Marketing Strategist

Marketing Strategist
AgFirst Farm Credit Bank provides financing, as well as a range of technology and other services, to a network of agricultural lenders in the United States and Puerto Rico. Located on Main Street in Columbia, S.C., AgFirst is committed to providing a comfortable, inclusive work environment. We believe in investing in our employees so they can help lead our $35 billion company into the future. Do you share our passion for making an impact on the world? You may be a great fit for our AgFirst family.

AgFirst is seeking a Marketing Strategist who is responsible for supporting assigned partners and internal clients with conceiving and managing the performance of marketing and communications programs and campaigns. As such, the Marketing Strategists manages a number of relationships with AgFirst association marketing teams and or internal bank clients and creates strategies that support their business objectives.
As part of the role, the Marketing Strategist works closely with associations or internal clients to fully understand their business objectives and, based on best practices and experience, proposes the right channel mix, messaging and content strategy and measurement plan to achieve stated objectives. The Marketing Strategist, will work closely with the bank’s Marketing Operation Manager, to create such recommendations and to coordinate resources and scheduling of activities.
The Marketing Strategist acts as the single point of contact and has ultimate accountability for the execution of programs and campaigns and will use data to inform recommended strategies as well as to improve performance through optimization.
Although this is an individual contributor role, the Marketing Strategist has the ability to marshal resources from throughout the organization to complete the work. The role requires understanding of marketing and communications, including knowledge of marketing channel capabilities and best practices, as well as familiarity with common marketing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), with a focus on digital marketing. The Marketing Strategist is familiar with digital marketing, media planning (digital and traditional), direct mail, email, web, social media and content strategy.
The Marketing Strategist, who reports directly to the bank’s Executive Director of Brand, Marketing and Product Management, is also responsible for reporting campaign and program results and makes recommendations on how to improve performance using those insights.
Budgetary responsibilities to ensure the highest level of fiscal accountability that aligns with Bank objectives and strategic initiatives.

Duties and Responsibilities:
Relationship Management
• Responsible for managing day-to-day relationship and communications with assigned district associations and internal bank partners.
• Provides strategic advice and makes recommendations related to channel mix, tactics, budget, timing and measurement plans.
• Acts as single point for assigned partners.

Marketing Strategy
• Becomes intimately familiar with associations’ and the bank’s business plans and combines the information with marketing and communications best practices to formulate marketing strategies and tactical plans in their support.
• Consults with the bank’s Executive Director of Brand, Marketing and Product Management and Marketing Operation Manager before outlining proposed solutions.
• Produces Brief documents that capture requirements, proposed activities and expected outcomes for campaigns and programs.
Emerging trends
• Stays abreast of marketing and communications emerging trends and technologies and uses that knowledge to make recommendations for campaigns and programs.
• Familiar with one or more leading marketing automation tools, content management systems and other building blocks of an enterprise marketing stack.
Other Accountabilities
• Responsible for campaign and program budget planning
• Conduct visits to assigned associations
• Building strong, collaborative relationships with associations, product teams and senior management
• Travel: up to 10% of the time

Requirements:
• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications or business administration
• Minimum 5 years of marketing strategy, marketing agency or internal marketing agency relationship management experience
• Very strong written and verbal communications
• Experience in leveraging data to drive campaign and program results
• Proven experience in developing strategic marketing plans
• Understanding of basics of financial services and products
• Demonstrable experience in delivering integrated marketing campaigns with a focus on digital
• Highly creative and adept at balancing both traditional marketing tactics alongside of emerging new media tactics