Marketing as an industry is changing, and the traditional concepts of marketing teams and roles are changing with it. Marketers used to work in highly divided operations, but a new pattern is becoming increasingly popular.
Nowadays, full-time workers and independent professionals collaborate in a more flexible marketing operation as part of a growing trend toward “hybrid teams.” In 2019, 57 million Americans worked as freelancers. But due to the disruption of COVID-19, 62% of hiring managers believe their workforce will be more remote after the pandemic. This includes your marketing team.
As you prepare to build a modern marketing team, you’ll need to fill several key roles. This article will provide you with an overview of the marketing roles that every team should have to function effectively and achieve its goals.
1. Marketing team director
What they do: The team director will oversee the whole of your marketing campaign. A team director will manage, motivate, and collaborate with team members to meet goals and deadlines. The director will also be in charge of monitoring the team’s progress, providing coaching when needed, and resolving conflicts within the team.
What to look for: You need a team director with excellent entrepreneurial skills to be able to think and decide proactively. You should also look for someone who can lead with passion and intellect.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills: A team director must be an excellent communicator to manage the team. Directors will have to create reports for business owners and investors, so documentation skills are also needed.
- Organizational skills: Your team director will have to manage multiple ongoing projects across different teams. Strong organizational skills are needed to monitor each team’s progress and keep the team members on track.
- Strong work ethic: A team leader will command respect and earn the trust of the team when they display a strong work ethic themselves.
2. Project managers
What they do: A project manager functions as a guide to the team members. Together, they bring a concept to life and achieve the desired result of a project with minimal inefficiencies.
The project manager plans and identifies the resources needed to complete a task. The role also involves assigning roles and tasks to team members, creating and maintaining a schedule, reviewing the budget, and documenting reports.
Experience is crucial for a project manager position. Make sure you have the right person for the role. Engage with independent project managers with confidence using the world’s work marketplace, Upwork.
What to look for: A project manager’s role is sought after in any industry because a majority of high-performing companies utilize their invaluable skills.
- Organizational skills: A project manager should have the skill to evaluate and break down the project into tasks, develop clear plans to do each task, and assign scopes of work to each team member.
- Time management skills: You need a project manager who can meet deadlines without running the team ragged. A good project manager creates and maintains realistic task schedules and may re-assign roles as needed.
- Communication skills: Project managers need to be effective communicators to maintain open discussions within the team. They will also have to document and report the progress of the project to clients.
3. Data analyst
What they do: Data analysts are left-brain thinkers, which means they’re logical and analytical in their interpretation of information. This makes them essential to every marketing team.
The scope of work for a data analyst commonly involves collecting data, identifying patterns and trends in data sets, and interpreting the results. Business owners often rely on data collected and interpreted from trends before deciding on what products to make or where to market their products.
You can take advantage of a large pool of independent analysts with Upwork.
What to look for: Data analysts have become in demand in the marketing industry recently, mostly due to business owners embracing data-driven strategies to grow their market shares. For example, data drives the optimized and customer-centric business models of large companies like PayPal.
- Ability to analyze large data sets: Data analysts must have the technical skills to analyze and interpret data. These skills include familiarity with programming and database languages and software programs.
- Communication skills: A data analyst must identify useful insights from data sets and communicate their practical usage effectively.
- Ability to develop new data collection and processes: You need a data analyst who can examine data and provide observation on whether your business should be tracking them or what to track instead.
4. SEO strategist
What they do: A search engine optimization (SEO) strategist manages your marketing team’s effort to build a reputation and stay relevant online. If you’re a business, you need to be found online.
SEO is important for your marketing strategy because 93% of online experiences begin with a search, and search engines use complicated algorithms to predict which website the person wants to see. Therefore, it’s the SEO strategist’s job to make sure the search engines show your website to online users. A strategist will help you come up with a strategy to approach your goal of an organic result.
Find experienced SEO strategists on Upwork. Our platform gives you access to independent professionals with proven results.
What to look for: Most SEO strategists have a creative side and technical abilities. The technical side is needed to monitor web analytics, such as Google Analytics, perform keyword research, and execute strategies for web content development.
- Previous experience as an SEO strategist: The scope of work for an SEO strategist requires knowledge in building backlinks, expertise with content management systems (CMSs), and familiarity with the latest SEO practices, among other skills.
- Analytical skills: A strategist must know and have proven results of using digital tools, such as Ahrefs or Moz, to support and analyze your social media or search engine strategy.
- Strong communication skills: Strategists will work with writers and designers to develop content that can persuade and convince online readers or users to buy your product or service.
5. Marketing consultant
What they do: A marketing consultant will help your team produce a comprehensive marketing plan. This means identifying the target market for your product or service and designing a marketing approach to attract the attention of your potential customers.
A consultant’s role is to monitor data and analyze results with a focus on sales and profits. They tend to be independent professionals who are brought in to assess and understand how a company can achieve its goals of saving money and making profits.
Sign up with Upwork and engage with a worldwide collection of top independent talent who can address all of your marketing needs.
What to look for: Marketing experts need to have both technical and soft skills to work with the team and convey their observations effectively to clients.
- Knowledge of digital marketing: You need a digital marketer with expertise in Excel, PowerPoint, Salesforce, and Microsoft Office and marketing automation tools, such as Marketo, HubSpot, Eloqua, or Pardot.
- Proven results as a marketing expert: Marketing consultants need to show proven results of previous work where they were able to drive sales or monitor how customers reacted to a marketing strategy.
- Ability to analyze data: A marketing consultant must be able to forecast the results of a marketing strategy, analyze where it’s effective once implemented, and advise the team to adjust the plan to achieve the goals of the company.
6. Social media manager
What they do: Social media managers are the voice of your company on your social media accounts. They’re well versed in online terminology and have in-depth knowledge of promoting engagements.
In today’s online world, social media managers are considered long-term key members of a marketing team, and that’s mostly due to social media platforms being used as customer service channels. Statista reports that 59% of customers will favor brands that reply to their questions or complaints on social media.
Are you planning to create social media accounts for your business? Be sure to have a skilled communicator and empathic listener at the helm. Connect with independent social media managers on Upwork and start promoting your brand on social media.
What to look for: Social media managers need a combination of graphic design skills, writing abilities, and a lot of personalities.
- Copywriting: A social media manager should be articulate to have effective conversations with customers on any platform and be able to write entertaining stories about your brand to increase engagement on social media and reach more people.
- Experience designing graphics: You need a social media manager who can create posts with images, infographics, or visual aids because these types of posts receive more replies and shares.
- Ability to analyze data: You need a social media manager who understands how to use social media to increase your sales. Social media metrics, such as likes and shares, are measured against traffic, leads, and sales.
7. Writer
What they do: Writers commonly create content for different types of websites and media platforms. They produce copy for blog posts, ebooks, or white papers, to name a few. They even write scripts for videos or podcasts.
Writers are also well versed in social media terminology because they have to make sure that their content echoes the overall tone of your brand message. Content creators typically write in specific fields and many are independent workers.
If your marketing plan includes blog posts, social media, or another form of public relations, it will make sense to utilize independent talent. You can produce content consistently, which can help your website gain ranking on Google.
Use Upwork’s platform to engage with an independent talent for your writing needs. Upwork can connect you with top-rated professionals who are experts in their fields.
What to look for: Look for a content creator with strong writing abilities, social media knowledge, and technical skills.
- Strong writing skills: The purpose of your content is to increase your brand recognition and sell your products or services. So, your content needs to be well-written and informative to attract potential clients.
- Strong research skills: Every piece of content on your social media accounts and website has to align with your marketing strategy. You need a writer who can make sure that you’re presenting relevant and well-researched information to your readers.
- Web technical skills: A content writer has to be familiar with the basics of SEO principles, CMSs, and web-formatting tools.
8. Web designer
What they do: Web designers, or front-end developers, design, develop and revamp websites. They are mostly software engineers or programmers by profession. Aside from building a website from scratch, their tasks include designing its visual components
Your marketing strategy’s goal is to get potential customers and clients to visit your website and buy your product. So, you need a website that’s enticing, easy to navigate, and on-brand.
Invest in your website with an experienced web designer. Use Upwork’s platform to find the right independent front-end developer for your brand.
What to look for: A front-end developer is both analytical and creative. They build websites that are easy to use and navigate but comply with each client’s ideas and messages.
- Developer skills: Web designers must provide a portfolio to prove their expertise and proficiency in web programming languages, such as HTML, CSS, JQuery, and JavaScript.
- Visual design skills: A web designer must possess technical skills, including proficiency in graphic design software like Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and other visual design tools.
- Excellent communication skills: Your website is the home of your brand online, so it should represent your brand in its design, color, and copy. Your website developer must be open to ideas and able to communicate effectively with you to come up with a design in line with your brand.
Transform your marketing team with independent talent
With the above roles in place on your marketing team, you’re on track to develop and implement a profitable marketing strategy. SEO strategists, content writers, and social media managers are roles that didn’t exist before but are now crucial to every digital marketing team.
