Building Your Marketing Team – PART III

In this third part of our Ultimate Marketing Guide series, I’ll guide you through building a marketing team tailored to your design business’s current stage. Whether you’re just starting or scaling to new markets, assembling the right team – or outsourcing the right expertise – is critical to executing your strategy effectively. You’ll discover how to

• Identify the key roles needed at each stage of growth
• Decide between in-house hires, freelancers, and agencies
• Budget for marketing resources
• Ask the right questions before hiring or outsourcing

By the end of this article, you’ll have a clear framework to build or refine your marketing team, ensuring alignment with your goals and resources.

The Stages of Marketing Team Development

Each stage of business growth demands a different structure and focus for your marketing team. Here’s what to prioritize:

Starting Out: The Solo or DIY Stage

Focus: Building awareness, gaining trust, and generating your first sales.

Key Roles:

• Yourself! At this stage, you’re likely wearing multiple hats, including marketing.
• Freelancer or Consultant (if budget allows): Specialize in one critical area, such as SEO or social media.

Key Tasks:

• Building a website and optimizing for local SEO.
• Managing social media accounts on a chosen platform.
• Writing basic blog posts or creating portfolio content.
• Encouraging client referrals.

Questions to Ask:

• What marketing channels are most effective for my niche?
• Can I dedicate enough time to marketing alongside other responsibilities?
• Should I outsource tasks like website design or copywriting?

Growing: Assembling Your Core Team

Focus: Increasing visibility, generating consistent leads, and strengthening your brand.

Key Roles:

• Content Specialist: Focuses on blog posts, case studies, and other long-form content.
• Social Media Manager: Manages organic and paid social campaigns.
• SEO/SEM Specialist: Drives traffic through organic and paid search strategies.

Key Tasks:

• Scaling content creation and distribution.
• Running targeted social media ad campaigns.
• Developing a basic email marketing strategy.
• Building relationships with media outlets and influencers.

Questions to Ask:

• Which roles are critical to meeting my goals?
• Should I hire full-time employees or outsource to freelancers?
• What tools will my team need to operate effectively?

Scaling: Expanding Expertise and Systems

Focus: Maximizing efficiency, optimizing systems, and expanding market reach.

Key Roles:

• Marketing Manager: Oversees the strategy and team coordination.
• Growth Marketer: Uses experimentation and data to optimize campaigns.
• Paid Media Specialist: Manages multi-platform ad campaigns.
• Customer Experience (CX) Specialist: Focuses on loyalty and referral programs.

Key Tasks:

• Automating workflows for lead generation and nurturing.
• Launching sophisticated ad campaigns with measurable ROI.
• Developing loyalty programs to retain and reward clients.
• Refining brand messaging to strengthen authority.

Questions to Ask:

• Are my marketing workflows optimized for efficiency?
• Do I have clear KPIs and tools to measure success?
• Which roles are best suited to in-house hires versus outsourcing?

Expanding: Building a Global Marketing Team

Focus: Entering new markets, diversifying revenue streams, and maintaining brand consistency.

Key Roles:

• Brand Strategist: Ensures consistent messaging across regions.
• Affiliate/Partnership Manager: Develops and oversees strategic alliances.
• PR Specialist: Secures media coverage in international publications.
• Event Marketing Manager: Plans and executes large-scale events or trade shows.

Key Tasks:

• Localizing marketing strategies for new markets.
• Establishing a scalable affiliate program.
• Building flagship projects or campaigns to showcase premium work.
• Managing regional teams and resources.

Questions to Ask:

• Are my processes scalable and adaptable to new markets?
• Do I have the resources to manage a larger, more distributed team?
• How can I maintain brand consistency globally?

In-House, Freelancers, or Agencies?

Each stage requires careful consideration of how to allocate your resources:

• In-House Team: Best for long-term roles and ongoing tasks like content creation or social media management.
• Freelancers: Ideal for project-based tasks like website design or ad campaigns.
• Agencies: A good option when you need a range of specialized skills but aren’t ready to hire multiple full-time employees.

Next Steps: Creating a Detailed Budget For Your Marketing

Now, we need to identify the money to make all this happen! The good news is that you don’t have to budget for other stages than where you’re at right now, and of course with an intention to where you want to get next. Let’s continue in the next guide:

How to Create Your Marketing Budget