What does a Marketer do? Insight into the role and responsibilities

Marketing is one of the most dynamic industries around. Marketers are the people who connect businesses with audiences, shape brand stories, influence how people make decisions, and help organisations grow.

The job can look different depending on where you work and what you specialise in, but all Marketers share the goal of delivering value to customers while helping the business reach its objectives.

The role of a Marketer

The role of a Marketer is all about understanding people - what they want, how they think, and how they make choices. They must figure out the best way to reach those people with the right message, on the right platform, and at the right time.

Depending on the company and team, your day might include a mix of creative work, strategy sessions, and analysing data.

Here are some of the most common responsibilities that appear in a typical marketing job profile:

• Developing and managing campaigns: Working on promotional efforts to launch a product, raise awareness, or keep current customers engaged.
• Conducting market research: Finding out what customers are thinking and doing, and keeping track of competitors.
• Analysing data: Reviewing how campaigns are performing and using the results to improve future work.
• Collaborating with teams: Working alongside people in sales, design, product or customer service.
• Building brand identity: Helping shape how the brand looks, sounds and behaves.
• Managing digital platforms: Looking after websites, social media channels, email systems, or online ads.
• Customer relationship management (CRM): Using tools and techniques to keep customers engaged and loyal.
• Creating marketing content: Writing blog posts, creating social media content, filming short videos or putting together email newsletters.

If you’re wondering, ‘What do marketing managers do?’ they’re usually the ones in charge of the strategy, planning and execution of campaigns. They collaborate with organisational stakeholders, manage teams, work with budgets, and report results to senior staff. It’s a mix of hands-on work and big-picture thinking.

The key skills required by Marketers

To be successful in marketing, you’ll need a mix of practical and soft skills. It’s a career where you’re constantly switching between creative tasks and analytical thinking.

Here are some of the key skills commonly found in a marketing job description:

• Customer focus: Always thinking about what the audience needs and how to solve their problems.
• Communication skills: Being able to explain ideas clearly, write well, and present confidently.
• Analytical skills: Understanding data, spotting patterns, and figuring out what’s working (and what’s not).
• Creativity: Coming up with interesting campaign ideas, visuals, or ways to connect with your audience.
• Technical proficiency: Tools like Google Analytics, email marketing software, SEO platforms, and content management systems are part of the job.
• Project management: Keeping track of timelines, resources and tasks, often for more than one campaign at once.
• Adaptability: Marketing trends change fast, so staying flexible and curious really helps.
• Strategic thinking: Looking beyond short-term results to plan for long-term success.

Being able to switch between writing a compelling Instagram caption and analysing the data from your last campaign is a huge advantage. The best Marketers know how to balance creativity with results.

The misconceptions of a marketing job

A lot of people have ideas about what marketing is, but not all of them are accurate. Here are a few common misunderstandings:

• Marketing is the same as sales: Marketing builds awareness and interest, while sales usually happen later in the customer journey. They’re connected, but not the same.
• It’s just advertising: Advertising is one part of marketing. Marketers also do research, strategy, events, branding, digital content and more.
• Anyone can do it: While you don’t always need a specific background to get started, successful marketing takes real skills, training, and practice.
• Marketing is only online: Digital marketing is huge, but traditional channels like TV, radio, print and events still matter, depending on your audience.
• You’ll see results straight away: Some campaigns take time to show impact, especially when building a brand or launching something new.

Knowing what marketing really involves helps you make better decisions about your career, and shows just how varied and interesting the field can be.

Educational pathways for aspiring Marketers

There are lots of ways into marketing, but a qualification is a great place to start. In Australia, the majority of Marketers have some form of higher education - usually a diploma or a bachelor’s degree, though there are other options.

If you're interested in studying, a Marketing course or degree gives you a strong foundation in both theory and real-world application.

Our courses include:

• Diploma of Business (Marketing): An introduction to key concepts like customer behaviour and campaign planning.
• Bachelor of Business (Marketing): Covers everything from branding to digital strategy, market research and analytics.
• Short courses (Digital Marketing Essentials Smart Skills): Offers a taster of key skills and information.

It is important that the Marketing course or degree focus on industry-ready skills, and practical experience opportunities, like internships or working on real client briefs. Getting hands-on experience early through internships, part-time roles, or volunteering can make a big difference. It helps you build confidence, create a portfolio, and start developing your network in the industry.

The challenges and rewards in a marketing career

Marketing isn’t always easy. It’s fast-paced, and expectations can be high. But it can also be incredibly rewarding if you enjoy variety and creativity.

One of the biggest challenges is keeping up with constant change. New tools, platforms and trends appear regularly, which means Marketers need to keep learning and adapting. Another challenge is proving the impact of your work. It’s not always easy to show immediate results from a campaign, especially when the goal is to build long-term brand awareness.

Managing feedback can also be tricky. Campaigns often involve multiple stakeholders, and balancing different opinions can lead to revisions or compromises. Then there’s the issue of limited budgets - particularly in smaller companies or not-for-profit settings - where creative thinking and resourcefulness become essential. And finally, Marketers often juggle several projects at once, so staying organised and meeting overlapping deadlines is a key part of the job.

Despite those challenges, marketing has plenty of upsides. There’s creative freedom in developing campaigns, experimenting with new ideas and finding fresh ways to reach your audience. You also get to see the visible impact of your work, whether it’s a successful product launch, a viral post, or positive customer feedback.

Marketing is rarely a solo effort. You’ll often be working with a wide range of people - from designers and data analysts to product managers and sales teams - which keeps the job social and collaborative.

The career paths are also incredibly varied. You could work in industries from fashion to finance, and roles span strategy, content creation, data analysis, branding and more. There’s also room to grow into leadership positions or specialise in areas like SEO, social media or marketing automation.

So, is marketing a hard job? Yes, it can be - but it’s also flexible, rewarding, and full of learning opportunities. If you like problem-solving, thinking creatively, and working with people, it might be a great fit for you.

If you’re thinking about your future, marketing offers plenty of variety and room to grow. Whether you want to start with a diploma, dive into a degree, or just kick off with an internship, there are lots of ways to get started.