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POSITION SUMMARY:

The director of marketing & communication’s primary role is to support the marketing & communications team with day-to-day oversite of ongoing projects and initiatives. This role is for a strategic thinker looking to maintain current tactics and cultivate new strategies as the area and Visit Mobile continues to grow.

A focus of this role is oversight and implementation of public relations, communications, and public affairs initiatives for the organization working closely with Visit Mobile’s PR agency, local media, and travel writers in order to provide fulfillment as it relates to public relations, communications, and the promotion of Mobile and coastal Alabama.

The director of marketing & communications will be responsible for the digital marketing, positioning, and awareness of Mobile working closely with the MarCom team, and cross-departmentally with the Convention & Leisure Sales team, to develop advertising strategies on behalf of the destination. Responsibilities also include planning, developing, overseeing, implementing, and reviewing the marketing, digital marketing strategies, and objectives of Visit Mobile and the Mobile Area Lodging Corporation (MALC).

This position will also ensure the Visit Mobile brand and message is visually consistent and clearly communicated to visitors, the travel industry, partners, and the community.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

 MarCom Team Support

• Lead the day-to-day activities of the MarCom team to ensure objectives are implemented and met.
• Cultivate the talents of the existing MarCom team and make recommendations for future team growth needs through continued leadership, accountability, support, and empowerment
• Support the VP of marketing & communications with marketing, public relations, and advertising initiatives, research, planning, and budget planning

 Strategic Planning

• Collaborate with the VP of marketing & communications on the planning, development, and implementation of the VM & MALC’s digital marketing strategies; Oversee digital content creation strategy, search engine optimization (SEO), search engine marketing, digital advertising, and retargeting efforts to maintain a significant online presence and keep Mobile, AL prominent in searches
• Identify and evaluate current and future trends and evaluate emerging technologies; Undertake continuous analysis of the competitive environment and consumer trends

 Communications/Content Management/Public Relations/Media Relations

• Primary lead for all public/media relations initiatives including developing a targeted media strategy, overseeing press trips, creating press releases, scheduling & coordinating media interviews, media monitoring/tracking, crisis communication initiatives, etc.
• Oversee the Visit Mobile content development plan and support team as needed with copywriting, proofreading and editing.
• Responsible for tracking and reporting communications and public relations activities
• Lead and oversee the strategy for the continuous content management of the Visit Mobile websites, including content management, optimization for lead generation, and ongoing enhancements to improve user experience; work closely with digital marketing manager to monitor and improve website performance including traffic and engagement.
• Oversee planning and development of Visit Mobile’s social media strategy and execution of local and trending initiatives.
• Enhance the bureau’s electronic outreach through email marketing campaigns utilizing the distributed marketing platform and survey system; Increase the organization’s proprietary database of opt-in contacts.

 Advertising/Media Buying/Analysis

• Oversee, acquire, analyze, and report on the performance of all marketing, advertising, and social media activities. Analyze ROI and performance against KPIs, identifying variances and initiating appropriate corrective actions
• Interpret and report on the impact of marketing and advertising performance, including return on advertising spend, Mobile visitor hotel bookings, newsletter lead generation, as well as flight, cruise, and Amtrack bookings
• Research, evaluate, and interpret market data to determine trends and market changes, and adjust the VM and MALC programming accordingly.

 Other Duties & Responsibilities

• Maintain clear communications with other departments to create an effective team
• Document processes and procedures of the position
• Oversight and development of regular reports to keep team members updated on destination offerings and contacts as well as system management reports
• Maintain performance metrics relative to goals and analyze data for making decisions
• Coordinate cooperative marketing program participation, which may include hotels, attractions, other cities, media outlets, etc.
• Participate in appropriate local, state, and national organizations, growing existing and fostering new partnerships; as well as pursuing professional development opportunities.
• Travel for media tradeshows and professional development opportunities as needed
• Assume additional responsibilities as necessary

DESIRED SKILLS / EXPERIENCE / QUALIFICATIONS:

• Exceptional writing, editing, and proofreading skills with attention to detail and personality
• Demonstrated experience working in a team environment with other specialized team members completing projects and achieving desired results
• Ability to work independently as well as with team members
• Strong sense of time management with the ability to take initiative, work well under pressure, and meet deadlines
• Strong interpersonal communication skills and the ability to convey messages politely and effectively
• Strong understanding of current digital marketing concepts, strategies, best practices, and trends; with an interest to implement new ideas and stay up to date with relevant information
• Basic knowledge of database structure
• Experience within the tourism, visitor promotion, and travel or hospitality industry preferred
• Participate in professional and/or civic organizations to enhance networking opportunities

REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, public relations, or a related field preferred
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in leadership of public relations, marketing, and/or communications teams is required
• The ideal candidate would be dynamic, quick-thinking, self-motivated, dependable, enjoys collaborating/teamwork, and is a strong multi-tasker with outstanding time management skills
• Proficiency with major social media platforms and MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook) are required
• The ability to create an energetic, creative work environment to ensure the MarCom team and overall organization have some fun - it is the tourism industry, after all!
• Ability to prioritize, multi-task, and problem-solve simultaneous projects with multiple deadlines
• Copywriting, verbal communication, and project management skills required
• Strong attention to detail
• Advanced knowledge of the Gulf Coast hospitality industry, with an emphasis on partners’ products and services.
• Ability to understand basic industry terms and trends in marketing, communications, public relations, and digital marketing initiatives
• Flexibility to carry out responsibilities on evenings or weekends, and to travel as needed

About Visit Mobile

Visit Mobile is an independent, non-profit organization, dedicated to promoting the Mobile area as a convention and visitor destination. Visit Mobile works with meeting planners to secure convention business for the city of Mobile. Visit Mobile also assists groups with logistics once they have chosen the Port City for their convention or meeting. We are partially funded by local business partners.

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