Building A Career in Enterprise Marketing

An opportunity presented itself and I jumped in. That’s really the short story of how I found myself taking on the role of an Enterprise Marketing Manager, and I’m so glad that I did. Here’s why, and also what you can expect if you jump into a similar role.

I started my career with Redgate Software as an Accounts Based Marketing Manager where I worked closely with AEs on bottom-of-funnel activities, like proposal support, pipeline campaigns, and deal progression. So, when I was asked to fill an interim management role, I knew this was an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up. It was a ‘learn as you go’ experience that left room for mistakes, albeit with the full support from my team and sales management should I need help in my transition to the new role.

There’s really no ‘typical’ day to speak of, but that’s what keeps things interesting. My day-to-day may include a pipeline review meeting with sales management, some reporting and intent analysis, a couple of 1-1 catch-up calls, a campaign brainstorming session, or working to progress long-term projects. As it is for most people these days, the rest of my schedule involves plenty of meetings with various product teams and Enterprise Sales Managers, Global Campaign Managers, Territory Campaign Managers, and the Head of AMER Marketing to ensure we’re meeting our objectives.

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But it’s not just about one meeting after another (thank goodness). A marketer’s job is more important than ever – especially as so many companies and industries have transitioned to remote and hybrid working environments and still need to engage the customers along their journeys. While it was never straightforward, it’s now even more complicated, and our role as marketers has evolved into one that requires a good deal of creative problem solving.

One good example of problem solving comes from working this year on Redgate’s ‘Wildly Important Goals’, or WIGs, which are often talked about in marketing circles. Redgate has three WIG groups comprised of members of different marketing teams across the globe. It’s equal parts fun and challenging that the goal of the group I’m in – to influence enterprise growth – is quite broad. Our group is dedicated to understanding and building credibility with our enterprise customers, then enabling sales and marketing to generate revenue from this segment.

It’s been a unique experience working toward the same goal with so many talented contributors, including designers, writers, product marketers, campaign managers, and more. What might have taken weeks to accomplish last year, now takes a day or two with the resource and brainpower of this group in one (Zoom) room for one hour per week. The WIG groups have made our marketing division exponentially more focused and powerful, and I recommend every organization replicate what our CMO has developed.

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Lead, don’t manage

Coaching and mentorship should be key values for every marketer. I’ve been in positions in the past where I worried I wasn’t performing on the level expected of me, or I hadn’t developed a specific marketing skill or platform expertise – and felt completely on my own to figure out a way forward. That’s just not acceptable anymore. And as leaders in our field, we should look for ways to uplift our team members. At Redgate, there’s a huge onus on managers to help their employees identify areas for improvement and create development paths together. Because of this, I’m constantly learning and growing, and am even eager to point out my struggle areas to my own manager because I know she’ll help make me better.

Although everyone’s experience in enterprise marketing may differ, my favorite part of my role is when I get to encourage myself and my team to think of non-traditional ways to reach our goals, while having the freedom and support to do so. I love to create things and get a lot of satisfaction from building something out of nothing. I also think there’s a real value to providing guidance and help for the next generation of marketers.

It’s uplifting to work for a company like Redgate where leadership trusts in their employees’ decision-making, and we have the autonomy to identify a problem, develop a solution, and put that solution into practice.

That sort of behavior is encouraged and rewarded at Redgate, so I never feel trapped by the bullet points in my job description. It’s the reason I work here instead of a huge organization where I’d be just another cog in the machine, and I encourage my other marketing cohorts to look for a place that similarly values your work, gives you the freedom to think creatively outside of the box, and celebrates with you when things go according to plan.

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