the role of the marketing manager For the small business, there are several different organisational approaches

to marketing. The duty may lie with a single member of the team, or it could be a group responsibility. The great thing about a small team is the ability to quick ly instill a marketing led ethos which can become the operational soul of your b usiness. Depending on budget availability and the skills of the team, you may choose to o utsource certain elements of the marketing process (such as market research) or decide to do these jobs in-house. Key responsibilities of the marketing manager / director vary according to the business but can include: Instilling a marketing led ethos throughout the business Researching and reporting on external opportunities Understanding current and potential customers Managing the customer journey (customer relationship management) Developing the marketing strategy and plan Management of the marketing mix Managing agencies Measuring success Managing budgets Ensuring timely delivery Writing copy Approving images Developing guidelines Making customer focused decisions The marketing role can be diverse or focused but now we'll elaborate further on some key aspects which should be at the heart of the job. market research Marketing managers need to have a good knowledge of the customer. This means bui lding up an accurate picture using the resources that are available. It is impor tant to take personal opinion out of as many decisions as possible you probably don't think in the same way as a typical customer. Information can be gathered f rom questionnaires, focus groups, the internet, interviews, buying habits and ma ny more sources, but it's important that the information is examined in a scient ific way using proper statistical methods. Gut feel can only take your business so far. development of marketing strategy and plan Marketing planning should be at the core to any business and is usually presente d in the form of a written marketing plan. A consultant called Paul Smith first developed a process known as SOSTAC which is a useful model used to structure a m arketing plan. SOSTAC is an acronym for the following elements of the plan: Situation Analysis where are we now? Objectives what do you want to achieve? Strategy how are you going to get there? Tactics - what are the details of the strategy? Actions who is going to do what, and by when? Controls how are you going to measure success? SOSTAC is a registered trade mark of PR Smith The marketing plan should provide direction for all relevant members of the orga nization and should be referred to and updated throughout the year. The main rea son for the marketing plan is that it provides a structured approach that forces the marketing manager to consider all the relevant elements of the planning pro cess which might be missed if a more rushed approach is adopted. Our guide to writing a marketing plan management of the marketing mix The marketing mix includes all tangible elements that allow you to market your p roduct. This includes facilities, your employees, the product itself, the cost s trategy, the process of selling, and how you promote and advertise. The extent t o which the marketing manager gets involved in these elements depends on how mar

keting focused your business is. A product focused organization will probably st art with an ides for a new product, then try and determine who is likely to buy it. A marketing focused business starts with the consumer and tried to figure ou t what they want to buy. Some product focused businesses are very successful but it is generally accepted that a marketing focus provides a greater chance of su ccess. customer relationship management (crm) Customer relationship management is the process of communicating with customers throughout the various stages of the purchasing process, and this includes peopl e who have already bought from you. It is significantly easier to hold on to an existing customer than it is to find new ones, but doing this requires all eleme nts of the marketing mix to be run well. For example, it's no use sending out a beautifully produced customer magazine if your customer service is dreadful or t he product breaks easily. The purchasing funnel managing agencies It is unlikely that a small business will have the skills in-house to develop al l elements of the marketing mix. Websites, brochures, and other promotional item s will usually involve some form of outsourced help such as graphic design or pr inting. Careful management of these agencies is essential to provide an integrat ed marketing approach to promotion. Agency management involves the development o f detailed project briefs, signing off creative work and ensuring the work is de livered on time. Depending on the volume of work which is outsourced, you may fe el it is worth developing some guidelines to ensure a consistent style across di fferent media. measuring success An important element of the marketing manager's role which is often neglected is the process of collecting and analysing data on success. This can take the form of website hits, sales figures, market share data, customer satisfaction or man y other metrics and it's important to record and track these as a core part of t he marketing process. final words Marketing managers have a diverse and varied job, and promotion should just be o ne element of the scope. Championing a marketing focussed business structure wil l provide a greater chance of success in today's challenging business environmen t and will lead to a more sustainable future.