




For many businesses, having an internal marketing team is a new concept, and in a field that is continuously changing and evolving, it can difficult to apprehend how the team could be managed.
Such teams, especially those with digital marketing elements, can have different challenges in comparison to other departments in your business, in particular, managing performance, return on investment and overall output.
However, fear not, if you’re new to managing a marketing team, these tips will help you get the most out of your employees.
Although managing a marketing team can be different in many areas, it is like other team structures in that keeping morale, and productivity high is a must. This can be achieved with three primary motivators – recognition, opportunity and reward.
Build an ethos for creativity and innovation
The marketing industry is continuously changing and evolving, which means you need to keep your marketing team informed. Otherwise, your marketing strategy may become outdated and even obsolete.
A straightforward way to ensure your team is always in the know when it comes to industry news is to dedicate 20-30 minutes in the morning for research. Tell your employees to take time to read marketing news headlines and study various authoritative articles from ‘thought leaders’ in niche fields. It’s also a good idea for your team – particularly your social media and content creators – to know about general news, too, as it can be lucrative to ‘cash in’ on trends like TV shows and events to improve your brand engagement.
It’s also crucial that you continuously invest in training. Marketing trends and processes are continually changing. So, to keep your strategy ahead of competitors and innovative, book your employees on training courses relative to their area of expertise. Although this can be expensive, this investment will be worth it for the corresponding growth of your business.
As well as being knowledgeable, your marketing team should be built on creativity. To get the best creativity out of your team, you should arrange for fun ‘brainstorming’ sessions, where your team get together and bounce ideas off one another.
For creative catalysts, have monthly get-togethers, such as ‘lunch and learn’ presentations. You could even have a Friday afternoon every month where the team orders in food and evaluates previous campaigns and what could be improved. This laid-back approach – rather than an official meeting – makes for a relaxed environment where creativity can arise far easier.
Set clear key performance metrics
For any team, especially marketing, which is results-driven, having clear performance metrics is a must for employees to know how well they’re doing.
You will have differing measurable successes depending on different areas of your marketing team. For instance, your social media team might measure progress on the number of likes they have, the ‘reach’ of their posts or the level of engagement posts receive. For SEO specialists, you may set goals in relation to conversion rates on your website.
Whatever your marketing strategy, having clear goals and milestones that are visible to your employees, ensures that everyone is able to measure their performance.
Choose specific project management tools
At the heart of marketing is communication – after all, you’re trying to communicate your brand to potential customers. Which is why it is imperative that you utilise practical communication tools within your marketing team. Especially if any of your marketing team work remotely.
Some essential project management tools should include:
If you have a marketing director, that person will create the strategy for the team and pass it down the employee hierarchy ladder, then report the results back up to senior management. For smaller teams, with no director, you will want a senior manager that is responsible for letting employees know your overall strategy, so they can set tasks for themselves and others to implement this strategy.
Overall, managing a marketing team might feel alien in comparison to other departments in a business, but at the root, you’ll use similar managing techniques. Your focus should be providing a fun place to work, where productivity, knowledge and creativity is king. Doing this will enable your business to achieve the maximum possible return from your marketing budget.
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