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Who Is Responsible For Marketing Strategy? An Overview Of Roles, Responsibilities, & Skills

Published August 16, 2022
/ Updated March 15, 2024

Marketers who document their marketing strategy are 414% more likely to report success than marketers who don’t document their marketing strategy.

But who is responsible for—and involved in—a marketing strategy?

Who Is Responsible For A Marketing Strategy?

CMO

The chief marketing officer (CMO) or the most senior marketer is typically responsible for leading an organization’s overarching marketing strategy.

Her objective is to align all marketing activities with the company’s vision, mission, and strategic business objectives. She analyzes the market, sets marketing goals and objectives, documents the marketing plan, and directs marketers to take advantage of opportunities where the business has the highest potential of success.

It is a best practice for organizations to create a single, unified marketing strategy that aligns with the organization’s vision. The marketing strategy is a north star which all marketers across an organization collaboratively follow.

That said, it’s common to hear about different types of marketing strategies like content marketing strategy, social media strategy, product marketing strategy, and many more.

These more specific strategies are tactical, channel, or content-based, and they exist to support the organization’s overarching marketing strategy. This is where marketing strategists’ responsibilities as specialists begin executing the strategy on more granular levels.

What Does A Marketing Strategist Do?

Marketing strategists execute the organization-wide marketing strategy by translating the CMO’s marketing strategy into tactical, channel, and content-specific marketing activities.

This role is for specialists who are responsible for researching, developing, communicating, and leading specialized marketing plans and campaigns that align with strategic business objectives while ensuring brand consistency.

Strategists are also responsible for executing, collaborating, publishing, measuring, optimizing, and iterating marketing plans and campaigns to generate the greatest return possible.

Marketing Strategist Roles

Marketing strategists are often responsible as specialists in key tactical, channel, and content activities. Job titles and roles examples include but are not limited to:

Tactical marketing strategist roles:

  • Brand Strategist
  • Content Marketing Strategist
  • Product Marketing Strategist

Channel marketing strategist roles:

  • Marketing Automation Strategist
  • Search Engine Optimization Strategist
  • Social Media Strategist

Content strategist roles:

  • Blog Strategist
  • Email Marketing Strategist
  • Event Marketing Strategist

It’s important to note that depending on an organization’s size, the marketing strategist’s responsibilities may be split among multiple roles.

Roles such as Brand Director, Vice President Content Marketing, and Senior Marketing Automation Manager, for example, may be responsible for making leadership decisions. These marketing leaders may then delegate contributor functions involved in the respective marketing plans and campaigns to marketing specialists.

Marketing Strategist Job Description

As a marketing strategist, you will be responsible for researching, developing, communicating, and leading marketing plans and campaigns. You will execute, collaborate, publish, measure, optimize, and iterate upon your work to influence profitable customer action.

Marketing Strategist Responsibilities & Job Duties

Common marketing strategist responsibilities include but are not limited to:

  • Research target markets, competitors, buyers, and stakeholders to leverage the greatest opportunities to influence results.
  • Develop and document marketing plans and campaigns complete with leading and lagging KPIs that align with marketing strategy, goals, and objectives.
  • Communicate opportunities with key stakeholders to gain awareness, opinion, and approval for your plan and campaign suggestions.
  • Lead and align cross-functional collaboration in the strategic execution of your plans and campaigns.
  • Ensure brand compliance and consistency with all published marketing activities.
  • Measure marketing activity against leading and lagging KPIs.
  • Report outcomes of your plans and campaigns to cross-functional stakeholders.
  • Develop plans to enhance and optimize your work to influence greater results.
  • Share knowledge and lessons learned for what worked, what didn’t, and what you’d do differently next time.

Marketing Strategist Requirements, Qualifications, & Skills

Common requirements and skillsets marketing strategists need include but are not limited to:

  • Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, or related field
  • 4 years of experience in a marketing role
  • Self-starter with a track record of shipping big ideas that have influenced tangible results
  • Market research background with solid monitoring and communication skills
  • Ability to identify trends, opportunities, and threats and customize marketing plans to capitalize on the upside of risk while minimizing the downside
  • Data junkie with experience in setting, measuring, analyzing, and reporting KPIs
  • Team player with cross-functional teamwork experience
  • Willpower to take constructive criticism, review work, and suggest improvements

What Are The Additional Marketing Roles & Responsibilities In A Marketing Strategy?

CMOs and marketing strategists are just two of many roles involved in the execution of a marketing strategy.

While marketing departments will have many teams and roles to succeed in their respective industries, critical roles to execute a marketing strategy include:

  • CMO: The chief marketing officer sets the marketing strategy for an organization.
  • Brand Director: The brand manager is responsible for the visual identity, voice, tone, feel, and positioning of an organization and its products and/or services.
  • Marketing Strategist: The strategist is a specialist who is responsible for leading and executing distinct marketing plans and campaigns.
  • Content/Copywriter: The writer is responsible for the text of specific pieces, whether they be copy, scripts, or anything related to wording.
  • Visual Designer/Animator/Videographer: This creative translates the brand director’s visual identity into the creation of an actual piece of content.
  • Editor: The editor ensures brand compliance, consistency, and adherence to the marketing plan and strategy.
  • Publisher: This role is responsible for delivering the piece of content through all channels as defined by the marketing strategist.