A Marketing Technology Manager is, first and foremost, a technologist. Made up of one part IT geek and one part integrated marketing expert, this hybrid professional straddles the fence between both worlds, which today are really one and the same.
The rise of technology has shifted the focus of traditional Marketing Managers to include the embrace of new digital disruptors. This trend has changed marketing forever and has created a host of new roles that embrace traditional marketing tasks but in a digital format.
The Marketing Technology Manager is one of the latest careers spawned from the new digital landscape. These Managers serve as a crucial link between marketing and IT. The role requires the ability to liaison within the marketing function of a business and then translate that marketing vision to a technology implementation to deliver on marketing goals.
What Is Correct Title for this Role?
This role can have a number of different titles–from Marketing Technology Manager to Head of Marketing Technology, or even Business Information Officer for Global Marketing, but these roles really have one primary goal: to marry the marketing function with the technology that delivers it. They are marketing technology (martech) unicorns, but they are crucially important to understanding the needs of today’s digitally connected customer.
MarTech Professional Skills Needed
The Marketing Technology Manager will be equally comfortable discussing the taxonomy of website properties, the click-through rates of the latest PPC campaign, or marketing trends impacting both.
These professionals must understand traditional marketing disciplines that could include:
- Search engine optimization
- Customer segmentation
- Paid search
- Social media
- Paid media
- Email marketing
- Lead generation
- Database management
- Website optimization
A Marketing Technology Manager must understand not only the practical applications of the marketing craft but the technology we now use to make it happen.
Suggested Software Proficiency
This role must include a general expertise with a wide variety of marketing software, including:
- Content management platforms
- Customer relationship management platforms
- Experience management software
- Email marketing tools
- E-commerce
- Mobile tracking software
Marketing Technology Managers must know how to capitalize on data and technology to fulfill organizational goals. They must also be able to gather the business requirements to justify a particular piece of marketing software.
Role Responsibilities
The Marketing Technology Manager must also understand the valuable potential of automation to streamline the functions of both sales and marketing teams. They should understand how systems could interconnect to integrate data between platforms, although they will typically not be able to write the code to make that happen. Their work must cross all digital channels to improve business performance.
Some of the typical responsibilities of the role of Marketing Technology Manager could include:
- Serving as super-user and product evangelist for a variety of digital tools
- Strategy development and implementation of marketing efforts to improve a business
- Change management, including implementation of new marketing technology rollouts
- Potentially overseeing training of marketing software and user adoption
- Lead user acceptance testing while correcting any issues that arise
- Oversee data security and product enhancement
- Relationship management with internal technology users and vendors
- Optimizing technology investments
- Overseeing marketing intelligence and providing actionable insight to clients or internal stakeholders
- Working closely with IT developers or staff
The Marketing Technology Manager must work closely with cross-functional teams. They should work smoothly under pressure, with communication that should be equally effective with IT, marketing, and sales. The Marketing Technology Manager is a collaborator and a team player, bridging gaps between departments that are admittedly sometimes just not speaking the same language. Think of the Marketing Technology Manager as the interpreter between these sometimes-disparate departments. But never fear; the MarTech Manager can connect all the dots between the frontend user experience and the marketing and IT teams that control their UI.
The personal and professional characteristics of a marketing manager include:
- Creativity
- Full stack communicator
- Organizational skills
- Adaptability
- Emotional intelligence
- Strong leadership traits
- Consensus builder and collaborator
- Innovative visionary
- Passionate technologist
- Savvy salesperson
Educational Requirements
These executives may have an undergraduate degree in computer science and a graduate degree in marketing or business. They may have an agency background. Increasingly, you will find them in corporate roles, reporting to a marketing VP or a CMO (Chief Marketing Officer). But they may also report to senior technology leadership.
It’s true that marketing is now one of the most technology-centric professions today. The Marketing Technology Manager is at the forefront of this trend. These skilled professionals help create the roadmap for a company’s digital architectures designed to attract and retain customers. They help eliminate marketing and technology silos, and improve deployment of new technologies to increase customer engagement in all digital channels.
Find Your Next Marketing Technology Manager
Artisan specializes in marketing unicorns like the Marketing Technology Manager. Contact us to discuss how Artisan’s creative employment agency can help find you the perfect match or view our creative employment agency’s list of available opportunities today.
