The first step for marketers–or anyone–wanting a website to fulfill marketing, branding, or business goals is to understand and clearly define what those goals are. I've had several clients, self-described "internet marketers" who basically want "a website that makes money" without any clear business model. A website is a tool like any other marketing tool. If you don't have something worth selling, the most beautiful website in the world will not make you any money.

This question actually contains one of the common issues I've seen–"when a marketer approaches a web DESIGNER". I'm not sure there's any true definition of what makes a web designer versus a web developer–my take is that the designer is more about the artistic look of the site, while the developer is more focused on technical aspects. There are multiple aspects to having an attractive, functional, accessible, and optimized website. A marketer should communicate with the web designer to make sure that the needs are fully understood and can be met. The marketer may need to deal with more than one individual to get the final end product to meet the goals. If a uniquely designed site is important, then a more artistic designer will be needed. If the site is focused on ecommerce and needs to reach a wide audience, a developer with significant coding skills and knowledge of human factors and accessibility is necessary.

The most successful partnerships between marketers and web professionals involve clear goals, well thought out plans, and perhaps most important, frequent and open communication.