Marketing Associate Job at American Planning Association in Chicago

Marketing Associate

Full Time

Remote Hybrid/2 days in Downtown Chicago Office

$67-72k

www.planning.org

Position Summary

The Marketing Associate gathers and utilizes a deep understanding of customers to develop and deliver tactics that promote APA conferences, events, and membership. This role also supports the Customer Insights, Knowledge, and certification (i.e. AICP) teams in advancing organizational strategy to drive value for APA and target audiences.

Critical Outcomes

• The marketing team is focused on customer needs and behaviors and uses that knowledge to develop and continuously improve relevant, effective marketing campaigns.
• Marketing messages are highly targeted and tailored to priority audiences and generate desired outcomes including, but not limited to, enhanced awareness and perceived value of APA offerings, conference revenue, and attendance growth.
• Technology is used to creatively and impactfully enhance a personalized customer experience.
• Customer and campaign data is analyzed to identify new opportunities for delivering value, and to inform, improve, and enhance the development of new programs and products.
• Events, webinars, and other promotional marketing efforts including membership aligning with APA’s annual Scope of Work and advance specific outcomes for those value streams.

Core Responsibilities

• Project Management. Sets achievable goals and develops workplans for individual and collaborative projects, using project management methods to execute and deliver marketing work in a timely manner. Flexible and open to change, effectively communicating and adjusting plans to accommodate market changes and stakeholder requirements. Serves as a marketing project lead for programs focusing on conferences and events, with support to membership, fundraising/scholarships, and certification. Manages an outside agency vendor supporting the Passport education subscription.
• Promotion. Understands and informs APA’s approach to conference registration, complementing those efforts with focused promotional tactics for specific product lines that generate tangible results as measured by registration, awareness, perceived value, and ROI. Tests, monitors, and adjusts approaches to improve results and advance goals.
• Marketing Deployment. Creatively develops, produces, and deploys email communications using marketing automation technology (e.g. HubSpot) to personalize outreach and messaging to target customer segments. Stays abreast of innovation in marketing automation and other marketing communications technologies and methodologies to increase the effectiveness of marketing. Focuses on outcomes while keeping an eye on function and form. Implements testing to learn from results and identify opportunities to improve. Advises subject matter experts on strategic considerations for product development that affect marketing strategy.
• Marketing Creative. Writes attention-grabbing, actionable, persuasive copy that reflects an understanding of the target audience, the desired outcome of the tactic or promotion, and the channel in which copy will reside. Gleans insights from customer interactions with campaigns that inform a greater understanding of relevance, usefulness, and value. Positions the value of APA programs and events with creativity and influence. Works with internal staff and external creative agencies to incorporate compelling graphics, imagery, and video into marketing outreach campaigns.

Qualifications (Education and Experience)

• 3-5 years experience promoting conferences and events to targeted and segmented audiences, including creating marketing plans and adhering to timely strategies.
• Curious, creative, and tenacious. Customer focused, problem solver, listener, and powerful communicator, comfortable working with a range of people in a team-oriented environment. Flexible, dynamic, and engaging, with strong interpersonal skills.
• Possesses a combination of creativity and analytical thinking when carrying out work and is willing to take chances to test concepts, learn, and develop a unique and compelling brand voice. Has a knack for sales and influence that help engage customers and deliver outcomes.
• Strong individual contributor and team player. Models and effectively communicates organizational values and priorities. Encourages partnership around shared goals. Empathetic leader, supporting others in the pursuit of desired outcomes.
• Tech savvy individual experienced in and excited by marketing automation, AI communications, and other digital tools. Enjoys working in a fast-paced environment. Eager to learn and develop professionally.
• Proven track record with marketing automation technology including developing and deploying effective marketing and sales techniques required.
• Familiarity with project management concepts and application desired.

Benefits Offered:

• Physical wellness: Health, dental, vision, voluntary life and disability programs, and discounted access to gym memberships
• Mental wellness: Paid time off, dynamic work environment, and EAP
• Financial wellness: Bonus incentives, retirement account, and access to financial planning tools