketing assistants (not to be confused with PAs, i.e., personal assistants to executives) must also work closely with colleagues in other teams, such as sales, production, and distribution. Another name for this profession is communication officer.

This is certainly a critical role, for people who are analytical and precise. and linking marketing to administration and management control.

Brand Manager

The Brand Manager is responsible for developing and overseeing the implementation of a successful brand strategy. He or she is responsible for creating a recognizable identity for the company that is consistent across all platforms, including digital media, print, television and radio. The Brand Manager must have a thorough understanding of the target market and be able to identify trends in order to develop effective operations and ensure that branding remains relevant over time. He or she must also possess strong communication skills to collaborate with other departments such as advertising, marketing and public relations.

Not infrequently, the brand manager interfaces with external entities and, for licensing companies, is the figure who connects them to the companies that own the brands.

Digital Marketing Manager

The Digital Marketing Manager is responsible for overseeing the execution of campaigns, technological developments and digital advertising strategies. You must clearly have a solid understanding of search engines, all digital channels, excellent communication skills and the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.

You absolutely must have a degree in marketing or a related field. Your role requires global vision and a frightening accuracy in understanding metrics, trends, and tools and channels. Be it digital advertising campaigns, content writing, SEO optimization, social media strategies and more. You will also be tasked with analyzing data to ensure that all campaigns are successful and that your team achieves their goals.

Usually a DMM coordinates some of the figures seen in this list and reports to the marketing director. In some contexts he operates as a project manager.

Marketing Director

The marketing manager is the professional responsible for the company's entire marketing (and often communications) department. The digital marketing manager and PR manager usually report to him. He or she manages all marketing campaigns and strategies to reach new clients, directs and implements the organization's advertising and promotional activities, creates and maintains relationships with the most imprinted B2B clients, and analyzes market trends relevant to a brand or client, in the case of an agency. The marketing director also provides direction, guidance, and leadership to the marketing department to ensure the successful production and implementation of the entire marketing mix and very long-term strategy.

It usually interacts with the CEO, board of directors, and stakeholders. This is almost always an extremely senior role.

Quite often we have noticed the irresistible urge of some Italian companies (albeit quite structured ones) to award the title to people in middle management or with an insufficient amount of experience, Either to save money, or to reward someone's fame or proximity to the upper echelons. Alas, it is always a suicidal idea. Simply, talent and seniority cannot be improvised. And when you hold the fortunes of the company in your hands as you do in the case of a marketing director, there are no choices of convenience or poor judgment.

Creative area

Editor

For those who wish to combine writing and marketing skills, a career as an editor may be the ideal choice. An editor's job is to create compelling and engaging content that prompts customers to take an action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter. The editor's role requires creativity, an excellent understanding of language, and the ability to write clearly and concisely. He or she must also know how to effectively use digital channels, such as e-mail, blogs and social media, to maximize reach.

The role is experiencing a controversial historical moment. Both because of its devaluation at the hands of trainers who exaggerate its importance, in fact disproportionately increasing the supply of staff, thus lowering compensation. Both because of the advent of OpenAI's generative neural networks, capable of increasingly replacing low and mid-level editors.

Note that in Italy this figure is often confused with that of the copywriter. Don't ask us why.

Copywriter or content manager

The copywriter is an editor who is extremely senior and typically responsible for defining a company's content macro-strategy, pay-off, positioning, tone of voice, and final review of the most important and strategic content with mainly commercial aspects. It is usually found only in structured agencies and large companies. As mentioned above, in Italy there is a tendency to confuse the editor (i.e., 99% of people who write texts) with copywriters, i.e., an apex level editor and not very common in traditional realities.

The content manager defines the copywriter who is more operational and less engaged in developing brand names, pay-offs, and long-term strategic platforms. However, in the real world they are often synonymous.

Art Director

The creative director is one of the most important roles in marketing. He or she is responsible for defining the creative vision of a brand or project and implementing it through digital, print, video and other mediums. He or she must have an almost encyclopedic knowledge of commercials, marketing and advertising, and must always keep abreast of industry trends.

Must possess a simply excellent graphic eye and a maniacal command of all image creation tools, both raster and vector. The art director is also often in charge of individual campaigns and oversees shoots and commercial creation.

Digital area

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) specialist

Search engine optimization (SEO) specialists are responsible for optimizing websites and content for search engines. They must be well versed in data analysis, keyword research and best practices. As an SEO specialist, you must understand the importance of optimizing not only for Google but also for other search engines such as Bing, as well as develop operations to ensure that the website design, layout, and code are optimized for search engines. You are, of course, responsible for monitoring the performance of website content and making the necessary changes to ensure high rankings in search engine results pages.

In general, you are expected to be fully familiar with on-site, on-page, and off-site SEO and know how to coordinate all other professionals to raise a website's ranking.

Recently there is a subtle but incremental overlap between this role and that of online PR, particularly because of link building activities.

Email marketer and workflow expert

An Email Marketer is responsible for executing email campaigns to engage customers, promote products and services, and increase brand awareness. He or she creates effective email marketing strategies, plans campaigns, writes text and designs images tailored to the target audience. Email marketers must be familiar with mailing software and analytical tools to measure the success of their campaigns and optimize results.

A specific type of "email marketing professional" is the workflow expert. This figure is very familiar with marketing automation software, nurturing processes, and designing conversion steps. He is sometimes a master in the art of remarketing.

Yet another all-Italian oddity is confusing marketing automation work with that of the "funnel creator." A figure that does not exist in any minimally serious agency or company. In fact, funnels were born as educational tools and for supporting salespeople with the AIDA model. The actual "funnel" can be found only in large companies and is usually a structure worked out by the highest ranks of the marketing department in conjunction with the conversion process expert. And it is certainly not called a funnel. At most, "stages of the customer journey."

E-commerce Manager

The E-commerce Manager manages the launch of new services and products on online shops. He/she is involved in monitoring sales and ensuring a seamless customer experience. Must have experience in managing monthly revenue targets, digital marketing, key account management, and be able to coordinate with other departments to ensure the best customer service.

It is sometimes equivalent in role to the Digital Marketing Manager if e-commerce is the most important digital channel. But these are in truth quite distinct roles with distinctly different goals. The shop manager is indeed in the commercial sphere, while the digital marketing manager insists on branding and much broader KPIs.

Social Media Marketing Manager

The role of Social Media Manager is one of the most up-and-coming positions (for better or worse) in the marketing world today. It includes developing and executing tactics to increase a brand's online presence and customer engagement, as well as creating and managing content for social media accounts. Social media managers must have a deep understanding of the target audience, as well as the ability to keep abreast of the latest industry trends, and must have decent text and visual creation skills. This is an ideal job for someone who is creative, outgoing, organized, and in love with the idea of being able to continually communicate and make fans and customers part of what the company offers.

PR Area

PR specialist or Manager

A PR specialist or manager is responsible for maintaining relationships with global PR firms and developing relationships with key media outlets, journalists, and editors in order to promote the company's message and news. He is also responsible for managing influencer lists and lists of "important" personalities and creating brand awareness through social media, press releases, and other traditional and digital marketing campaigns. Not surprisingly, he often works in conjunction with social media managers.

When he works for an agency, he is also in charge of maintaining the client relationship, alongside a project manager or account.

Event Manager

An event manager is responsible for planning and executing events. Event managers devise themes for events, coordinate vendors, manage costs, and ensure that the right people are present. On some occasions they may develop budgets and marketing plans, as well as evaluate goals and KPIs for their events. An event manager also oversees the design, set-up and execution of the events themselves while they are active. They make sure to tailor these occasions to the needs of the target audience.

Event managers often work with various teams, such as vendors and other coordinators, to make sure the event runs smoothly.

While working in marketing is generally an extremely stressful life choice, the event manager sits, along with the marketing manager and director, at the highest levels.

As in the case of project managers, in our experience one is simply "born" an event manager. The level of emotional self-control and resistance to burnout is simply innate.

influencer or content creator

Here we refer to professionals who use their image to disseminate information pertaining to a certain field inherent to their profession or passion. Although it is clear that there are influencers who are "famous because they are famous" and committed to making the public aware of their personal lives and morbid details, these are evidently unprofessional modes of communication and are likely to be less and less rewarded with the end of Instagram's era of dominance.

True influencers (now more correctly called content creators) look more like passionate disseminators who then sell exposure to their followers to brands willing to pay them or make deals through PR professionals. It is a much more challenging and less lucrative job than it may seem because it boasts large doses of luck. But even when the wave is good, the content creator must be a tireless producer of content.