How To Become A Brand Manager?

How To Become A Brand Manager

Being a Brand Manager is unlike most other managerial jobs, where a person has to do big tasks like the strategy of the company or forecasting. One who has this kind of job does tasks that are akin to leading a team that consists of market researchers, content managers (or maybe writers), search engine optimizers, and sometimes even web developers. Did you know nowadays, there are 5000 ads seen by per person, which means that competition is fierce, and therefore the job is not as easy as it seems. Although, worry not, as we can help you navigate the difficult waters of becoming a brand manager, successfully.

First things first, what essentially is a Brand Manager?

Brand managers are essentially responsible for shepherding a positive outlook of an organization, or a brand, or maybe, even the sister companies that are related to a brand. This person essentially promotes and protects the public image of the brand, in the area, he or she is responsible for. Some brand managers on the senior level can also cover a  brand on a global basis. A brand manager‘s tasks lean on brand awareness and brand marketing.

Brand managers support the business of a brand or an organization through a series of brand marketing campaigns and PR management. These usually, involve monitoring marketing trends, and developing, implementing, and initiating marketing activities that relate to a product or service of an organization. This organization is the one for which the manager is working. This type of manager is always responsible for their own creative processes, and the creative processes of the subordinates who directly work under him or her. What they essentially do is that they try to create a newer brand identity that is a different one, if there was an old, or a completely new one if there was none at all.

The skills that you need to have for becoming a Brand Manager:

Well, the greatest skill a brand manager should have is brand marketing. But brand marketing can itself a different spectrum of skills that can make it successful. Let’s see what there are:

Creativity:

A brand manager has to be creative in order to be successfully carving out a great brand identity, and create awesome brand awareness for his or her organization. The usual strategies of the marketing will not work, in an industry that is saturated to the point, where there can be similar advertisements on the same medium, one has to differentiate. One does not have to crawl through a problem, but one needs to have some kind of creativity, to go around a problem.

Yes, this is what a brand manager should have in his or her skill kitty. Without one, a manager in the hold of the problem to which he or she may not be able to find a solution for the problem they are stuck in. They wouldn’t know how to go around it.

Insight:

A manager like this should be knowledgeable about the organization and should have some special insight. This keeps the person ahead of the curve, and miles ahead from the competitors. This ensures, the marketing manager, and brand awareness is at its best.

Being ahead of the curve means, there will be the best kind of band marketing for the brand itself. Insight can also give the person with this kind of job, means to handle issues that may arise during this kind of job. This can only be done by a person who has a special insight into the organization.

Analytical mind:

As with any managerial job, one needs to have an analytical mind to overcome the problems of the job, with the sheer power of the mind. People who have an analytical mind, tend to solve a problem with so much ease that one does not even need to supervise his or her actions.

Analytical mind means that one is easily able to navigate through the difficult waters of doing this kind of job, as it can take a toll on the mind. The abstract problems that may arise, when creating marketing management or brand marketing strategy.

Innovation:

One always needs to come with new ideas that can take the breath away. If you cannot do this, then you are not cut out for the job, period! For this one might even need the creative skill that we were previously talking about.

Nobody can cook this skillset on their own. People who have this skill, usually also possess an analytical mind, always have special insight into the organization, and as mentioned before, creativity.

Influence:

A sphere of influence is also important to a brand manager. One needs to be in-cahoots with certain important people in and out of the organization. One type provides insight to the manager about what is going on in the organization, and what needs to change. The other one provides valuable information from outside of the organization. This type tells the manager, what is going on outside of the organization. These people are like business analysts or managers of similar capacity.

Both of the links in the sphere of the influence of a brand manager should work perfectly as variables do in successful processes. Influence can be created by networking and socializing around the organization, and also outside the organization. The effects of brand marketing can be tenfold in, and the results can also be seen in things like marketing management, brand awareness, and brand identity. This because the sphere of influence can help modulate the internal processes of branding of the certain organization for which the manager is working.

One should know about the latest technology, and software related to branding:

Branding is an offshoot of the marketing field. And, as with marketing one should always be aware of certain technologies and software that helps modulate the effects of brand awareness that you are trying to reach. One should know how to to use a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) System. Examples of this can be Salesforce or SAP. This makes the process of managing customers (current and new) a lot easier as these processes are integrated under one roof through the system. Various kinds of metrics of branding are also installed in the same system for the pleasure of the user.

One great part of branding is that it can involve exciting things like web design, knowledge of supply chain management system, insight into the production, web analytics and research i.e Google analytics, and also graphic design. There is also one thing called Search Engine Optimization with which one should be familiar as a brand manager. This is a process of practicing and analyzing certain best practices (as laid down by search engines) to rank one’s page better on the organic search results of a search engine.

The moral is that one should know these things is this: Even if you are already subordinating people who are already are experts on these technologies and software, you should be familiar with these as this can tell you what your workers are doing. It can also tell how well the management and inner processes, as you can have a clear insight, and know your worker’s language.

Passion:

There is a reason they say that do what you love, as the other way around would be a hell to deal with. People say if work a job you do not like it can drain you out, physically, and mentally, especially mentally. One will say who will you give a brand identity if you cannot even come in terms with your own.

One should be compassionate about the thing they are doing. This is especially true with a profession like a brand manager. One should be passionate about the brand one is working for, as only loyalty stemming from a passion for the work can only be willful for a person to navigate through this kind of job.

The Education and Training that you need to get hired for this job:

There is no requirement of a specific degree to become a brand manager but it is good to have a bachelor’s or a masters level degree in majors like management, digital marketing, media or anything related to it. This gives the graduates to be equipped with certain skills that are used in the area of brand marketing, marketing management, and the techniques of creating brand awareness. This can be a tough job, so this is why from the very first year, the students of these kinds of professional degrees are taught the ropes of this field.

This can start with subjects like principles of marketing or introduction to marketing. There are no subjects that are specifically about branding, but this whole topic can be part of the subjects like the ones that are mentioned before. It can also cover a whole section of the subject, where it is a huge part of it. Having a degree like this one does mean that you will automatically become a brand manager at the very start of the career.

For you to become a brand manager you need to have the experience, and training, and in some cases even some certifications that relate to the job to become a brand manager. Marketing management, brand marketing, and brand identity including brand awareness is not the stuff of children. One has to be serious about these things otherwise it can kill the strategy of marketing. For them to be serious, one needs to have a certain amount of experience to be an expert brand manager. A manager of this type can also be called Digital media executive or manager. Usually, managers like these need to have around the experience of 5 to 7 years, at the very least. This is the best kind of training, as in 5 to 7 years of experience can make marketing or brand marketing a second nature of the manager. The pay is reflected on the experience. A lot of brand managers also have MBAs as part of their education plus some years as part of their jobs. MBA admission usually does not all people without experience. So, brand managers usually tend to have a lot of experience under their belt, and usually, are picked by big name brands like Coca Cola. Additionally, MBA graduates are trained in marketing management, creating brand awareness, creating brand identity, and brand marketing.

Additionally, one should also have different types of certifications like AMA Certified Product Marketing Manager or something like Google Adwords, or Google Analytics. These certifications tell different types of brand employers that you are very serious, and professional about your career, and also passionate about brand marketing. This way one can have the professional experience to show in things like marketing management, brand awareness, brand analytics, brand marketing, and even brand identity. One can even stand this way, in the sea of applicants at different, especially for the ones that are multinationals.

Finding a job for a Brand Manager at different companies:

This may depend on the availability of vacancies at different companies or brands, especially big ones. What the want is that they want expertise in marketing management, brand awareness, brand analytics, brand marketing, and even brand identity. These are not easy to come by.

The best places to start your job hunt is websites like Linkedin.com, or Glassdoor, as many companies will advertise on this site. This is the easiest way to search for brand manager jobs. Newspaper is another way to find the vacancies for a post like this one. Sometimes, if you are on a website like Linkedin, a professional networking website, you may get calls without even applying. This is only possible if you check mark things like marketing management, brand awareness, brand analytics, brand marketing, and even brand identity. Again, this is not easy, but with persistence and hard work, one can come to this position, and may not need to apply for the coveted position like this in one of the biggest companies in the word. Additionally, you can use the references or do referrals as part of the job, and this way you can easily get to the interview part, where you can show off your expertise in marketing management, brand awareness, brand analytics, brand marketing, and even brand identity.

Role of a Brand Manager (Short 1 Min. Video):

Final Word:

Now you know what a brand manager is, and what they need to become one. These can be things experience like marketing management, brand awareness, brand analytics, brand marketing, and even brand identity. One also needs a degree that relates to the field, certifications and also 5 to 7 years of experience. Additionally, skills like creativity, innovation, and influencing are considered part of the job hallmarks.