The CMO reports to the chief executive officer (CEO) and is ultimately responsible for the ROI of the company's marketing initiatives. While this is a useful summary of a conventional marketing career, it's not exhaustive. These job titles are similar to the position of chief marketing officer and are often used interchangeably by companies. For example, some employers may refer to a marketing director as vice president of marketing or chief operating officer.
The positions related to a marketing director are marketing executive, marketing director, marketing director, chief revenue officer, commercial director, vice president of marketing, marketing consultant, and chief operating officer. You're creating agendas and priorities for the entire organization, so I would say that just as important as having an opinion outside of marketing is soliciting the opinion of other leaders about marketing. Marketing is geared towards sales growth, while boards of directors, CEOs and, in fact, CFOs want sales and efficiency. A career as a marketing specialist can often involve moving to positions of greater responsibility and reach.
Caren Fleit, CEO of Korn Ferry's Global Chief Marketing Officers, attributes this increase to the fact that the more complex the CMO function has become, the less senior managers understand it. Of course, this means that marketers looking to develop their careers may think that the next logical step is to become a CMO. In addition to formal education, marketers can earn third-party certifications as part of their path to becoming CMOs. Ultimately, this function is responsible for ensuring the return on investment (ROI) of the company's marketing initiatives.
In fact, being one-dimensional and limiting your opinion to marketing makes you one of the objectives of top management, while adding a critical voice to the room creates value. Whether part-time or full-time, a CMO's responsibilities include all internal and external marketing activities. Once you have demonstrated your skills and knowledge as an entry-level marketing specialist or coordinator, you can apply for management positions. Marketing in both sectors also depends heavily on tailoring personalized messages to different customer segments.
For more than 10 years, Casey has been leading the marketing strategy for 7- and 8-figure companies, both in the digital and physical markets. Marketing managers oversee all marketing departments and activities, including the development, planning, and execution of all marketing strategies and initiatives. These positions usually require a maximum of 2 years of experience and position you as a coordinator or specialist in the marketing industry. As a marketing director, you have transferable skills that would make you a good fit for other similar jobs.
