The environment of marketing jobs has changed dramatically because of the rise of major tech companies. With the steady increase of marketing dollars being spent online, verses radio or television, different marketing roles have arisen. Below are the four hottest marketing roles that are in the highest-demand for everything from Fortune 500 to venture backed startup companies.
The 4 Most In-Demand Marketing Jobs of 2016
Demand Gen Marketing
The Demand Generation Marketer helps guide prospects through the conversion funnel. These marketers are focused on creating and nurturing prospect and customer relationships over the long term. The reason Demand Generation is important in modern day marketing is because while sales generate short-term leads, marketing creates long-term infrastructure for growth. Their target is generating quality leads for a company or brand. They are responsible for interactions on social media, creating eBooks, and hosting webinars. They work to not only spread brand awareness, but more important, bring in leads to the sales team. Demand Gen Marketers discuss all different aspects of a product, and work with other departments to determine what questions they are most being asked. By understanding what clients and consumers are questioning, Demand Gen Marketers are able to create targeted campaigns for each of these different queries.
Product Marketing
A Product Marketer establishes a product’s overall message to customers and how this message is conveyed. By looking to understand the greater market by familiarizing themselves with the buyers’ needs, a Product Marketer is able to help position the competitive advantage of their product. In this day and age- products are highly technical and need promotion to multiple audiences, whether it is individual consumers, larger corporations, or other businesses and conglomerates. Product marketing focuses on outbound marketing and messaging to potential clients, and involves customer-facing tactics. Prior to a product’s launch, Product Marketers develop a company’s positioning, messaging, and competitive advantages; they work with project managers to outline a market strategy. After the launch, a Product Marketer works with the sales team to drive demand and adoption of the new item. Domain experience is key for this position. A Product Marketer requires deep industry knowledge and experience in similar spaces. They work closely with product development and other teams to truly understand what the company is producing and its benefits.
Content Marketing
Content Marketers work to link a product or service with a series of key words or concepts to bring in ideal customers. They create content that is used to attract and retain a product or service’s specific audience using targeted words, phrases, and images. Examples of content marketing include infographics, optimized webpages, podcasts, videos, and eBooks. The reason this is important now more than ever is because content is integral to the first two stages of the buying cycle, and the ultimate goal of marketing is to generate longstanding brand awareness and leads for sales. In the first stage of the buying cycle, content marketers help potential clients become aware of a new product or service through SEO, advertisements, press releases, and promotional videos. In the second stage of the buying cycle, Content Marketers established what makes the new product or service the best option. While a customer is researching their different choices, it is up to the content marketer to create a dynamic representation of the product’s benefits to convert leads.
VP of Marketing
To manage long-term marketing initiatives requires a leader who can see the big picture while supporting the small steps needed to get there. Often, the VP of Marketing is the first position a company hires. This person needs to be hands on and able to build out a strong department. The best VPs of Marketing create strong data-driven teams that start creating measurable success rapidly. These leaders tie marketing with revenue generation and understand the need for setting clear outlines of duties. The marketing department of any company has to be able to collaborate with other teams to be successful in a growing company. Often, VPs of Marketing can act as a CMO because of the close ties the product of a company has to the CEO or Founder. Especially in the beginning stages, VPs of Marketing work on initial marketing initiatives by the executive team and focus on building out a strong group to aid in all marketing. They focus on tactics that truly engage customers and convert potential users into clients. VPs of Marketing can come from Demand Generation, Content, or Product Marketing. The ideal candidate requires strong leadership skills and the ability to see the larger picture beyond daily tasks. This position requires experience, education, and skill, making a VP of Marketing a hard position to fill!
Are you a Marketer looking for a new challenge? If you’re interested in hearing about new opportunities in any of the above roles, click here to reach out to a recruiter today!