Marketing is tasked with contributing to the bottom line. As a marketing leader you must be able to prove your ROI. But many marketing leaders struggle to position their team for success. One of the complaints we hear all of the time is lack of resources. “I don’t have enough people to get everything done.” This is especially true for small companies and marketing leaders in particular. They often feel they don’t have enough resources.
I challenge this notion. It’s not about the number of people you have. It’s having the right structure, and process in place. With these two pieces, your marketing team, no matter the size can be successful. And then you can prove your contribution.
So how do you know if you are on the right track? Or if your marketing structure needs an overhaul? The first few things to consider are below. Download the Marketing Structure Checklist here to understand more.
3 Things to Consider:
#1 – Roles
The first piece of the puzzle is the roles on the marketing team. Does everyone understand their role, or is there some role corruption? A few of the roles on your team might look something like this:
- Content – You have a content strategy that supports and extends your marketing initiatives. You need someone to fill this need. Here’s another recent blog post that covers this role in more detail.
- Creative – Who will create the items like the CTAs, infographics, etc.? There is a creative element to Marketing that can’t be ignored.
- Campaigns – You need someone to who is able to run multiple marketing campaigns thru several different channels. Email campaigns, social media campaigns, events, etc.
Role clarity is key to building an effective marketing team. Does your team understand their individual roles? If not, you may have a problem.
#2 – Talent
What skills do you need when putting together your team? Skills to look for include:
- Analytical – marketing is about data. You need team members that can track and interrupt the metrics.
- Agile – what do we mean by this? Marketers must be willing and able to make quick changes based on results. This means changing plans instead of following them.
- Tech savvy – this one is obvious, but must be stated. Marketers more now than ever must be familiar with technology and adapt quickly.
So ask yourself – do you have the right people on your team? If not, you may need to adjust your marketing lineup.
#3 – Goals
Does everyone on your team understand the marketing goals? Do they know how they are expected to contribute? Each goal, from top down, should follow these general rules of thumb:
- Is the goal specific? It must be detailed, and allow for easy measurement.
- Is the goal realistic? Setting unattainable goals sets your team up for failure.
- When should the goal be accomplished by? Always set a time expectation with your team.
Is it clear what individual contributions are expected from your team? If not, you may need to review your strategy.
Not all marketing departments will look the same. A lot can depend on what your business and buyers look like. But this Marketing Structure Checklist is a good place to start. It will help you decide what your marketing org chart should look like. With the right structure in place, your team will contribute to the bottom line.
