The 11 functions of the marketing department
Posted: Wed Jan 22, 2025 10:31 am
Companies in the tertiary sector that care about their customers look for ways to solve their problems or needs in a satisfactory manner. For this reason, companies must evaluate the environment before designing and marketing the product or service, in order to then find ways and means to attract customers. This is only possible by concentrating the functions of the marketing team.
In this article, I will tell you about my experience leading marketing teams. I will tell you about the activities of this department, what the structure of a marketing department is like , and the importance of building a team with the best talent.
Let's start by defining this valuable company asset.
What is the marketing department
The marketing department is the area of a company that belgium whatsapp lead is responsible for developing sales strategies that help its organizations position themselves in a profitable position in the market. Its activities consist of making the company known, improving the offer, increasing sales and profits, optimizing resources and, above all, making customers loyal to the product or service.
Imagine what a company would be like without a team in charge of satisfying the requirements and needs of the client. Without a doubt, the relationship between both parties (company-client) would be plagued with problems; in addition, the profits would not be the same. I will explain to you why this department is so important.
11 functions of the marketing department
Market research
Competence assessment
Marketing strategy planning
Implementation of the plans
Sales promotion
Communication with the market
Evaluating public reception
Forecast development
Internal and external communication
Research and adoption of new trends
Collaboration in the smarketing process
1. Market research
Market research involves gathering the necessary market information related to the product and the distribution and media that will be used for its promotion. During these studies, consumer needs, such as their preferences, tastes, desires, habits and customs are analyzed .
In this phase, marketing experiments are developed and carried out, such as market studies with instruments to probe consumer needs, or to create new consumer needs. This research allows us to know what a product is for or how a service works, what its areas of opportunity are, what benefits it provides when acquiring it and for how long.
2. Evaluation of competence
Competitive research , on the other hand, will analyse the current offerings of other companies, observing and learning about their strategies in order to try to predict their actions. Through this observation, the main competitors are detected: where they are located, who their target audience is, their main strategies, their experience in the market, their capacity, their advantages, strengths and weaknesses.
The data obtained from these investigations can be used by other areas to make production decisions , such as changing or creating new packaging designs, colors, and other product features. It can also be used for distribution: finding the right moment to make a product or service available to the customer in the right place, in the right form, quantity, and price.
3. Marketing strategy planning
Marketing professionals must carry out marketing planning, which consists of developing or formulating strategies that allow the company to achieve its objectives. Marketing strategies are usually divided into four modules: product, price, place and promotion.
In the first phase, a strategy is designed to achieve the objectives set regarding consumer satisfaction. The main activity of the department in this stage is to innovate: create new names and trademarks, plan new presentations of products or services and think about how they can be presented to consumers.
4. Implementation of the plans
After planning, the task is to execute the strategy; that is, to allocate resources, assign tasks, coordinate activities and carry out actions. During development, it will be necessary to have control of the activities so that they are implemented as specified in the plans and in the indicated times, whether in the short, medium or long term.
Sometimes, and depending on the needs of each company, the marketing department works closely with the communication, sales and advertising areas . At this stage, the individual and group performance of those in charge of its execution must be constantly evaluated, to verify that the proposed objectives are being met and, if not, to create a new marketing plan.
5. Sales promotion
One of the functions of marketing is to inform consumers about the company's products or services, encouraging them to purchase them. It can be done using all or some of the following methods: digital advertising , physical advertisements, personal selling or special promotions in certain places or media.
The marketing professional will find the resources and, mainly, the ways to be convincing, in such a way as to persuade the market to which the promotional strategy is directed.
6. Communication with the market
The marketing department is responsible for creating communication of the value of a product, service or brand, and directing it to a specific segment of the public .
This function involves the dissemination of sales promotions, which involves communication with the target audience and customers. It is essential to establish a relationship with prospects through the most effective channels for this purpose. This communication must be consistent with the characteristics of the products or services offered and with the values of the brand.
7. Evaluating public reception
Probably the most important function of the marketing department is to understand customers in order to sell them exactly what they need. This means that these professionals must be constantly assessing their needs. Even after the sale, they must evaluate the public's reception of the products and identify what can be improved in the offer.
With this information, marketing professionals help improve the direction of the company. This is achieved by proposing ideas for the organization to grow and expand into other markets, and by creating new products that are of interest to the audience.
8. Development of forecasts
This role involves analyzing historical data and market trends to forecast the future performance of marketing strategies. Digital marketers use analytical tools and predictive models to anticipate market behavior, consumer preferences, and campaign outcomes. This allows them to plan ahead and allocate resources effectively to maximize return on investment (ROI) and achieve business goals.
9. Internal and external communication
In this regard, the marketing department acts as the bridge between the company and its various stakeholders, both internal and external. Internally, it is responsible for communicating the marketing strategy, objectives and results to other departments such as sales, product development, and management.
Externally, the company is responsible for communicating with customers, prospects, the media and the community at large. This includes brand management, public relations, advertising, social media and other communication channels to convey consistent messages and build strong relationships with different audiences.
10. Research and adoption of new trends
This role involves staying abreast of changes in the digital environment, such as new technologies, platforms, tools, and emerging practices. Digital marketing professionals conduct market research, competitor analysis, and trend monitoring to identify opportunities and threats.
They then adapt marketing strategies and proactively adopt new trends to maintain brand relevance and competitiveness in an ever-evolving marketplace.
This may include implementing content strategies, influencer marketing, SEO, SEM, social media marketing , among others, as dictated by market trends and needs.
11. Collaboration in the smarketing process
At HubSpot, we have been implementing and improving the smarketing process for a long time , which has helped us strengthen the relationship between the marketing and sales departments.
In this article, I will tell you about my experience leading marketing teams. I will tell you about the activities of this department, what the structure of a marketing department is like , and the importance of building a team with the best talent.
Let's start by defining this valuable company asset.
What is the marketing department
The marketing department is the area of a company that belgium whatsapp lead is responsible for developing sales strategies that help its organizations position themselves in a profitable position in the market. Its activities consist of making the company known, improving the offer, increasing sales and profits, optimizing resources and, above all, making customers loyal to the product or service.
Imagine what a company would be like without a team in charge of satisfying the requirements and needs of the client. Without a doubt, the relationship between both parties (company-client) would be plagued with problems; in addition, the profits would not be the same. I will explain to you why this department is so important.
11 functions of the marketing department
Market research
Competence assessment
Marketing strategy planning
Implementation of the plans
Sales promotion
Communication with the market
Evaluating public reception
Forecast development
Internal and external communication
Research and adoption of new trends
Collaboration in the smarketing process
1. Market research
Market research involves gathering the necessary market information related to the product and the distribution and media that will be used for its promotion. During these studies, consumer needs, such as their preferences, tastes, desires, habits and customs are analyzed .
In this phase, marketing experiments are developed and carried out, such as market studies with instruments to probe consumer needs, or to create new consumer needs. This research allows us to know what a product is for or how a service works, what its areas of opportunity are, what benefits it provides when acquiring it and for how long.
2. Evaluation of competence
Competitive research , on the other hand, will analyse the current offerings of other companies, observing and learning about their strategies in order to try to predict their actions. Through this observation, the main competitors are detected: where they are located, who their target audience is, their main strategies, their experience in the market, their capacity, their advantages, strengths and weaknesses.
The data obtained from these investigations can be used by other areas to make production decisions , such as changing or creating new packaging designs, colors, and other product features. It can also be used for distribution: finding the right moment to make a product or service available to the customer in the right place, in the right form, quantity, and price.
3. Marketing strategy planning
Marketing professionals must carry out marketing planning, which consists of developing or formulating strategies that allow the company to achieve its objectives. Marketing strategies are usually divided into four modules: product, price, place and promotion.
In the first phase, a strategy is designed to achieve the objectives set regarding consumer satisfaction. The main activity of the department in this stage is to innovate: create new names and trademarks, plan new presentations of products or services and think about how they can be presented to consumers.
4. Implementation of the plans
After planning, the task is to execute the strategy; that is, to allocate resources, assign tasks, coordinate activities and carry out actions. During development, it will be necessary to have control of the activities so that they are implemented as specified in the plans and in the indicated times, whether in the short, medium or long term.
Sometimes, and depending on the needs of each company, the marketing department works closely with the communication, sales and advertising areas . At this stage, the individual and group performance of those in charge of its execution must be constantly evaluated, to verify that the proposed objectives are being met and, if not, to create a new marketing plan.
5. Sales promotion
One of the functions of marketing is to inform consumers about the company's products or services, encouraging them to purchase them. It can be done using all or some of the following methods: digital advertising , physical advertisements, personal selling or special promotions in certain places or media.
The marketing professional will find the resources and, mainly, the ways to be convincing, in such a way as to persuade the market to which the promotional strategy is directed.
6. Communication with the market
The marketing department is responsible for creating communication of the value of a product, service or brand, and directing it to a specific segment of the public .
This function involves the dissemination of sales promotions, which involves communication with the target audience and customers. It is essential to establish a relationship with prospects through the most effective channels for this purpose. This communication must be consistent with the characteristics of the products or services offered and with the values of the brand.
7. Evaluating public reception
Probably the most important function of the marketing department is to understand customers in order to sell them exactly what they need. This means that these professionals must be constantly assessing their needs. Even after the sale, they must evaluate the public's reception of the products and identify what can be improved in the offer.
With this information, marketing professionals help improve the direction of the company. This is achieved by proposing ideas for the organization to grow and expand into other markets, and by creating new products that are of interest to the audience.
8. Development of forecasts
This role involves analyzing historical data and market trends to forecast the future performance of marketing strategies. Digital marketers use analytical tools and predictive models to anticipate market behavior, consumer preferences, and campaign outcomes. This allows them to plan ahead and allocate resources effectively to maximize return on investment (ROI) and achieve business goals.
9. Internal and external communication
In this regard, the marketing department acts as the bridge between the company and its various stakeholders, both internal and external. Internally, it is responsible for communicating the marketing strategy, objectives and results to other departments such as sales, product development, and management.
Externally, the company is responsible for communicating with customers, prospects, the media and the community at large. This includes brand management, public relations, advertising, social media and other communication channels to convey consistent messages and build strong relationships with different audiences.
10. Research and adoption of new trends
This role involves staying abreast of changes in the digital environment, such as new technologies, platforms, tools, and emerging practices. Digital marketing professionals conduct market research, competitor analysis, and trend monitoring to identify opportunities and threats.
They then adapt marketing strategies and proactively adopt new trends to maintain brand relevance and competitiveness in an ever-evolving marketplace.
This may include implementing content strategies, influencer marketing, SEO, SEM, social media marketing , among others, as dictated by market trends and needs.
11. Collaboration in the smarketing process
At HubSpot, we have been implementing and improving the smarketing process for a long time , which has helped us strengthen the relationship between the marketing and sales departments.