Traditional marketing structures aren't working like they used to. Successful agencies are now structured to mirror how marketing campaigns work. Their teams are able to execute campaigns quickly and they test, adapt and optimize those plans to continuously create value for the client.
In order to accomplish this kind of efficient and effective production, marketers are streamlining their marketing agencies structure to put a focus on the value and production. Is it time to think about transforming your agency and structuring it for growth?
Positions to hire
To be able to content market and follow the inbound methodology effectively, marketing teams must cover the bases of attract, convert and close. Independent of the structure your team chooses, it’s best to have the following team members represented on staff.
- Marketing Leader
- Marketing Technologist
- Content Writer/Strategist
- Marketing/Inbound Strategist
- Utility Player
Structures to Test
Attract. Convert. Close.
The attract, convert, close structure puts experts under each area of expertise, yet encourages each area to work together collaboratively. This structure sees the inbound method from start to finish and usually includes content writers, marketing strategists, and sales strategists.
Agile Project Management
Agile project management is focused on innovation, movement, and dynamism. Marketing teams are encouraged to work collaboratively on a project, incorporating feedback and solutions in response to clients' needs. Marketers maintain their roles and concentrate on what they are good at, and a project manager directs each project to ensure cohesion.
Pod System
Pods are small teams of employees with defined positions who work on client accounts. Each team member uses their strengths to accomplish a client's campaign goals. A pod team could include an inbound strategist, a content writer, and a designer. It depends on how you have staffed your agency.
With the above structures, nothing is mechanical instead, it comes back to collaboration, open communications, and defined roles where team members focus on their strengths. These structures help agencies focus on value content and driving growth for their clients.
Increase efficiency with an expert outsourcing team
Inbound marketing is your bag, so your clients come to you. Your revenue-driven content is producing huge results for clients, and that needs to remain your focus. Leaning closely on the inbound methodology, we know you need to hire personnel to help you hit each stage. Content writers, inbound strategists, and social media managers to attract and convert sales enablement tools to help your sales teams close.
Your biggest focus needs to stay on attract, and to help your attract team accomplish the more technical digital aspects of your campaigns, outsourcing is the streamlined structure. Whereby your team focuses on the attraction, and the outsourced developers or designers focus on the technical build required to accomplish attraction.
Test structures
Any new structure implemented will affect your team; before deciding on one structure, test out how your team adapts and succeeds (or does not succeed) in your new project management methodology.
Your marketing team will have found the right structure when you can easily practice open communication through frequent short meetings that help to keep your team motivated to meet their goals. No matter what structure you go with there will be flaws, but your agency will work best when the structure helps your employees make value for your clients. Learn more about agile marketing and project management style with our free ebook below.
