What Is Marketing Program Management?
Before we dive into marketing program management, we must first break it up into its two components: marketing and program management.
- Marketing: The various activities used by a marketing team to promote a product or service. This can include online advertisements, TV commercials, brochures, billboards, and more.
- Program management: This is often confused with project management, but they are two very different activities. A program is a group of related projects, so managing them is a much larger endeavor than managing a single project. Program management is when multiple projects are managed in tandem.
So, what is marketing program management? It is the coordinated process of managing various marketing projects connected under the umbrella of a particular program. Each project will contribute to a shared program objective. Individual project resources can be shared within each program to help improve the company’s overall performance. If a company is highly engaged in marketing activities, it will often employ a marketing program manager to carry out this role.
What does a marketing program manager do?
A marketing program manager is responsible for creating and coordinating the marketing programs in their company. Within each program, they map out all the dependent projects and figure out how they will reach their combined goal.
These program managers work closely with marketing departments to oversee market strategies, conduct market research, plan events, and maintain database segmentation. They liaise with marketing project managers to ensure individual projects are helping the company to meet broader objectives.
Analytics is a key element in marketing program management. This means the manager must analyze their company’s marketing campaigns as well as competitor activities to spot potential areas for improvement. Types of campaigns include email, PR, video, SEO, product launch, brand awareness, and more.
Marketing program managers also work with product development and sales teams to identify market gaps and determine promotional strategies.
Marketing program management tools
Now you know what marketing program management is, it’s time to select the right tools for the job. Because you will be dealing with multiple projects, it’s advisable to use an all-in-one marketing program management platform to create a unified workspace.
Ideally, your marketing program management software should include the following features:
- Customizable workflows
- Gantt charts
- Time tracking tools
- Real-time reports
- Marketing templates
- App integration
For more information on marketing program management software, check out Wrike.
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A marketing lead is a person or organization who has taken action to interact with your company or has the potential to be a future customer. A marketing qualified lead (MQL) involves a potential customer showing curiosity about your products and services, while a sales qualified lead (SQL) demonstrates a concrete intent to purchase your products and services.
A marketing funnel is the process of converting an individual who visits your website or store into a paying customer, through lead generation, lead nurturing, and sales. Marketers will plan and execute campaigns to garner interest in the product, and when the customer shows said interest, they will be given more personalized product information that could lead to a purchase.
A marketing system is a strategy to complete repeatable marketing tasks and projects in a manner that saves time and boosts efficiency. Marketers tend to use marketing systems when engaging in actions such as speaking to customers, setting up social media campaigns, collaborating with influencers, and sending out mail to current customers.

