Imagine trying to shepherd a herd of rabbits in an open field. That’s what it’s like being an advertising manager. I’ve managed more than $50 million in advertising for Silicon Valley’s hottest startups. I’ve worked at two of the top digital marketing agencies. Now I own my own consulting and online marketing businesses. Here is what’s it like:

It’s exhilarating. You’re in charge of the marketing for brands. You are the stewards of their budgets. You drive their strategy and they look to you for guidance. But it’s also intimidating. You’re in charge of a Facebook or Google account that spends over $1 million per month. You need to stay ahead of the curve. You need to build processes and plans that will continue growing your account. Otherwise…the client will work with another agency or advertising manager. It’s stressful.

What do you do daily? Well, you better be great at Excel. You’ll be looking at numbers all day. Online advertising is not like it characterized in Mad Men the TV show. No, online marketing is more akin to analyzing investments. Because that’s what you’re doing. Except instead of your marketplace being the New York Stock Exchange, it’s Facebook Ads Manager. And instead of your competition being Goldman Sachs, it’s the millions of other advertisers that are buying ads on Facebook right now.

If you work in an agency you’ll be putting together reports for your clients. You’ll be communicating with them via email, Slack, and phone. Depending on the client, sometimes daily! Your job is to push the performance of the advertising forward and communicate that succinctly to the client. If you’re working “in-house” as an advertising manager, you’ll be working with your marketing team to do the same items but likely without as much analytical rigor.

Being an ad man or ad woman is fun in the digital age. There is a lot to do on a daily basis. You must continue to learn otherwise you’ll be left in the dust. Tactics and strategies that worked 2 years ago may be obsolete. You can never rest on your laurels. Other groups within the organization will think you’re a lazy marketing person. They have no clue what it really takes. You don’t care. Get some sleep. Tomorrow’s busy.

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