The overflowing ‘marketing responsibility’ mug

Are you feeling like your digital or marketing role is losing focus?

Do you feel that additional responsibilities are being ‘bolted on’ as your firm’s view of marketing and digital continues to grow?

If you do, you aren’t the only one….

Across all career levels over the last quarter I’ve spoken to individuals who’ve started their digital and marketing positions with real clarity - but now six months / one year / two years down the line, their position has snowballed into an unmanageable heap of tasks. It makes it difficult to achieve anything substantial when all you’re really trying to do is balance your projects and survive the week.

Speaking to individuals in the market, there have been occasions where colleagues have left and their duties have simply been allocated to the next person (i.e. you). These responsibilities have been PPC, SEO, events, or social media; adding to the daily tick list - whereas in other firms, these could all be full-time positions in their own right.

So, how do you stop this, and look after number one?

It’s a difficult one, and it will probably take direct conversations with your boss, but you’ve got a few options:

1. Get back into your initial job description and ask yourself what were you brought into the business to do

If the responsibilities change, so should your remuneration. Try not to get paid the same for doing 1.5 or 2 positions. Make sure it’s a discussion point at your next appraisal.

2. Regain clarity

After defining your position, take the left-over, additional responsibilities and create the outline of a new job description to discuss with senior management. An idea of possibly taking advantage of the many intern or trainee level candidates in the market has worked for other candidates.

For an ambitious marketing/digital executive, this could be your way into mentoring / management, or for a marketing / digital manager /head of marketing / digital, this could mean another member of staff to keep your responsibilities less ‘hands on’ and more strategic, which will benefit your career moving forward.

3. If neither '1' or '2' above are an option, focus on the aspects of your job you can measure

Remember, justifying a marketing and digital role in the current market is all about proving ROI, so if it can’t be measured and senior management don’t consider it fundamental to the business - don’t make it your number one priority.

If you feel this blog rings true in your career currently, feel free to get in touch with me for confidential support and advice here, or call 0330 113 1498.

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