What core competencies should an excellent marketing manager possess?

Recently I received letters from some netizens, some of whom work in SEM , some in event planning , some in content editing, and some in media management. Everyone has similar worries. That is, they have been working in a position for several years, have accumulated good experience, and have been promoted and received a salary increase of more than 10,000 yuan, but now they feel very anxious, and the results are not as good as before. What should they do next?

From the perspective of professional skill development in marketing positions, everyone has a process from basics to entry and then to proficiency; for example, search engine marketing goes from unfamiliarity to proficiency, and then from mastering search engine marketing to mastering SEO , ad networks , ASO , application market payment, information flow , social marketing and other marketing methods. On the basis of mastering a certain module, expand to the full-process module; for example, from mastering a variety of marketing methods, expand to target user research, product marketing planning, website and marketing page planning, event creative planning, media management, business cooperation, channel management, data analysis , user research and other modules. Finally, through the integration of multiple modules, you can gradually form a global mindset, think about brands and market competition from a strategic perspective, and possess strong management capabilities and personal connections.

In terms of personal development, the higher you go, the higher the requirements for complex skills. No matter how strong a single skill is, it cannot make a huge impact. This requires us to transform from single-skilled talents to complex talents.

When we are engaged in a certain position, we must understand the value of this position in the company. But this is far from enough. You may also need to understand how the top companies in this industry set up this position and the department it is located in? You may even need to buy some classic books to see how the masters scientifically define your position or skills.

Why? Because the company you work for may be lacking in some way or enjoying some kind of short-term dividend. For example, if the company you used to work for had very good SEM results or online activities, you would think that this is all there is to the market. When you encounter other products or are in a different market environment, you will find that you may need to do sales or branding instead of traffic generation or user operations as in the past.

Back to the beginning, when we have been engaged in the marketing for three to five years and have accumulated some experience but are very anxious, do we need to think seriously about what core capabilities an excellent marketing manager should have?

I think an excellent marketing manager should have several core abilities:

1. Strategic thinking ability

When a marketing manager takes over a project, he or she must first understand the product's growth logic and user needs. Here you need to have an in-depth understanding of your competitors’ growth strategies, investigate user needs, and think about a fundamental question in conjunction with the business model: What is my product growth strategy?

Take TOB software as an example. It is a very heavy industry. It cannot leverage the market by relying on traffic and operations . Its product growth strategy is to focus on the market, and it is mainly based on channels and direct sales, supplemented by brand and market conference support. For some free tools , such as communities and information, their product growth strategy is mainly based on operations. For some high-repurchase products, such as traditional e-commerce and financial e-commerce, their market and operations are both important, and their growth strategy is mainly based on selling products, while taking into account traffic conversion efficiency and user life cycle management.

Generally speaking, the business model determines the target users and usage behavior, which in turn determines our product growth strategy.

We also need to think about a few more questions. In terms of the market, what are our key nodes? For example, are there any major partners in acquiring users, such as obtaining access to BAT, or reaching a strategic partnership with a synergistic company. For example, are there any important moments in brand promotion, such as obtaining financing, winning a well-known award, or hiring a spokesperson.

Prepare resources in advance around these key nodes to achieve the best results.

2. Comprehensive marketing methodology

To master a more comprehensive marketing methodology, you need to master more skills.

For example, as a BD, one not only needs excellent business negotiation skills and personal connections, but also needs a certain understanding of marketing and modern business; and media is not just about managing media, but also requires a grasp of crisis public relations and brand marketing .

Of course, it is impossible for us to be proficient in everything, but to become an excellent marketing manager, we must be proficient in many areas, whether it is content creation, interactive creativity, online advertising, offline roadshows, TV advertising, media development, data analysis, etc., we must have a certain understanding and know the basic principles and techniques.

Take financial securities, for example. What is my marketing approach? My users are in financial institutions, bank financial planners, online apps like Tonghuashun, and Phoenix Finance Channel. So what can I do? We can recruit third-party agents, TOB cooperation, offline roadshows, online business cooperation, and online advertising. What is my approach to media development? For example, if I have my own resources, I can build my own traffic, from WeChat public accounts to Toutiao accounts, or I can do media public relations or buy traffic directly. For example, what is my refined operation method ? Through data analysis and continuous optimization, we find the most effective way of playing. It may not be the cheapest, but it is definitely the optimal way of playing that strikes a balance between cost and efficiency.

Specific to some methodologies, such as "Online Advertising Methodology", "A/B Testing Methodology", "Social Marketing Methodology", " Offline Activity Methodology", "Media Public Relations Methodology", " Ground Marketing Methodology", "TV Delivery Methodology", etc.

3. Management capabilities

The market is a complex system that involves many business modules and personnel, and requires high management capabilities from marketing managers.

In daily work, it is not an easy task to manage people from marketing planning, media, business to copywriting , design, data, etc., and how to formulate and evaluate their KPIs. During major activities or events, how to mobilize their enthusiasm and ensure the project is completed as expected is a management challenge for marketing managers.

For most people, management skills do not emerge overnight. To some extent, most people's good management skills stem from their strong professionalism. That is to say, as a good marketing manager, you must have a certain understanding of the following positions and modules so that you can recruit the right people and manage them. If you don’t understand it yourself, it’s hard to motivate them.

On the other hand, marketing managers should give their subordinates more room for development and not set limits on them. They should develop not only vertically but also horizontally. Only in this way can they unleash amazing combat effectiveness under limited manpower. Because everyone's abilities are more comprehensive, those who work in media can come up with ideas, those who work in content can do data analysis, and those who work in planning can conduct business negotiations. This way, the team will be more integrated.

The management ability of a marketing manager can also be reflected in training and knowledge sharing. Employees need to learn and improve. Through departmental training and knowledge sharing, they not only improve the team's capabilities, but also enhance their weight as a leader in the hearts of team members. Team members will feel that this department is worth staying in and will be more motivated to work.

In large companies, there are many departments, and employees' sense of belonging mostly comes from the company, but they often do not have much emotion for departments and projects. As a department leader, you need to help the department strive for corresponding benefits, such as applying for department awards for major achievements, or rewarding individuals for outstanding contributions, thereby forming a competitive environment and increasing employees' sense of pride.

4. Communication and negotiation skills

Sometimes the market is about being a human being. Being a human being is not just about doing things, but also about being able to speak. This is not about saying nice things or flattering others, but about communication skills.

The market often needs to apply for a budget. How to express the relevant interests clearly and how to obtain the approval of the boss is a science. In actual implementation, the market often needs to communicate across departments and seek support from related sister departments. If communication is not smooth, many troubles will arise, leading to slow project progress. Generally speaking, disputes are inevitable, but the key is how to find common ground in the disputes and avoid turning them into infighting and political struggles.

When dealing with agents, how to get traffic at the lowest price depends on the marketing manager's familiarity with the media and communication skills with the agents. For some important partners, it is necessary to establish a lasting trust relationship in order to obtain support beyond that of ordinary partners, such as having more room for maneuver in some specific executions.

5. Data analysis and decision-making capabilities

Data analysis skills are not difficult. For example, when we launch an activity, we can easily get ROI, CPA, CPC, CPM, and corresponding conversion rates through data. But the difficulty lies in how we make decisions based on data.

For example, for a newly launched APP, theoretically, the AR PU value of a single user is 100 yuan, and the frequency of use is not high. However, in actual promotion, it was found that the minimum requirement for a single user was 200 yuan. At this time, competitors are investing heavily. Should we follow up?

In this case, we need to make decisions based on several aspects, such as whether there are lower-cost means? For example, after users come in, can a certain degree of self-growth be generated? If so, what is the proportion? When converted to cost, have we achieved a balance? Do we want to be number one in the market? Does it have any effect on financing?

In reality, the market makes decisions primarily around data. Sometimes we are unable to make accurate data analysis and we need to make some macro and empirical judgments. For example, in the fast-moving consumer goods industry, last year's turnover was lower than the year before, but the budget did not change, only Internet advertising was added. In the absence of major market changes, we can basically judge that the addition of Internet advertising has led to insufficient original budget, making it difficult to form sufficient marketing power.

In general, the core of data analysis is to focus on the big picture and let go of the small details, make quick decisions, summarize quickly, and optimize quickly. Among multiple market strategies, we prioritize the most important and effective ones, such as Didi’s red envelope strategy, which allows quick decisions and launches before competitors react.

Today, when the traffic dividend disappears, the so-called high-frequency beating low-frequency and Internet thinking will gradually become ineffective. The market will return to its essence, and the original classic marketing theory will still be the most effective. As a marketing person, only if you have more comprehensive abilities can you be able to cope with ever-changing situations in the next five years.