The Blueprint for an Effective Marketing Team Structure

Last week, I finalized a project that helped a midsize organization prepare for changes in their marketing personnel, and with so many organizations facing the impending reorganization of their marketing departments, I felt this could help others who are facing this very question. If you're tasked with increasing marketing revenue while minimizing your workforce, you're in for valuable insight.

First, let’s define the size of an organization, which will allow me to explain the options for that size.

Understanding Company Sizes

Before we dive into the available marketing department structures, it's important to define the company sizes we're referencing. While not everyone may agree with these categorizations, they provide a common reference point for our guide:

• Small to Medium-Sized Business (SMB): 5-100 Employees
• Midsized Business: 101-1,000 Employees
• Enterprise: 1,000+ employees (excluding massive Fortune 500 organizations)

Now that we've clarified the sizes, let's explore the marketing department structures suitable for different scenarios.?

Crafting a Marketing Department Structure

Here, we outline three distinct marketing department structures, tailored to the size and predictability of your business. Midsize companies with fluctuating revenue may find that a discipline-based team structure is ideal, while enterprises with steady revenue forecasts may opt for more experimental arrangements.?

1. Discipline-Based Marketing Department Structure

This structure is prevalent, especially within midsize companies where marketing plays a pivotal role in revenue generation and pipeline management. These teams collaborate frequently throughout the year to achieve revenue targets. Common teams within discipline-based marketing departments include:

• Social Media: Responsible for content creation, graphic design, social media management, project management, data analytics, and storytelling.
• Content Marketing: Focused on writing, editing, organization, graphic design, project management, SEO, HTML, and storytelling.
• Product Marketing: Involved in research, analysis, strategic planning, cross-functionality, writing, customer service, problem-solving, technical knowledge, and pricing strategy.
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Driven by skills in writing, editing, problem-solving, programming knowledge, technical thinking, analytics, and SEO expertise.
• Website: Concentrated on programming, Creative Suite programs, web and email design, user experience design, content management software knowledge, web standards, and SEO understanding.
• Acquisition: Specializing in customer-centricity, written and verbal communication, problem-solving, attention to detail, and strategy development.?

2. Function-Based Marketing Department Structure

This more traditional structure emphasizes core marketing elements and is suitable for small teams with limited resources and budgets. It includes teams like:

• Operations: Managing workflow, automation, written and verbal communication, problem-solving, and team-building.
• Creative: Shaping the visual identity of the brand through graphic design, copywriting, video production, and some web design.
• Marketing: Focusing on strategic marketing planning, content creation, and project management.
• Sales: Collaborating with marketing to guide leads through the sales funnel, communicate with customers, and drive revenue.
• Executive Leadership: Providing overarching strategic direction based on data and market insights.

3. Experiment-Based Marketing Department Structure

Designed for larger enterprises with ample resources and a need for agility, this structure organizes teams around experiments and campaigns. It includes:

• Campaign Teams: Focused on cross-functional teamwork, creativity, marketing strategy development, data analysis, and agile project management.
• Experimentation Teams: Driving innovation through hypothesis development, A/B testing, data analysis, and agile project management.
• Centralized Services Teams: Providing specialized marketing services to other teams within the organization.
• Growth Teams: Tasked with rapidly scaling the business by identifying and capitalizing on growth opportunities.

Choosing the Right Structure

Selecting the right marketing department structure depends on various factors, including your company's size, industry, goals, resources, flexibility, cross-functional collaboration needs, and industry trends. Your chosen structure should align with your unique circumstances and objectives, with room for adjustment as your company evolves.

Constructing an effective marketing team structure is pivotal in achieving your business's marketing goals. Whether you opt for a discipline-based, function-based, or experimentation-based structure, the key is aligning your team with your company's needs and objectives. Careful consideration of factors like company size, industry, goals, and resources will help you create a marketing department that drives success and growth for your business.