What Does Marketing Really Do? A Comprehensive Job Description

When you got started, marketing your business likely fell all on your shoulders.

But as you’re growing, you’ll eventually want to hire a Marketing Manager, Director of Marketing, or even CMO to lead this crucial function.

Now, what do they actually do?

I’ve recorded everything I’ve done at some point in over 2 years as Marketing Director at Forte Labs to give you a comprehensive job description of what this function entails.

Keep in mind that not all tasks should be done by one person. Rather, it will be a combination of you, your marketer, external contractors, and potentially agencies.

Strategy

• lead strategy sessions to figure out the path forward

• decide what exactly you’ll do to reach your goals (try the ICE framework)

Content Marketing

You might focus on written content, video content, or a combination of both in your business.

Blog

• plan and maintain a content calendar (tools like Notion or ClickUp are great for this)

• write, edit, and publish blog posts

• optimize blog content for search engines

• optimize blog posts for conversions to email subscribers

YouTube

This applies to long-form videos as well as shorts.

• brainstorm video ideas

• plan and maintain the video pipeline to hit your publishing schedule (e.g. a new video every two weeks)

• write and edit video scripts

• plan and oversee video shoots

• write video titles and descriptions (ChatGPT is a great help for this)

• design thumbnails

• publish videos on YouTube and other platforms

• A/B test titles and thumbnails to improve the click-through-rate (we use Tubebuddy)

• analyze individual video and overall channel performance

• maintain YouTube playlists and channel descriptions

Lead magnets and other content assets

• create guides, ebooks, whitepapers, checklists, templates, etc.

Social Media

• create social media posts to maintain a steady posting cadence (e.g. 1x per day on LinkedIn, 3x per day on X)

• schedule content using a social media management tool (we use Buffer)

• create and post promotional content to support product launches

• reply to comments

• keep social media profiles updated (e.g., links, banner images)

Email Marketing

• draft and send your email newsletter

• plan, draft, and send email campaigns for product launches

• set up and maintain automated email funnels (e.g., welcome sequence, lead magnets)

• maintain the general infrastructure of your ESP (e.g., tags, segments, automations, rules)

• create and update email templates

• re-engage and remove cold subscribers

Websites

You’ll likely work with a web designer/developer specialized in the platform you use such as WordPress or Webflow.

• write copy for web pages, sales pages, and landing pages (here’s a breakdown of our buildingasecondbrain.com homepage)

• design and publish the pages

• optimize for conversions (CRO)

• keep web pages updated continuously (I’m looking at you FAQ section!)

Branding & Graphic Design

• create core branding assets such as logos, color palette, graphic elements (usually done by a brand designer)

• create ongoing design assets such as social media posts and video thumbnails (usually done by versatile production designers)

• maintain a brand guide/media kit (here’s an example)

• create a writing and style guide for your brand

Data & Analytics

• Conduct regular surveys of your audience and customers

• Measure the performance of…

  • launches

  • evergreen email funnels

  • newsletter

  • website conversions

  • social media campaigns

Partnerships, Sponsorships & Affiliates

• swap promotions with other creators and companies in your space

• manage sponsorships of newsletters and YouTube videos

• set up and maintain affiliate programs (you being the affiliate for other products and services as well as others being affiliates for your offers)

Paid Ads

• write ad copy

• create visual assets for ads

• place ads (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn, X, YouTube, newsletters)

• monitor ad performance against key metrics (are your ads profitable?)

PR

• Manage outreach and incoming inquiries for speaking engagements, podcast appearances, and media opportunities

Product

• brainstorm new product ideas with the team

• create products (e.g. new online courses, templates)

• set up a checkout solution

• oversee product launches

• provide/organize customer service to resolve inquiries (this could mean setting up chatbots and/or enabling a customer service agent to answer product-related questions)

Hiring & Team Management

• draft job descriptions, interview candidates, and onboard new team members

• vet agencies and external contractors and integrate them into your workflows

• lead team meetings, making sure everyone is one the same page and has all the information and resources they need to do their jobs

• train team members on new workflows and software

Project Management & Knowledge Management

This is underrated! No matter which function in business, you need a way of making sure things get done and documented.

• document what you’re doing and learning, create internal wikis

• create SOPs and checklists (e.g. a course launch checklist)

• follow project management 101

• maintain systems (e.g. Google Drive, ClickUp, Notion dashboards)

• conduct post-mortems after launches and capture lessons learned

Other

• plan and lead in-person or virtual events

• capture testimonials and maintain a database

As you venture into scaling your marketing efforts, remember that the essence of marketing extends beyond any single role or strategy.

It's woven into every interaction your business has with the outside world, embodying the core values and mission of your brand.

While it's essential to delegate and bring on expertise, YOUR involvement and insight are irreplaceable.

Because the true impact of marketing lies in its ability to authentically connect your business with its audience.