If you're considering a career in marketing but haven't nailed down which direction to take, a description of the various options may help. The goal of marketing is to promote sales and increase revenue, and the members of a marketing staff are uniquely equipped to perform this function.
Marketing Manager
The marketing manager oversees production of all marketing materials and is responsible for the accurate and timely release of every initiative. The marketing manager may answer to a marketing director or vice president if the company has such a structure, but she is often the highest ranking member specific to the marketing staff. Marketing managers must work with partners to secure marketing plans and funding, and they are responsible for ensuring that funds are distributed or collected upon the completion of every partnership plan. Other members of the marketing team answer to the manager, who has the ultimate task of directing the team toward the same goals.
Graphic Artist
Graphic artists specialize in print design and are an essential part of the marketing team of any company. Graphic artists typically use special design software to create everything from brochures to signage that carries the company logo, although they will on occasion draw freehand. Print marketing is more important to some companies than others, but it continues to have a presence across all industries and graphic designers are the people responsible for every piece you see. They take direction from the marketing manager, but may have to adhere to larger company guidelines set forth by the vice president or CEO in charge of marketing. A marketing team graphic artist may produce magazine ads, trade show banners, product brochures and business cards for the office.
E-commerce Graphic Designer
E-commerce graphic designers create every banner, pop-up ad, widget and website that your company logo appears on, whether it's in house or somewhere else on the Web. E-commerce graphic designers create all their work using software and computer language in a combination of programming and artistic effort. Email blasts and Web content are another responsibility of the e-commerce designer, as are the removal and application of new and completed online marketing initiatives. Since many companies have a large Web presence and online marketing is considered a high priority, the Web designer often has more time constraints and greater pressures than her print counterparts.
Marketing Specialist
Marketing specialists work hand in hand with the marketing manager to complete a variety of tasks. Specialists are responsible for completing initiatives on time, sending out email marketing campaigns, keeping track of the dates and deadlines associated with marketing initiatives, and generally anything else the manager designates to them. Specialists may also be given reign over a specific project or category of efforts such as brochure creation. In such a situation, the specialist becomes a stand-in for the manager, working with artists and partner companies to insert the proper images, logos, ad copy and layouts so the brochure can move forward toward printing. Specialists are dynamic and dedicated, and are typically on the path to become managers some day.
Writer Bio
Robert Morello has an extensive travel, marketing and business background. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University in 2002 and has worked in travel as a guide, corporate senior marketing and product manager and travel consultant/expert. Morello is a professional writer and adjunct professor of travel and tourism.