Career Profiles Corporate Communications Manager
As a Corporate Communications Director / Strategist, your responsibilities require many hats. Integrated strategic marketing plans, the knowledge to execute those plans, and the responsibility to track ROI are all part of your responsibilities. Also, if your company has brands it promotes, you are also responsible for brand management. In these rolls, it is the charge of your office to determine appropriate communications to promote and gain market share for your company or brand. However, the marketing process is often misunderstood or not understood at all by senior management, which challenges you to prove your value. If you are an experienced professional this shouldn't be a roadblock.
Imperative to your position is to understand you function as an "in-house" agency. Networking and involving the necessary cross functional stakeholders within the company is critical. Interpersonal communication skills of the highest order are required. Without this, you cannot mine the necessary information you need to create the most valuable and compelling marketing and brand plans. A knowledge of how to execute marketing collaterals and sales tools, how to use any media including web, print production, event management, creative input, outside agency management if there are such resources, and contract/agreement negotiation are critical to your roll. Enrolling your support staff in your efforts by mentoring, teaching and guiding are very valuable to support you in your position.
Last, the most important part of your position is reporting to senior management ROI for marketing initiatives and internal communications and reports on projects and schedules to all stakeholders. When these persons are informed and aware of all that you are working on, there can be no mystery about what you do. Continued internal communication throughout your plan is part of your responsibilities.
Marketing is one of the most important components of a business plan and budget, so fight for your budget if your management doesn't understand it. Quantify why marketing dollars dedicated to corporate and brand awareness are imperative to grow business. Demonstrate the individual projects you feel would be the most valuable to support the business by creating a compelling presentation which should include a SWOT analysis of the business and how you will meet those challenges. Last, keep a close eye on the marketing budget and never, ever, go over any cost of a marketing initiative. Avoid ad hoc "wish list" initiatives by sales if you can and never embark on a project that has not been budgeted for without sign off from senior management.
