Companies: it's time to change all your marketing structure

Recent years have witnessed a seismic shift in the marketing?landscape. What worked for decades?no longer does. Companies too stubborn to change will fall behind the curve, lose relevance, and?waste time on outdated practices. The days when brands were building bulky, specialized?in-house marketing teams are a thing of the past. The future is sleek, nimble,?and technology-enabled.

You don’t need more than 2 people

For the past 60-plus years, companies have vied for?top-tier talent in specialized sectors with extensive knowledge—from creative directors to data analysts. This vertical specialization?formed the base structure of traditional systems of marketing. But the development of?AI and the democratization of expertise has changed this model. Today, the skills, knowledge, and capabilities that were only available to a small group of the population are available to the masses, through advanced?tools and global talent networks.

When I say everything has changed,?I mean just that. Entities must contemplate and craftcraft their total advertising and marketing?system. The answer is not to hide behind a mountain of bodies, but to intelligently place people in key areas, backstopping them?with advanced technology and outside talent. Not only does this cut costs, it speeds time?to market execution and effectiveness.

The Two Roles You Need

In order to survive in?this new reality, your marketing team should consist of a mere two key roles:

A Senior, Expert CMO

This person needs 15-20+ years of experience, including time spent in agencies,?managing company-wide, big marketing departments. But to be clear:?I’m not referring to a theoretical, such-it’s-a-thing old-school “doctor” of marketing who’s stuck in the past. This is no person stuck in?the past. You want a CMO who is no bullshit, hands on and living and breathing the realities of modern?marketing. They have to know the whole logic of marketing, from strategy down to?execution. This person knows the distribution channels, knows the technology, knows the price of the skills out there in the market, and how to deploy them in an efficient?manner. They’ll be the visionary, strategist, and leader of?your marketing initiatives.

The process is not so much as costly but rather expensive, as the role has a price of around 70,000?euros charged. But consider it an investment?rather than a cost. A seasoned operational CMO with the right skills will not only lead?your entire marketing ops, they will ensure that each action taken is the best decision suited toward your business objectives and maximizes your return on your investment.”

A Versatile Marketing Manager

This individual need?not be an expert. They?only need to cover all aspects of the marketing funnel—from content to performance marketing—and be driven by results. Their main purpose is?implementation: executing the CMO’s strategy. They should be able to take freelance helpers, agencies, and AI tools to meet your?purpose efficiently.

The CMO?is also quite a bit more expensive than this role. The secret sauce are people?who are self-starters, organized, and have a generalist’s mindset.”

Why This Approach Works

Focusing on just these two roles means you avoid hiring an?expensive and large in-house team. Instead, you leverage Freelance Platforms, AI, automation. ? It’s important to understand that the best in class talents are not on the market to be hired, they are freelancers as they earn a lot more.

This method greatly lowers your fixed?expenses. You save overhead by?not having a bloated payroll and allocate for needs as they come up. The result? A leaner and cost-effective marketing structure that achieves better?results.

The Financial Impact

Here’s the financial logic behind?this strategy:

Lower Fixed Costs: Lower salaries, benefits and overhead with just 2 full-time employees versus a?large team. This all by itself can reduce your marketing?expense by 50% or more.

More?Flexible: You can hire freelancers and agencies on a project basis, so you’ll only pay for what you actually need. This removes?the fact that there may be under harassed staff.

Better ROI: An?experienced CMO will ensure that every dollar spent is invested to meet your business goals. Freelancers?allow you to scale your efforts without inflating costs.

Faster: Fewer?people means quicker decisions and quicker campaign execution. You will spend less time in meetings and more time?driving results.

How to Change and Get Started

Bring in an Auditor:?Retain someone to audit where you currently are and what your new marketing structure might look like in terms of dollars and results.

Onboard An External Expert: Recruit a marketing consultant to help you get everything?into place over a period of 2 to 6 months. That includes training your team, deploying tools running automations to make sure it gets?done.

Enjoy the Results: Having set the right?systems, tools, and talent in place, watch your marketing operations become more effective and efficient than ever.

The Future Is Now

And?even tighter than ever is the marketing world. Businesses that hold onto outdated?models will see themselves surpassed by nimbler competitors. Adopting this new method will not only save you money, but also open new and?exciting growth opportunities.

The time to act is now. Reimagine your marketing organization, add the?right people, and enlist external help. Your future depends on it.

Nicolas Nervi

www.nicolasnervi.com

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