4 Ways to Modernize Your Marketing Team

 

Still, 39 percent of chief marketing officers say they don’t have the right people, resources, and tools to meet their marketing objectives, according to Accenture’s 2013 Turbulence for the CMO report. The Marketing Automation Institute’s 2012 Marketing Skills Gap survey also found that 75 percent of marketers think their lack of skills is impacting revenue.

 

To maximize your marketing dollars, you need to invest in a modern marketing team. These hybrid professionals are creative, analytical, tech-savvy, and more integrated than traditional marketing teams. They’re proficient writers and inbound marketers who can help your company develop fully integrated campaigns that drive real business results.

 

Here are four ways to build your marketing team:

 

 

Start by rating your existing marketing staff and agency partners for the core skills of a modern marketing team. Assess employee proficiency in analytics, content, email, mobile, search, social media, PR, and web, and determine the modern marketing skills your team lacks.

 

Make sure you also reiterate the importance of these vital skills to your staff. Maintain a performance-based culture, and compensate employees who achieve marketing metrics. This ensures that your team is constantly striving to improve and evolve.

 

 

An inbound marketing strategy is crucial for capturing online leads and sales, as well as for retaining customer loyalty. Look for agile talent with expertise in inbound strategies, and put internal processes in place to help your team succeed. This includes, but is not limited to, the proper technology infrastructure and interdepartmental communication channels.

 

Take Widen, a marketing technology company that provides SaaS digital asset management solutions, for example. It previously focused on the outbound marketing practices of buying lists, making cold calls, and scheduling in-person appointments throughout the region. The company completely revamped its marketing and sales team and put internal systems in place to support inbound marketing. As a result, Widen went from under 10 new customers per year in 2005 to more than 60 new customers annually by 2013.

 

 

To attract top talent that fills the gaps in your team, emphasize culture and purpose as the key factors that differentiate your company. The best candidates typically already have jobs, but you can use inbound marketing strategies to expand your network and connect with potential fits.

 

To assess potential candidates, use analytics-based human resources to leverage demographic data, web analytics, and online behavior reports. You can also consider partnering with an agency to fill marketing talent gaps within your organization.

 

 

The Online Marketing Institute’s State of Digital Marketing Talent report found that only 28 percent of large enterprises plan to introduce formal training programs to improve digital marketing skills. This leaves an opportunity for businesses of all sizes to gain a competitive advantage by educating their talent and helping them adapt to changing consumer habits.

 

Integrate professional development opportunities into employee performance reviews, tying them to career advancement and compensation to motivate employees. Consider mentoring programs that can help guide professionals along designated learning paths.

 

A modern marketing team can help you boost revenue, enhance the customer experience, improve sales alignment, and increase your company’s ability to track marketing ROI.

 

How are you working to cultivate a modern marketing team?