In any marketing agency big or small, a cohesive team is essential for producing excellent quality work. There are many different roles to fill, and each of them should be clearly defined and well-equipped to tackle their responsibilities. Within a typical marketing agency, there’s a wide variety of professional parts to play. From copywriting to social media management, there is a host of tasks that need to be performed – and each member of the team is as important as the next. In this guide, we take a deep dive into the key roles and the best marketing agency team structure to thrive and highlight the importance of the structure that binds them all together.
How Does A Digital Marketing Agency Team Structure Work?
A great marketing team is comprised of multiple digital channel specialists, each of whom focuses on their subdivision of a project. The structure depends on the specialists in question – often size determines the level of structure complexity, and the project goal can be an influence too.
But generally speaking, a digital marketing team structure is led by a VP or Head of Digital Marketing, while other members of the team take instruction based on what the leader has strategised.
Choosing the Right Team Structure for your Agency
When it comes to structuring a team, there are a few different options to choose from. There’s a wide variety of tried-and-tested professional team structures, all of which are designed to support different types of teams. Some of the most common include:
- Product-based
- Market-based
- Process-based
- Matrix
- Functional
- Geographical
These structure types take different elements of a team’s purpose and use them to shape a system that works with the agency in question’s size, scalability, budget, and interpersonal connections.
How to Get the Right People in the Right Seats to Begin With?
Just like with any team, there needs to be clearly established roles and rankings in order for performance to be strong. Digital marketing teams are no exception.
Generally speaking, each role should be T-shaped – meaning that each team member should have one main area of expertise while also having an understanding of broader disciplines in their field.
But there are a couple of effective ways to delegate marketing roles within a team structure. Some of the most popular ones are as follows:
- Identify problem areas – Some aspects of your project may need more help than others. Make sure you know where potential bottlenecks will arise and ensure those with the right attitude, skills, and tools are there to provide support.
- Learn the strengths and weaknesses of your team – Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, and it’s the director’s job to know what they are. Make decisions based on these findings.
- Strategically outsource – Not all roles need to be filled internally. Consider outsourcing an agency or some freelancers to fill in jobs you don’t have the capacity to satisfy on the inside.
- Pick the right tools – There are many productivity software tools available that are designed to make digital marketing jobs easier. Utilise them where needed and you can save both yourself and your team significant time, money, and energy.
Essential Roles Within A Digital Marketing Team Structure
The number of necessary roles within a digital marketing team seems to expand every day. With new technologies constantly evolving, the list of professionals needed to perfect them must grow, too. Presently, the core tenets of an effective digital marketing team are as follows:
Digital Marketing Director
Every team needs a captain, and that’s what a digital marketing director is. A great digital marketing director should plan, develop, implement, and oversee a project from start to finish.
Analytical specialists
Within any digital marketing team, there should always be a default data analyst who can research, set, and track essential KPIs. Marketing metrics are difficult to decipher unless you are specifically trained to do so, which is part of what makes data analysts such key players in any team structure.
Creative Strategist
Creativity doesn’t grow on trees. But there are trained creative professionals who know how to harness innovative thinking to produce original and imaginative results. A creative strategist can help with content creation, design, curation, and more.
Copywriter
SEO blogposts are one of the best ways to generate consistent online traffic and attract new customers within your target market. A skilled copywriter will help you to develop relevant content that keeps consumers returning to your website for more.
Content Marketing Manager
People in this role are there to manage the design, strategy, development, and scheduling of top-quality content for online pages such as your website or social media channels in need of visual refreshment.
Social Media Specialist
By now we all know how crucial social media is for modern-day marketing success. Every digital marketing team needs a social media specialist that can interpret trends, track patterns, develop campaign strategies, and generally ensure that all social media channels are performing well.
E-mail & Marketing Automation
Despite the popular misconception that it’s outdated, email marketing is still one of the most effective ways to reach consumers. Having an email and marketing specialist to automate these channels and make sure customers are connecting with them is key to a healthy digital marketing team.
Media Manager
Whether it is videos, images, social media posts, infographics, or email newsletters, you need a media manager to comb through your content and give it the stamp of approval before being published.
Web Developer
Website development is a non-negotiable component of any company – but especially a digital marketing one. With websites playing such a significant role in brand perception and engagement, you want only the best working on yours behind the scenes.
Build A Team Designed To Deliver
A team is only as strong as its weakest player. And when it comes to the complex world of marketing, every team member needs to be as strong as the next. Structuring teams in the corporate world can take many different forms, which can make the process of choosing one more challenging.
However, with the right leader in position and a clear understanding of each employee’s strengths and weaknesses, any digital marketing agency can structure its cohort in an efficient and collaborative way.