CMO vs Marketing Director vs Marketing Manager: What Do You Need?

Marketing has many different organizational levels. It requires a multi-level hierarchy because it encompasses such a wide range of complex activities. From strategic planning and market research to tactical execution like content creation and social media management, specialized roles and expertise at each level help effectively manage each stage of the marketing process, catering to different customer touchpoints along the marketing funnel.

Can one person wear all the marketing hats? In a start-up or small company, perhaps. But executing all marketing elements well requires a diverse skill set. Is it possible that one person has all those skills? Sure. But expecting one person to cover all marketing bases leaves room for errors, a slapdash approach, and missed opportunities. Hence, the marketing hierarchy and the challenge of identifying which marketing leaders your company needs.

The Hierarchy of Marketing

Plenty of reasons exist to justify embracing a marketing hierarchy. Different levels within your company’s marketing department can focus on specific areas like:

• Brand strategy
• Customer relationship management
• Digital marketing
• Product marketing
• Market analysis

Each area requires distinct skills, expertise, and experience. A hierarchy facilitates clear lines of responsibility, with senior marketers making high-level strategic decisions while lower-level teams execute specific tactics. As companies grow, marketing departments can expand with additional levels to manage increasing marketing needs and reach new customer segments.

The typical levels of a marketing hierarchy start with the chief marketing officer (CMO) at the executive level, marketing directors positioned just below, followed by marketing managers at the mid-level, and marketing coordinators, content creators, and social media managers executing specific marketing tasks at the specialist level.

Let’s look at the top three roles in a little more detail.

CMOs: The Executives Leading the Marketing Department

On par with the CEO and CFO, these C-suite leaders develop and execute a company’s comprehensive marketing strategy. They collaborate closely with the executive leadership team to align marketing initiatives with the company’s objectives. CMOs:

• Generate revenue. In some cases, CMOs may be directly involved in sales efforts, overseeing strategies to attract and convert potential customers and driving the sales pipeline, especially in B2B settings. CMOs may also influence pricing decisions to optimize revenue and profit margins.
• Boost brand awareness. CMOs drive brand building and positioning, developing and executing strategies to enhance brand recognition, reputation, and perception, and defining the unique selling proposition and target audience. 
• Manage marketing teams. These leaders hire, train, and develop other talented marketing professionals, set goals, offer feedback, and recognize achievements. They also champion positive, collaborative work environments.
• Launch marketing campaigns. CMOs will work with their teams to develop comprehensive marketing plans, including goals, messaging, and target audience. They oversee the campaigns across digital, print, and social media and allocate budgets to maximize ROI.
• Measure performance. Along with the marketing directors and managers, CMOs track key performance indicators (KPI), conduct A/B testing, and use data analytics tools to gain insight and evaluate campaign performance.  

CMOs may work closely with other key stakeholders, such as advertising agencies, PR firms, and other external vendors. Working with external vendors helps CMOs allocate resources and focus on core competencies. These agencies can provide the resources and expertise to handle large-scale marketing campaigns or projects with tight deadlines, allowing companies to scale their marketing efforts as needed.

In some cases, outsourcing marketing functions to external vendors is more cost-effective than building an in-house team—a definite benefit for smaller companies or those with limited budgets. Plus, working with external agencies can infuse the marketing team with fresh ideas and perspectives about industry trends, emerging technologies, and innovative approaches.

Marketing Directors: The Tacticians of the Marketing Department

Marketing directors (sometimes called directors of marketing) report directly to—and work closely with—the CMO to create and implement marketing strategies, but their primary focus? The tactical execution of those strategies. They may manage specific areas within the marketing department, like advertising, content creation, and social media. Marketing directors also:

• Maximize ROI. By creating and controlling the marketing department’s sales, design, content, and other budgets, marketing directors can monitor expenses, prioritize high-impact initiatives, and generate the best return.
• Oversee teams. Marketing directors guide, train, and mentor team members while monitoring timelines, deadlines, and quality standards to ensure all marketing deliverables exceed expectations.
• Ideate and manage marketing projects. In developing and implementing marketing strategies designed to support department objectives and strategies, marketing directors align projects and campaigns with organizational goals. These marketing pros manage brand campaigns, content marketing initiatives, and product launches.

Like CMOs, these brand ambassadors represent the company at industry events and build relationships with various stakeholders. While they’re a valuable component of a company’s marketing team, sometimes it’s not cost-effective for a newer start-up or smaller company to hire a full-time marketing director. 

A more cost-effective solution is to hire a fractional director, freeing a full-time salary and benefits and empowering companies to scale marketing efforts up or down as needed while paying only for the services they need. Meanwhile, these companies benefit from access to high-level expertise, strategic guidance, and best practices. Fractional marketing directors can bridge gaps within a marketing team, filling in temporarily to cover maternity leave or sabbaticals. They can provide guidance and support during organizational change or restructuring. 

Marketing Managers: The Movers and Shakers of the Marketing Department

Reporting to the marketing director, a marketing manager ensures the successful execution of each marketing campaign. These boots-on-the-ground marketing pros work closely with the marketing teams to develop and implement campaigns, often serving as liaisons between the team and upper management, facilitating communication and ensuring alignment on project goals. Marketing managers are hands-on with operational tasks like budgeting, scheduling, and resource allocation. 

They may coordinate brand promotions with various departments. In working with other department leaders like customer service, product development, and sales, marketing managers also help align efforts with overall business goals, as involving additional stakeholders in the decision-making process adds diverse perspectives and insights, leading to more informed, effective strategies.

Marketing managers will work closely with the marketing directors to track and analyze data like website traffic, social media engagement, and email open and conversion rates to evaluate campaigns and identify successes and areas of opportunity.

These marketing professionals may communicate with clients to better understand their specific needs, pain points, and preferences and use that knowledge to tailor marketing strategies and campaigns to address goals effectively. Understanding a client’s ideal customer helps marketing managers craft compelling messages that resonate with the target audience.

Which Role Do You Need to Fill?

If you already have a marketing or communications team, a CMO can provide strategic oversight, ensuring they’re aligned with a cohesive marketing strategy and developing skills required for future growth. 

Here’s a hypothetical: if you’re a start-up or small business hoping to scale and currently outsourcing social media management or lacking a clear strategy, consider hiring a full-time marketing director (if you lack one) to implement tactics and a fractional CMO (fCMO) to develop the overarching strategy.

An fCMO is a part-time, experienced marketing executive who provides purposeful leadership and guidance to companies on a retainer or part-time (fractional) basis. These marketing pros offer a cost-effective solution for businesses needing high-level marketing expertise but lacking the budget for a full-time hire. 

If you’d like to learn more, download our fCMO overview. &Marketing can also provide leadership at any level, from CMO and marketing director to marketing manager.