SUMMARY
The Marketing Manager, Books is a strategic and hands-on marketing leader responsible for maximizing the revenue potential of every title on the Books list. This role owns the go-to-market strategy for the Books portfolio — developing sharp, audience-driven positioning for each book, identifying the right channels and tactics to reach and convert buyers, and executing alongside the Marketing Producer and external contractors to bring campaigns to life.
The ideal candidate thinks like a strategist and works like a practitioner. They are energized by the challenge of finding the right audience for a book, crafting a compelling story around it, and building a disciplined plan to drive sales — from launch through the long tail. They are comfortable with data, fluent in digital marketing channels, and skilled at translating insights into creative direction and clear priorities for a small, agile team.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Portfolio Positioning & Go-to-Market Strategy
- Develop and own the go-to-market strategy for each Books unit title — including audience targeting, positioning, messaging, pricing considerations, and channel prioritization — with the goal of maximizing conversion and revenue at every stage of a book's lifecycle.
- Build a deep understanding of each book's target audience: who they are, where they engage, what motivates them to buy, and how to reach them most effectively.
- Identify and evaluate the best mix of channels, placements, and tactics for each title, balancing investment against expected return.
- Partner with Editorial and Product Development early in the product lifecycle to provide marketing input that shapes positioning and launch readiness.
- Analyze market trends, competitor positioning, and category dynamics in Catholic publishing to identify opportunities and sharpen strategy.
Campaign Development & Execution
- Translate positioning strategy into integrated marketing campaigns across email, social media, paid advertising, organic content, and retail channels.
- Write and contribute to compelling copy for marketing materials, including emails, website content, ad creative, and social posts — and provide clear creative direction to the Marketing Producer.
- Manage and optimize paid advertising campaigns on Meta and Amazon, with a focus on audience targeting, creative performance, and return on ad spend.
- Oversee campaign schedules, proactively identify risks and opportunities, and make timely decisions to maximize results.
- Review and approve creative assets, copy, video content, and photography produced by the Marketing Producer and external contractors.
- Lead product launches end-to-end, coordinating across internal teams and guiding authors through their marketing and PR plans.
Amazon & Channel Strategy
- Own the Books team's Amazon marketing strategy — including listing optimization, search visibility, advertising strategy, promotional planning, and performance measurement.
- Identify and develop additional distribution and channel opportunities (e.g., DTC, wholesale, reseller partners) in collaboration with Operations, providing channel-specific marketing support where it drives meaningful sales impact.
- Coordinate with Operations as needed to ensure marketing plans align with inventory availability, distribution timing, and channel requirements.
Data, Analytics & Performance
- Define success metrics for each campaign and title, and hold the team accountable to measurable outcomes.
- Analyze campaign performance, consumer behavior data, and channel-level results to assess effectiveness and continuously optimize strategy.
- Gather and interpret data from web traffic, ad platforms, Amazon, and e-commerce channels to surface actionable insights.
- Design and analyze customer surveys to inform positioning, product development, and messaging decisions.
- Report key results, learnings, and recommendations to leadership on a regular cadence.
Team Direction & Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Collaborate with the Marketing Producer to ensure Marketing and Creative are aligned to the creative vision and objectives for individual campaigns and overall team goals.
- Manage and direct marketing contractors as needed — assigning work, setting expectations, reviewing deliverables, and integrating their output into broader campaign plans.
- Collaborate cross-functionally with Editorial, Product Development, PR/Communications, Operations, and Technology teams to ensure cohesive campaign execution.
- Steward the Books team marketing budget, allocating investment to maximize revenue impact across the portfolio.
Author & Creator Collaboration
- Serve as the primary marketing contact for authors throughout the product lifecycle, providing strategic direction and setting clear expectations for their role in marketing and PR.
- Lead marketing kickoffs with authors, sharing go-to-market strategy, channel plans, and deliverable timelines.
- Collaborate with authors and creators to develop marketing assets that support campaign goals and feel authentic to their voice and platform.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business Administration, or a related field.
- 5+ years of marketing experience, with a strong track record of developing positioning and go-to-market strategies that drive measurable revenue results.
- Demonstrated ability to think strategically about audience, positioning, and channel mix — and to execute hands-on within those plans.
- Experience managing and optimizing paid media campaigns, particularly on Amazon and Meta platforms.
- Excellent copywriting skills, including the ability to adapt tone and voice across audiences and formats.
- Strong analytical skills and comfort with data; experience with tools such as Google Analytics and Amazon Seller/Vendor Central.
- Experience providing direction to creative team members or contractors and translating strategy into clear creative briefs.
- A deep understanding of the Catholic faith and teaching.
- Familiarity with the Catholic market and faith-based audiences is strongly preferred.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills; able to collaborate cross-functionally and build strong working relationships with authors and external partners.
- Comfortable working in fast-paced, ambiguous environments and taking ownership to drive complex, multi-stakeholder projects forward.
- The ability to travel to Ascension’s headquarters in Pennsylvania several times per year is required.
- Exemplify and live our core values of humility, passion, and integrity.
Benefits
- Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
- Retirement Plan (401k, IRA)
- Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
- Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
- Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity)
- Short Term & Long Term Disability
- Training & Development
- Work From Home
- Wellness Resources
