Why Digital Marketers are forced to do Business Development (BD) work at times?

[Eugene Hill]

Nowadays this has been a trait to take a note of!

Many freshers in the field of digital marketing are recruited for the post of Digital Marketing Executive or Analyst or anything similar. But eventually it is been seen that these poor fellows are forced to do the Business Development 'kind of work'! The reason why this happens is pretty unknown. The poor Digital marketing guy doesn't know how Business Development is different than Digital Marketing; and he doesn't know that he isn't meant to work as a Business Development Executive to justify his job.
It is that the recruiters/ employers these days are acting smart, selfish enough to 'use' these guys as per their 'business needs'!!! Isn't this fraud?

Could it be possible that the freshers aren't aware of what work falls under Digital Marketing and what doesn't fall?
My personal observation is that it happens because there is a lot of ambiguity and confusion about this field! And the recruiter or the bunch of HRs may not necessarily know about what they do and about the exact job responsibilities that a Digital Marketing guy goes through or should go through!

Ideally, Digital Marketing encompasses -

1. Search Engine Optimization,
2. Search Engine Marketing (Paid thing),
3. Social Media Paid Marketing (Paid thing),
4. Social Media Optimization,
5. Content Optimization,
6. Content Paid Marketing (Paid thing),
7. Graphics Designing,
8. User Experience Designing,
9. User Experience Optimization,
10. Affiliate Marketing,
11. Analytics Tools,

and that's it.
Video marketing can be used in SEO and SMO; so I really don't believe that it needs to be enlisted separately here, right?

Whereas, Business Development encompasses -

1. Email Marketing,
2. Tele-Calling & Organizing Meetings,
3. Lead Generation,
4. Lead Nurturing,
5. Sales or Lead Conversion,
6. Channel Sales Enhancement,
7. Business Acquisition & Merger,
8. Business Expansion,
9. Social Enhancement,
10. Social Networking,
11. Strategy Management,
12. Market Research,
13. Documentation,
14. Business Analysis,
15. Customer Support,
16. Customer Relationship Management,

Now you get to see the difference between the two profiles! They are miles away from each other, and are way different from each other!
Digital Marketing is not Business Development.
And
Digital Marketing Executive/Manager is not Business Development Manager/Executive.

Can somebody please shed some light on this topic? Can we discuss it?

 

[NickGrogan]

Most digital marketers know little of nothing about marketing as is demonstrated by your list, which includes lots of online work and very little marketing.

Your business development list makes no sense and seems to be just a list of jobs.

 

[AllUpHere]

The only thing this thread is going to tell us, is that the op doesn't understand the difference between digital marketing and business development.

 

[fisicx]

Can somebody please shed some light on this topic?

Your lists make no sense at all. Digital Marketing and Business Development can be whatever you want them to be.

Can we discuss it?

What is there to discuss?

 

[dan19900]

At the rates the average digital marketing company charges in the UK I'd want them to come tidy the office and make the tea too.

 

[Eugene Hill]

NickGrogan said:
Your business development list makes no sense and seems to be just a list of jobs.

It is... my dear friend. It is not a list of jobs. These are the specialized departments that come under the Business Development. Is it fine now?

There could be specialized people in Business Development working on specialized departments. Example: A few BDEs/BDMs would be working on Business Acquisitions & Mergers, few other on Business Expansion, while other few will be only working on Market Research.
What I meant was that the field of Business Development has these sections under its banner. I never said that every BDE/BDM goes through all sixteen (16) responsibilities!

ficisx said:
Your lists make no sense at all.

Rather you prove me how? Whats wrong with the 'lists'? Have you read it full? Have you understood the point that I am trying to make here? Do you endorse the fact that somebody else (HR/recruiter) decides your professional career? Will you be fine with it?

Digital Marketing encompasses -
Search Engine Optimization,
Search Engine Marketing (Paid thing),
Social Media Paid Marketing (Paid thing),
Social Media Optimization,
Content Optimization,
Content Paid Marketing (Paid thing),
Graphics Designing,
User Experience Designing,
User Experience Optimization,
Affiliate Marketing,
Analytics Tools,

Look at the list above and tell me again! Are you trying to say that SEO, SEM and all this stuff are not part of Digital Marketing?

ficisx said:
What is there to discuss?

Where do you come from? And what are you upto?

AllUpHere said:
The only thing this thread is going to tell us, is that the op doesn't understand the difference between digital marketing and business development.

Op understands the difference! I am concerned about the recruiters not understanding it, and why so? Why should you be forced or deceptively made to do a work which you are NOT meant for (at the first place)?

dan19900 said:
At the rates the average digital marketing company charges in the UK I'd want them to come tidy the office and make the tea too.

Is this really making any sense here?

 

[fisicx]

Is this really making any sense here?

No.

Business needs can allocate tasks to whoever it most suited to complete the task. The labels you give to a role are irrelevant.

 

[AllUpHere]

@Eugene Hill the problem you are going to have on this forum is that most of us are business owners, or are self employed. You are looking at this with a typical 'employee with chip on shoulder' mentality. Employees may well find your ideas interesting, and you can have a moan with them about all the times their employer has asked them to do something not strictly within their job description.

As employers, we see things a little differently.

 

[antropy]

Our Account/ Sales Manager does a mix of everything you have highlighted. As everyone has said the role is dependent upon what you needed to do and what sector you are in. Alex

 

[Mr D]

@Eugene Hill the problem you are going to have on this forum is that most of us are business owners, or are self employed. You are looking at this with a typical 'employee with chip on shoulder' mentality. Employees may well find your ideas interesting, and you can have a moan with them about all the times their employer has asked them to do something not strictly within their job description.

As employers, we see things a little differently.

Agreed.
Business owners, particularly when starting out, can be wearing multiple hats and doing multiple roles.

Its common enough in my experience in small companies for people to be required to do far more than their narrow job description.
Usually a good thing - an employee with expanded role can expand skills.

Agree with the others, the list doesn't make a lot of sense.

Perhaps we are more of the 'what needs doing now?' sort of people.

 

[NickGrogan]

These are the specialized departments that come under the Business Development. Is it fine now?

No, because they're not.

Whats wrong with the 'lists'? Have you read it full? Have you understood the point that I am trying to make here?

No idea what point you're trying to make, perhaps you could express it in a sentence or two?

Do you endorse the fact that somebody else (HR/recruiter) decides your professional career? Will you be fine with it?

That's not what happens in the real world, though is it.

Look at the list above and tell me again! Are you trying to say that SEO, SEM and all this stuff are not part of Digital Marketing?

They are frequently called digital marketing, by people who dont understand what marketing is.

Why should you be forced or deceptively made to do a work which you are NOT meant for (at the first place)?

Something else thats not happening in the real world. Any examples?

Is this really making any sense here?

No

 

[antropy]

Can somebody please shed some light on this topic? Can we discuss it?

Unlike everyone else here, I actually think your lists are good and make sense.

As someone else briefly touched on - most people here run small businesses.

If we hire someone to be a "Digital Marketer" or "Business Development Exec" what we want is someone who can bring in new business, we don't really care how they achieve that, as long as it's legal and ethical obviously.

So in a business with fewer than 10 employees, most staff would be expected to wear whatever hats they are capable of wearing.

In a larger company it may be that a Digital Marketer would never be expected to take a client call or a Business Development Exec may never be expected to update the social media.

Does that clarify?

Paul

 

[Eugene Hill]

Unlike everyone else here, I actually think your lists are good and make sense.

As someone else briefly touched on - most people here run small businesses.

If we hire someone to be a "Digital Marketer" or "Business Development Exec" what we want is someone who can bring in new business, we don't really care how they achieve that, as long as it's legal and ethical obviously.

So in a business with fewer than 10 employees, most staff would be expected to wear whatever hats they are capable of wearing.

In a larger company it may be that a Digital Marketer would never be expected to take a client call or a Business Development Exec may never be expected to update the social media.

Does that clarify?

Paul

Thank you Paul! I am so happy that somebody understood the point I was trying to make!

 

[Eugene Hill]

No, because they're not.



No idea what point you're trying to make, perhaps you could express it in a sentence or two?



That's not what happens in the real world, though is it.



They are frequently called digital marketing, by people who dont understand what marketing is.



Something else thats not happening in the real world. Any examples?



No

Why are you quoting the stuff that was not for you?

 

[fisicx]

I understand the point you are trying to make, it’s just it only applies in a very small subset of roles in large businesses. The business defines what activities a role takes not some arbitrary list.

 

[Eugene Hill]

I understand the point you are trying to make, it’s just it only applies in a very small subset of roles in large businesses. The business defines what activities a role takes not some arbitrary list.

I am not allowed to post any links as of now! Otherwise I would have had posted the links of wikipedia pages for both Digital Marketing and Business Development. There are two separate pages for these two, mind you.
Wikipedia defines and elaborates the section, departments, fields, roles and activities that come under each field.

 

[pentel]

I understand where you are coming from with your 2 lists.

To have these functions split so precisely would only occur in a larger company unless the company sells the services in the first list.

Most small companies ( and most people on here run small companies) would combine these rolls, probably with other rolls too.

I sense that the background to this post may be that you have applied for jobs/ work for a smaller company which has done this and that you only want to work doing the tasks in the first list.

Usually during an interview you would be asked " is there anything you would like to ask us?" This is the time to ask about the roll in detail.

 

[fisicx]

Wikipedia defines and elaborates the section, departments, fields, roles and activities that come under each field.

That's all well and good but if a business needs a Digital Marketing guy to do some market research as part of their job then that's what they will get. Either that or you don't get the job.

You can quote all the lists and resources you want but it's the business needs that will dictate what you will be expected to do in your role.

 

[Eugene Hill]

I understand where you are coming from with your 2 lists.

To have these functions split so precisely would only occur in a larger company unless the company sells the services in the first list.

Most small companies ( and most people on here run small companies) would combine these rolls, probably with other rolls too.

I sense that the background to this post may be that you have applied for jobs/ work for a smaller company which has done this and that you only want to work doing the tasks in the first list.

Usually during an interview you would be asked " is there anything you would like to ask us?" This is the time to ask about the roll in detail.

Fair enough.

 

[NickGrogan]

Why are you quoting the stuff that was not for you?

That's how public forums work, people answer / ignore whatever appeals to them and threads often go off at tangents to the original question.

 

[Eugene Hill]

That's how public forums work, people answer / ignore whatever appeals to them and threads often go off at tangents to the original question.

No. But you can talk about the forum's main theme. Not about something that has nothing to do with what you have said.
Its fine though, however I am not agreeing with you.

 

[fisicx]

What part aren't you agreeing with?

 

[NickGrogan]

So you disagree with recruitment consultants, you disagree with HR, you disagree with jobs being flexible, etc - and now you disagree with how public forums work.

I'm starting to see a trend.

 

[Eugene Hill]

So you disagree with recruitment consultants, you disagree with HR, you disagree with jobs being flexible, etc - and now you disagree with how public forums work.

I'm starting to see a trend.

HAHAHA... This was hilarous.

 

[billmccallum1957]

In any role within a business, people need to be flexible and undertake tasks that the organisation needs to be done, which may well mean that someone is asked to help out in a role they are not familiar with.

Organisational needs and personal development can go hand in hand, but nobody has to be forced to do anything, they can say NO, it's not my role, or NO I don't know how to do that.

But, isn't Digital Marketing a part of business development?

 

[Eugene Hill]

In any role within a business, people need to be flexible and undertake tasks that the organisation needs to be done, which may well mean that someone is asked to help out in a role they are not familiar with.

Organisational needs and personal development can go hand in hand, but nobody has to be forced to do anything, they can say NO, it's not my role, or NO I don't know how to do that.

But, isn't Digital Marketing a part of business development?

Rather Digital Marketing works in collaboration with Business Development.
(E.g. Business Development team does the 'Market Research' and hands over the 'Conclusion' with the Field Marketing and the Digital Marketing teams respectively. The Field Marketing and Digital Marketing teams now are in better position to plan out their field-based and digital-based campaigns!
In return, the FM and DM teams do their part of research on Google Analytics, Semrush and few other tools and share those statistics with the Business Development Team)
From the above example I can assure you that BD is not Marketing.
---

Business Development is 'process-driven' profile, whereas Digital Marketing is a 'activity-driven' profile.
Business Development has a larger canvas (as the 2nd list already suggests). It does work in tandom with Marketing but is largely different.
Marketing on the other hand is an 'activity'!

A digital marketer creates a digital platform where Businesses reach larger audience. They are only responsible for reaching larger target audience. Conversions, Leads, Sales are not their roles and responsibilities.

Whereas Business Development is responsible for overall progress - sales, expansions, mergers and acquisitions.

 

[fisicx]

That sounds like a university course description.

In any case it's wrong. You have missed out on the more general 'Marketing' operation. Digital Marketing is a small subset of a much bigger business area.

I'd also argue that some of the activities in your original lists are a bit iffy. UXD for example is not a marketing activity nor is Graphic Design exclusively to do with marketing.

And email marketing isn't necessarily BD - the clue is in it's name. And Cold calling (Telesales) is clearly a marketing activity.

 

[NickGrogan]

A digital marketer creates a digital platform where Businesses reach larger audience. They are only responsible for reaching larger target audience. Conversions, Leads, Sales are not their roles and responsibilities.

Sums up everything that's wrong about with many Digital Marketers in just 3 sentences.

 

[Mark T Jones]

Interesting - I must admit to having little interest in digital marketing.

but what does interest me., as others have pointed out, is that fact that your interest here clearly emanates from academia and/or working within large, structured/demarked organisations - hence really doesn't resonate with the small business community here.

There might be a valid argument that using a digital marketer to wider tasks isn't best use of resource, but anyone going into small business environment with the mindset of 'I only do this' is unlikely to hold a job down for long.

 

[FutureLearning]

My friend all the terms you used for Digital Marketing / Business Development sounds good on the textbook but in reality a Digital Marketer is also a Business Developer in case of SMEs. There is however exception if you talk about Multinationals with 1000s of employees

 

[ineedadollar]

Every company is different, digital marketing can be split into several different roles in massive companies and digital marketing role and the business developement role can be merged into one in smaller companies (you can merge it into cleaner aswell if you like). If your having to ask that question why then your in the perfect place to learn about real businesses as you dont seem to have that knowlege yet