They are accountable for making sure that the products, services, and product lines – that fall under their company – respond to current as well as potential customers.
To make this happen, they continuously monitor digital marketing trends. In addition, they keep a close eye on products from competitors in the marketplace. They also frequently meet with clients and senior management. In addition, brand managers oversee a team of junior digital marketers.
The reporting structure of a brand manager
They are the point-people for developing, implementing and executing digital marketing actions and projects for their specific brand. These include web, social media and broadcast campaigns. They report to the marketing manager or chief marketing officer – depending on the structure of the company. For more details please visit digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za
What does a brand manager do?
They are responsible for more than just executing digital marketing campaigns. They are also in charge of:
1. Managing and developing the income and expenditure of the business,
2. Driving market growth.
Other essential elements of a brand manager’s job are:
– Researching the marketplace to see where the product or client fits in (i.e., analyzing competitive positioning, products, brands as well as spending);
– Developing digital marketing and advertising strategies as well as managing the budgets related to this;
– Assisting to create designs and layouts for print and digital advertising concepts signage and collateral;
– Overseeing promotional activities;
– Analyzing pricing and sales;
(Re)evaluating the manner in which the brand can appeal to a wider base of consumers.
The skills of a brand manager
They must have a plethora of skills in their digital marketing toolboxes. This is so that they can be effective in what they do. As storytellers, they must possess excellent writing skills and heaps of creativity. Those writing skills must transfer to short- and long-form pieces that identify the brand in the minds of consumers and transmit the intended message.
Brand managers must also be able to build trust with the stakeholders of their company. This is while they continue to define the company’s brand and tell a story that not only makes sense to consumers but is also genuine.
Moreover, these digital marketing gurus must have top-notch analytical skills as well as a complete understanding of the brand they promote. It’s also vital for them to be very au fait with budget management.
Brand managers must be able to reason quantitatively
One of the core competencies that they must have is the ability to defend branding activities with the use of data. The quantitative rationale that lies behind your branding strategy legitimizes it. This is especially true with senior management. Most branding results are explained qualitatively but expressing them using numbers is what keeps the brand manager afloat.
The key to aligning data with branding is about analyzing branding reach before new processes are started. Although the brand perception is subjective, some measurements can be determined in order for branding to be justified. For instance, a brand manager can calculate conversion rates to show how well new key messaging is being perceived. However, before you tackle this be sure to use data and give updates early and often.
Brand managers must be strong communicators
They work across many different departments. They implement company-wide cooperation on larger projects. Make sure that you’ve built relationships through good communication practices before starting a big rebranding project. Here are some important steps to improving your communication:
– First, make yourself visible and accessible as often as possible.
– Go to different departments and make queries.
– Attempt to attend creative meetings as an onlooker in order to learn their workflows.
– Finally, be available for brand questions if they appear.
There are often questions about branding in other departments that aren’t asked. This is because the brand manager has not made itself available to answer these questions. Furthermore, brand consistency begins internally. This means that you need to make it clear to your team that they need to be available for branding questions from their colleagues in other departments.