Director of Marketing in Buford, Georgia at Islands Management Company LLC
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Job Description
Job Description
Job Title: Director of Marketing
Department: Marketing
Reports To: General Manager
FLSA Status: Salaried Exempt
POSITION SUMMARY
The Director of Marketing is the senior marketing leader responsible for developing and executing the integrated marketing strategy for Lanier Islands Resort, a complex destination with multiple revenue streams and customer segments. The position leads brand strategy, demand generation, digital presence, customer communications, media, partnerships, and marketing performance, with a primary focus on profitable revenue growth across lodging, meetings and groups, social events, weddings, golf, food and beverage, entertainment, and resort experiences.
The Director translates business goals into measurable marketing plans that build awareness, generate qualified demand, improve conversion, and support revenue objectives. The role partners closely with the General Manager and leaders across Sales, Rooms, Golf, Food & Beverage, Events, and other operating departments. The position leads internal marketing resources and external agencies and balances strategic leadership with hands-on execution in a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Develop and lead the annual resort-wide marketing and communications strategy, budget, calendar, and channel plan in alignment with business priorities and revenue goals.
- Create integrated marketing plans for leisure, meetings and corporate groups, social events, weddings, golf, food and beverage, entertainment, seasonal programming, and other resort experiences.
- Drive qualified demand and revenue through a balanced mix of brand building, acquisition, conversion, retention, loyalty, and remarketing initiatives.
- Establish objectives, key performance indicators, dashboards, and measurement frameworks; use results to optimize investment, channels, audiences, offers, and creative.
- Oversee brand strategy and consistency across advertising, website, social media, email, collateral, signage, on-property communications, partnerships, and other guest touchpoints.
- Lead digital marketing strategy, including paid search, paid social, programmatic media, SEO, content, and other digital channels, ensuring campaigns are effectively targeted, measured, and optimized.
- Own website strategy and performance in partnership with internal and external resources, including content, user experience, analytics, conversion opportunities, and revenue-driving calls to action.
- Lead CRM, email marketing, and customer lifecycle programs designed to increase engagement, repeat visitation, direct bookings, and total guest value.
- Develop targeted campaigns and solicitation programs that generate advance bookings and qualified leads for transient, group, meeting, wedding, and social-event business.
- Partner with Sales leadership on lead generation, sales enablement, content, campaigns, property site inspections, and client or partner presentations.
- Partner with Rooms to support occupancy, ADR, direct booking, and total guest revenue through strategic offers, audience targeting, and timely demand-generation programs.
- Partner with Golf, Food & Beverage, Events, and other operating departments to increase awareness, visitation, participation, and revenue.
- Develop strategic partnerships, co-marketing opportunities, and promotional programs in collaboration with the Director of Relations to expand reach and create measurable business value.
- Lead marketing for new products, experiences, events, facilities, and revenue opportunities as the resort grows.
- Maintain market, customer, and competitive intelligence; identify emerging trends, risks, new audiences, markets, channels, products, and sources of incremental demand.
- Adjust marketing plans based on booking pace, seasonality, market conditions, competitive activity, budget performance, and changing business needs.
- Negotiate and manage agency, media, vendor, freelancer, partnership, and co-marketing agreements, including scope, budget, performance, creative quality, timelines, and accountability.
- Represent the resort at relevant industry events, professional organizations, community functions, and business-development opportunities.
- Maintain effective communication with guests, associates, management, agencies, and business partners and participate in sales, revenue, budget, and leadership meetings as appropriate.
- Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned.
LEADERSHIP AND SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES
Lead and develop the Marketing Department in accordance with organizational policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include workforce planning, recruiting, hiring, onboarding, training, assigning and directing work, coaching, performance management, recognition, corrective action, and resolving concerns.
- Set clear strategic direction, responsibilities, priorities, performance expectations, and professional-development goals while remaining appropriately involved in execution and problem solving.
- Build a culture of accountability, collaboration, creativity, testing, customer focus, and continuous improvement.
- Manage departmental workflow, resources, and priorities so projects are accurate, timely, and within budget.
- Coordinate cross-functional initiatives and keep stakeholders informed and aligned throughout planning and execution.
REVENUE, MEASUREMENT, AND REPORTING
- Maintain a strong understanding of resort financial performance, demand patterns, booking pace, customer acquisition costs, return on ad spend, conversion, and revenue contribution by channel and segment.
- Use business and marketing analytics to recommend where investment should be increased, reduced, or shifted.
- Monitor and report website traffic, lead generation, booking activity, revenue, conversion rates, media efficiency, email performance, audience growth, and other relevant KPIs.
- Provide senior leadership with concise performance reporting, business implications, recommendations, and action plans rather than activity-only updates.
- Ensure marketing technology and analytics platforms are configured and used effectively for attribution, optimization, and decision-making.
- Participate in forecasting, budgeting, and business planning and develop strategies that balance near-term revenue production with long-term brand equity and customer growth.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Hospitality, Communications, Business, or a related field required.
- Seven or more years of progressively responsible marketing experience, preferably within a complex hotel, resort, destination, entertainment, hospitality, or multi-revenue property environment.
- Demonstrated success leading integrated marketing strategy across multiple customer segments and revenue streams.
- Proven experience managing internal teams, agencies, vendors, budgets, media, and complex project portfolios.
- Strong knowledge of hospitality demand generation, digital marketing, CRM, paid media, content, social media, SEO, website conversion, and marketing analytics.
- Demonstrated ability to use financial, customer, and campaign data to make strategic decisions and optimize marketing investment.
- Experience developing annual marketing plans and budgets and presenting strategy, results, and recommendations to senior leadership.
- Strong knowledge of the Metro Atlanta market and regional leisure, group, meeting, wedding, and event demand.
- Exceptional project management, organizational, written communication, verbal communication, negotiation, and presentation skills.
- Strong creative and commercial judgment with the ability to balance brand standards, guest needs, business objectives, and performance marketing.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced, changing environment.
PREFERRED TECHNOLOGY AND PLATFORM EXPERIENCE
Experience with GA4, Google Ads, Meta Ads Manager, LinkedIn, TikTok, CRM and email platforms such as Revinate, hotel booking and distribution systems such as SynXis, website and CMS platforms, SEO tools, and marketing reporting and analytics platforms.
LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES
- Strategic, commercially minded, data-driven, and results oriented.
- Decisive and accountable with sound judgment and strong prioritization skills.
- Creative, customer focused, and attentive to the full guest journey.
- Strong cross-functional collaborator, communicator, and executive presenter.
- Adaptable leader who develops people and builds high-performing teams.
LANGUAGE, MATHEMATICAL, AND REASONING SKILLS
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret business information, research, technical procedures, and applicable regulations; write reports, business correspondence, and procedures; and present information effectively to leaders, associates, clients, customers, partners, and the public. Ability to calculate and interpret percentages, rates, discounts, commissions, budgets, and performance metrics. Ability to solve practical problems, evaluate alternatives, and interpret instructions presented in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT
The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those an employee may encounter while performing the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. The position requires regular communication and may require standing, walking, and sitting for extended periods, along with occasional outdoor work and participation in property events, inspections, and meetings. The employee may occasionally be required to lift or move materials up to 50 pounds. The noise level is usually moderate, and occasional exposure to outside weather conditions and moving mechanical parts may occur.
POSITION EXPECTATIONS
This leadership position carries broad responsibility for the resort's marketing direction and commercial performance. Success requires the ability to move between high-level strategy and detailed execution, influence leaders across departments, manage competing priorities, and demonstrate a clear connection between marketing investment, customer demand, and profitable revenue growth.