As a marketing leader, effective communication is etched into your DNA. You understand the nuances of using the right messages in the correct media. Words matter in your world, but they rarely matter more than when you are searching for a new role.
The formal and factual nature of a resume means that you are restricted in how you might present your marketing career story, but when it comes to a cover letter you have carte blanche to tell your authentic story.
There is only one problem. Your audience will be a senior leader who is equally as proficient at communicating as you are. Sure, the CEO might not work in marketing, but if you are going to be the voice of their company, you had better be sure that they will have very high expectations for the content of your cover letter. Those 300 words need to captivate them and make them fascinated by what else you might have to say during an interview.
A marketing director cover letter might only offer initial hints at your career stories, but it is exactly this enforced brevity that will help you to stand out. Take your time to tailor each cover letter before you send it. Your future employer wants to feel special – how much have you really thought about why you would be a fit for the role? If passion doesn’t come across in a cover letter, why would you be obsessive about the job itself?
It may also be worth reading about the topic. Inspiration can come from unexpected places. Our library of cover letter examples is filled with stories from all sorts of professions. In this writing guide and corresponding marketing director cover letter example, we cover:
Here are some marketing-related examples of other cover letters:
Writing a cover letter may be a somewhat frustrating exercise for a marketing director who is desperate to showcase their creative side. “What, just fill a page with some words about me?” You will likely feel that you are short-changing yourself.
Forget about the pride and play the game. You will be able to share a link to a portfolio of your work, but in a marketing director cover letter you need to keep it simple. Stick to the tried-and-tested format. The message always needs to fit the task. The content is what will get you the job. In this case, the hiring manager will be expecting the following:
Adopt a professional and positive tone. Tell stories about your past accomplishments, but always make it clear that you are focusing on the skills that will be in demand in your next role. Marketing directors always need to put the customer first. In this case, the customer is your next boss. Tell them what they want to hear.
Having mentioned that the cover letter format is somewhat regimented, there are still many nuances to other decisions that you make when you sit down to write. Our comprehensive cover letter guide delves into some of the more detailed considerations. You only get one chance to make a first impression – your cover letter is your creative calling card.
Our marketing director cover letter may offer some ideas:
Re: Marketing director role
Dear Mrs. Moore,
After management changes at Parity took the company in a different direction, I wish to continue my career with one of the industry leaders. As a former competitor, I will bring insights that only someone looking in from the outside can offer.
My experience in managing over twenty new product launches (sales value $21m) ensures that I am well placed to support your growth strategy. Cutting-edge market research played a critical part in beating sales budgets by 37%, while my marketing team was responsible for a redesign of our hero product that doubled its market share.
During four years at Parity, we increased our brand awareness by engaging with strategic partners and influencers across social media. We shared content that added value to our customers across the fields of health and wellness, avoiding direct product placements. Brand recognition improved by 46% and sales ticked up by 12% over the duration of the campaign.
On the events side, I have been working with all the major conference organizers for decades and am a regular speaker on the circuit. This is something that I would continue, and it would bring an immediate boost to Orion. My speaker scores are consistently at the top of the ratings.
I know that Orion works with industry-specific partners where possible and I have collaborated with all major service providers, from packaging design to marketing technology. After meeting in Denver last month, I was captivated by your vision for the company. I am curious to find out more at a potential interview and have given much thought to where I can add the most immediate value.
Sincerely,
Simona Lathwaite
The cover letter header is the only element that contains any kind of design. Resist the temptation to express your creative side – choosing an attractive color or design will have little or no bearing on your ability to lead a marketing team. Keep the design professional and simple – you will have the opportunity to shine in other ways.
Include your full name, address, and personal email. You may not be used to sharing your email widely, but this is essential to allow for swift communication. If social media is important for your role (why wouldn’t it be?), consider including the platforms where you are active. If you are not active on socials for whatever reason, inclusion is not mandatory.
You do not need to include your full home address on the cover letter. There are privacy and data protection concerns – you can include the full address at the offer stage. Also, there is no requirement to write the inside address of the employer. This is only for the most formal circumstances.
Greeting your (senior) future boss should not require too much though. “Dear Surname” is appropriate for any situation. If you know them well do not risk calling them by their first name. Various people may read the cover letter and you do not need any questions about the impartiality of the hiring decision.
Given that the role is senior, there should be no issue addressing the letter to your direct boss or to the HR director. The name of the hiring manager will not always be on job descriptions for senior roles, so these two options are both safe bets. They will certainly both be involved in the hiring process. Never (ever) address the letter “to whom it may concern.” That indicates a catastrophic lack of interest.
The marketing director cover letter introduction should start with a bang. Think about what you want to achieve with your next employer. What projects will delight them? Then take an example from your previous work and prove that you have what it takes to make it happen.
Don’t waste those vital first lines on empty rhetoric. Justify your stories with quantifiable achievements and show off the personal qualities that make you a great marketing leader. Share something unusual in your introduction. You won’t get hired if you are doing what everyone else is doing. Marketing professionals relish raising the bar by doing things differently – be brave and showcase your maverick side.
Dear Mrs. Moore,
After management changes at Parity took the company in a different direction, I wish to continue my career with one of the industry leaders. As a former competitor, I will bring insights that only someone looking in from the outside can offer.
The middle part of the marketing cover letter should cover the three or four biggest challenges that you will face with your next employer. These should be hyper-specific to each company and will require a lot of research. Put yourself in the place of the CEO. How is their marketing going? Are they gaining market share? If it isn’t working, what would you do differently? Sharing stories that will illustrate your future strategy is the perfect way to show that you are joining the business with a plan. No one wants to hire a firefighter.
Bullet points are an economical way of highlighting your value. There is no way of telling the stories in the depth that you would wish, so focus on industry specifics backed up by impressive numbers and growth.
Don’t forget to include the impact that you have made on those around you. Marketing directors rely on the fantastic work of a diverse team, so make sure that you talk about how to get the best out of your people. Another way of impressing is to sprinkle the names of brands that you have worked with throughout your career. If you are a top marketing director, you will have partnered with the best.
One final thought for the cover letter middle part is the importance of innovation. Marketing is developing at breakneck speed, so position yourself as someone who is always on top of the latest trends. Include a link to a blog if you have one. Not every leader will share their thought leadership on social media, but you cannot be a great marketing leader without a regular stream of original thoughts.
My experience in managing over twenty new product launches (sales value $21m) ensures that I am well placed to support your growth strategy. Cutting-edge market research played a critical part in beating sales budgets by 37%, while my marketing team was responsible for a redesign of our hero product that doubled its market share.
During four years at Parity, we increased our brand awareness by engaging with strategic partners and influencers across social media. We shared content that added value to our customers across the fields of health and wellness, avoiding direct product placements. Brand recognition improved by 46% and sales ticked up by 12% over the duration of the campaign.
On the events side, I have been working with all the major conference organizers for decades and am a regular speaker on the circuit. This is something that I would continue, and it would bring an immediate boost to Orion. My speaker scores are consistently at the top of the ratings.
While you will be familiar with CRM systems, you should not underestimate the importance of the Applicant Tracking System (ATS). The ATS is more than just a candidate database – it may assist hiring managers in initial selection decisions and while this is unlikely to rule out senior candidates, make sure that your resume is in a compatible format. Your marketing savvy is far more advanced than keyword stuffing, so don’t fall victim to this most unhelpful recruitment trend. The ATS doesn’t care that much.
The conclusion of a marketing director cover letter should not be long-winded. Hopefully, you have conveyed a sense of deep expertise, so rest assured that the hiring manager will know that there is much more to come. There is no need to desperately cram more career stories into those last few lines. Desperation is not a good look for such a senior professional.
Instead, express curiosity to find out more about the role. Ending on a call-to-action and anticipation of a potentially interesting interview question is absolutely appropriate. You have obviously put a lot of thought into the application, so it would be strange if you did not want to find out more. Having said this, try to adopt a hopeful rather than expectant tone.
I know that Orion works with industry-specific partners where possible and I have collaborated with all major service providers, from packaging design to marketing technology. After meeting in Denver last month, I was captivated by your vision for the company. I am curious to find out more at a potential interview and have given much thought to where I can add the most immediate value.
Sincerely,
Simona Lathwaite
It may be the case that you are applying for a role as marketing director for the first time. You will likely have plenty of management experience within marketing, so don’t let the lack of a title on a resume put you off. If you feel that you are ready for the next step (often in a smaller company or a start-up), here’s what you might want to think about.
Your whole marketing career will be full of examples of managing and influencing others, both upwards and sideways. The biggest management skills are in these directions. It is easy to tell a direct report what to do. In a new marketing director role, your confidence to influence your peers will be essential.
It is also important to emphasize breadth of experience, especially if you will be working in a smaller business or in a start-up. The marketing director title sounds great, but you may well be doing all sorts of tasks. Share you are still keen to get involved and don’t want to sit in an office away from the action. Hands-on marketing leaders develop a feel for the business.
This section is something that every marketing director should not have to read, but amidst the stress and haste of a job search, mistakes can creep into any piece of work. You can’t make any amends after you have sent that email or pressed the submit button.