Free template · Marketing / Design

Performance review template for a marketing manager

A ready-to-use, section-by-section template with the competencies that matter for a marketing manager, role-specific example phrases, and a guard against the stock filler that makes most reviews read as generic. Copy the structure, fill in your evidence, or skip the writing entirely with Crestento.

The template

Four sections, in this order. Length should match the evidence you have — a thin section is honest; an invented paragraph is not.

Summary

One or two paragraphs setting the context: what was expected of marketing manager this period, and your overall verdict. Lead with the headline.

Example phrasing

Shipped the integrated Q3 product-launch campaign across paid, content, and lifecycle channels (CAC down 22%, MQL volume up 38%), rebuilt the attribution model that's now used in monthly business reviews, and developed one specialist into a senior role through structured ownership of the lifecycle channel.

Strengths

The behaviours and outcomes that made the work happen. Anchor in evidence: MQL / SQL volume and quality trend, CAC (customer acquisition cost) by channel, pipeline / revenue contribution attributed to marketing.

  • Evidence for: campaign delivery and integrated planning.
  • Evidence for: channel mix management (paid, organic, content, lifecycle).
  • Evidence for: creative brief quality and agency / partner management.
  • Evidence for: performance measurement and attribution.

Areas for Growth

Forward-looking development edges. Frame as opportunities, not deficiencies. Specific behaviours to develop, not generic marketing manager criticism.

  • One pattern observed across the period.
  • One specific behaviour to develop.
  • One concrete next step.

Goals for the Next Period

Two or three concrete goals. Each should name a specific behaviour change, a measurable target, and a deadline. Avoid vague aspirations.

Competencies to evaluate

The 7 competencies a strong marketing manager review structures around, in priority order. Use these as the spine of the Strengths and Areas for Growth sections.

  • campaign delivery and integrated planning
  • channel mix management (paid, organic, content, lifecycle)
  • creative brief quality and agency / partner management
  • performance measurement and attribution
  • team development and cross-functional partnership
  • budget allocation and ROI discipline
  • brand stewardship and editorial standards

Before you write

Marketing managers run a portfolio of channels and campaigns with shared accountability for pipeline / brand outcomes. The craft lives in judgement: which channel to lean into, which to cut, which creative idea to back vs which to redirect. Strong marketing managers shift the attribution conversation from vanity metrics to pipeline / revenue contribution. Weak marketing managers chase impressions and clicks that don't move business outcomes.

Evidence to gather

Strong reviews for a marketing manager cite evidence of these shapes. Only use a specific value (a percentage, a count, a dollar amount) if you actually have it — don’t invent a number to sound concrete.

  • MQL / SQL volume and quality trend
  • CAC (customer acquisition cost) by channel
  • pipeline / revenue contribution attributed to marketing
  • campaign-level ROI
  • channel mix shift over the period
  • brand-awareness or share-of-voice (where measured)
  • team retention and internal promotion

Where to find the evidence

Work products a marketing manager produces. Reference these by name in the review when they’re relevant — it signals you know the work.

  • integrated campaign briefs
  • channel performance dashboards
  • attribution model documentation
  • creative briefs for agencies / freelancers
  • monthly / quarterly marketing reviews
  • competitive / market analyses
  • team OKRs and quarterly retros

Phrasing that lands vs phrasing that doesn’t

Strong — specific, evidenced, role-appropriate

Shipped the integrated Q3 product-launch campaign across paid, content, and lifecycle channels (CAC down 22%, MQL volume up 38%), rebuilt the attribution model that's now used in monthly business reviews, and developed one specialist into a senior role through structured ownership of the lifecycle channel.

Weak — vague, unevidenced, generic

Strong marketing leader, drives results.

Phrases to never use

Stock filler that AI-written marketing manager reviews slip into. Managers spot it instantly. Rewrite to name a specific behaviour instead.

  • drives marketing results
  • passionate about brand
  • strong marketer
  • trusted partner to sales
  • raises the marketing bar
  • consistently delivers campaigns
  • data-driven mindset
  • growth mindset
  • great storyteller

Don’t invent these specifics

The details an AI tends to fabricate for marketing managerreviews. If you don’t have the specific number, name, or date in your notes, leave it out — generic-but-honest beats specific-but- invented every time.

  • specific MQL / SQL volumes not in input
  • specific CAC / ROI percentages not provided
  • named campaigns or channels when only general work was mentioned
  • specific attribution model implementations not in input
  • named team members developed when not in input
  • particular vendor / agency partnerships not referenced

Skip the template, generate the review

Drop your bullet points into Crestento and it produces the polished draft using this exact template structure, tuned for a marketing manager. Two reviews free, no card.

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