Best Practices to Build Content Marketing Team Structure

Learn how to build a successful content marketing team by aligning functions, finding efficiencies, and investing in distribution. Discover the four models of content marketing teams and the roles needed for each process stage. Create a cost-effective solution for digital marketing programs with an internal person accountable for all agency tasks, one main responsible person on the agency side, and a relationship manager checking in with stakeholders. Finally, understand that marketing is about values and communicating core beliefs through advertising campaigns like Apple’s “Think Different.”
How to Staff, Structure & Budget a Content Marketing Team
- The speaker is going to talk about building a great content marketing team.
- The team started with three people and now has 24 plus contractors.
- They aligned disparate functions and groups to bring an offline strategy under one roof.
- They focus on finding efficiencies, doing things better together, and getting the most out of their investments in every content they create.
- About a year and a half ago, they merged their creative services team with their digital engagement team to create a formal content marketing department.
- Their team includes design and editorial, social media and email content distribution, brand project management, and print production, which are operations and governance, as well as the core leadership team.
- They work enterprise-wide with other groups such as marketing account services or service line marketing for those in healthcare who interact daily with clinical areas to understand business needs; corporate communications colleagues; media relations teams; Cleveland Clinic news service that creates broadcast media content every day that they repurpose; advertising teams for native needs; HR for branding work & amp; amp; amp; amp; amp; amp; amp; internal communications.
- Editorial is the heart & amp; amp; amp; amp; amp;auml;³l of what they do create both consumer-facing ä& request;& excl;b2b physician-oriented blog posts online/offline publications collateral invitations etc., covering all specialties, including US News ranked ones.
- Designers partner closely with writers from day one, working side by side from concept through execution across all formats (infographics, slideshows, etc.) within brand guidelines but different each time, agile enough to support everything we do support both consumer/physician blogs, helping develop image guidelines being thoughtful about image selection making sure it looks good on phone appropriate sizes/crops available etc.
- Distribution is just as important, if not more so, than creation. Invest in distribution, whether that means people or pay tactics or all of the above it’s essential to exploit the hub-and-spoke model and leverage every piece of content in every way possible.
What Is the Team Structure for Content Marketing?
- Andy Crests Adina from Orbit Media Studios is hosting a SEMRush webinar with Robert Rose as the guest speaker.
- The webinar focuses on content strategy and marketing for teams, regardless of company size.
- Robert Rose has decades of experience in digital strategy and is an expert in content strategy.
- The key questions that arise in the content are how to scale it and how to measure it.
- A common complaint among teams is being siloed, struggling to scale, and needing help to measure or get SEO right.
- We must look at our team structure for balance, efficiency, and streamlining operations to improve messaging and connection with audiences.
- We need the right operating model balance, which involves focusing on two axes: whether the content is a siloed service or an integrated business service, whether internally focused or externally focused (building audiences).
- There are four models: player model (content contributor), processor model (optimizing content), performer model (building audiences), and platform model (content as a good part of the business).
- Content needs more forethought, thinking, and planning so that communication reflects audience-centricity rather than organizational design.
- The ultimate goal should be creating value through content by building trust with customers/audiences while generating revenue/profit for the organization.
How Do You Build a Great Marketing Team?
- Building a marketing team requires time and effort.
- If you have money, hiring someone who has already done it for your competition is the best approach.
- Dig deep during interviews to find out what they did specifically and ask for reference checks from previous employers.
- If you don’t have money, find interns at local colleges and pay them minimum wage or offer unpaid internships.
- Hire people who can learn fast, are self-sufficient, culturally fit with your company, and want to stick around.
- Send interns to Neil Patel’s, Moz’s, and Backlinko’s to learn about marketing tactics and tips.
- Have them read case studies related to your competition or similar industries on growthhackers.com
- Once making more money, please send them to conferences/training programs like SMX for further learning opportunities
- Start with one person, whether you have a lot of money or no money, then expand from there as revenue grows
- Seek advice in the comments section if you are unsure how to hire a marketer
How Do You Structure a Content Marketing Team?
- The speakers discuss team structure and KPIs in content creation.
- Camille has a new content team consisting of herself, Sam (showrunner/producer), Kyle (lifecycle marketing manager), and Matthias (front-end developer).
- Aaron’s content team has grown from one person to eight over three years and functions as an internal agency for various tasks, including partner enablement, client onboarding, editorial, graphic design, and media production.
- Devin was previously a team of one but now has four people on his content team who align with adjacent marketing teams to achieve common goals.
- Devin is also looking to hire a managing editor to help with editing and content creation across multiple teams.
- KPIs are used to encourage collaboration between different teams within the company.
- Sam specializes in video editing and event coordination, while Kyle excels at copywriting and conversion rate optimization.
- Aaron’s team focuses on getting attention and creating copy for software, partner enablement/activation, partner/client onboarding within Learn platform, etc.
- Devin hired someone specifically for webinars/digital events before hiring others focused on specific segments like commercial through enterprise market etc.
- Devon wants his future hires aligned with adjacent marketing teams so that they can work together towards common goals.
What Is the Role of a Content Team Member?
- Content marketing involves multiple roles, not just job titles.
- A content strategy is the first and core part of content marketing operations.
- Roles needed for a successful content strategy include product owner, data analyst, content strategist, and SEO specialist.
- Content creation is the most labor-intensive part of the process and requires a writer, subject matter expert, SEO specialist, and content editor.
- Content distribution involves promoting your content to reach the right audience through various channels, such as social media or email campaigns.
- Roles needed for effective distribution include a promotion specialist and an email marketing manager.
- The analysis is crucial in measuring success at each process stage, with everyone accountable for their results.
- The role of the content director is responsible for managing all aspects of the operation to ensure it runs smoothly.
- Depending on team size and focus, you may need additional roles, such as graphic designers or web developers.
- Successful content marketing requires well-tuned processes that involve particular skills across all stages, from strategy to analysis.
What Is the Ideal Content Marketing Team Structure?
- Pam hosts a show called “7-minute, Marketing,” where she talks about B2B digital content marketing and sales enablement.
- She did a session on how to build global content marketing teams at Marketing World two years ago.
- Karen attended the session and subsequently talked with Pam about structuring her team.
- Karen has a small team that supports several geographies but needs to have approved accounts to support local groups on the ground.
- Pam suggested giving each writer dual roles, such as writing content for specific regions or countries in addition to their regular job responsibilities.
- Karen noticed that each writer has different strengths and is considering shuffling their responsibilities based on those strengths.
- Pam warned that having local teams go to different writers for different needs could make their jobs more difficult but suggested involving them in the decision-making process anyway.
- The best time to evaluate organizational structure is during annual planning when objectives and strategies are set for the upcoming year.
- Pam offers resources on building global marketing teams on her website and courses if interested.
- Viewers can send questions or thoughts via Twitter at @PamDinner.
How Do You Structure an Internal Marketing Team?
- You need to have four key positions to structure the perfect internal team and marketing agency relationship in 2023.
- The first position is an internal person who will be accountable for all the agency’s actions.
- This person needs to have a deep understanding of the project management system, how to communicate between the agency and internal company, and collect feedback internally.
- Having at least one person who’s accountable overall is essential because having too many people can make it difficult for agencies to operate effectively.
- The second position is one main accountable person on the agency side who works with the one main responsible person on your side.
- This person should be highly strategic, understand project management, and ensure you get quality service out of the agency delivered on time.
- The third position is a relationship manager on the agency side who checks in with all key stakeholders on your side, ensuring everyone’s happy and projects are going in the right direction.
- Depending on how big your account is or how many services you require, there may also be a dedicated project manager on their end and subject matter experts for specialized fields like paid media or SEO work.
- When set up correctly, this creates an incredibly cost-effective high results-driven solution for digital marketing programs in 2023
How Do You Create a Marketing Team from Scratch?
- To create videos efficiently and professionally, a content team is necessary.
- A content team can be divided into three phases: a group of one, outsourcing, and a couple of many.
- A solopreneur must build project management solutions and automation to make the video production process more efficient.
- Project management and automation can simplify The video production process by dividing tasks among team members.
- As a solopreneur, knowing what you can handle realistically regarding time dedication for your video workflow is essential.
- Outsourcing is an option for those who want part-time help with their business mission but not necessarily full-time employees or culture fit.
- Outsourced team members can be found on sites like Fiverr or Upwork at affordable rates as long as they are plugged into precise tools and systems that work well for them.
- Growing businesses may bring on more full-time or employed team members to form a complete content strategy team, including filmmakers, editors, designers, writers, SEO strategists, etc., depending on their ideal structure requirements.
- Resources are available online to help pinpoint ideal structures based on individual needs during growth stages.
- Any questions about organizing content teams should be directed toward experts in the field who will provide guidance accordingly.
How to Build an SEO-Driven Content Marketing Team?
- Align each team member to their section and KPIs for better ownership and performance.
- Create horizontal and vertical growth paths for team members who want to be something other than managers.
- Be empathetic towards repetition in large-scale outreach and split time between content creation, research, and writing.
- Challenge the team with new skills and projects to keep them fulfilled and effective marketers.
- Siege Media has a 36-person SEO-driven content marketing team.
- Ownership of specific sections leads to higher-performing individuals on the team.
- The horizontal track enables someone to become a senior content marketing specialist rather than just a content marketing specialist or junior position straight out of college.
- Empathy is essential for repetitive tasks like outreach, as it can lead to burnout faster if not appropriately managed.
- A growth path is critical because you’re giving people an opportunity where they need to do outreach, even if they don’t love it at that specific time.
- Challenging your employees in different ways other than just their core responsibilities goes a long way in keeping them fulfilled.
A content marketing team is a group of professionals responsible for creating, managing, and promoting content to achieve marketing goals. Content marketing involves creating valuable, relevant, and engaging content to attract and retain an audience, ultimately driving profitable customer action.
The members of a content marketing team may vary depending on the size and structure of the organization but typically include the following roles:
- Content Strategist: The content strategist develops the overall content marketing strategy, sets goals, and identifies target audiences. They analyze market trends, research, and create a content creation and distribution roadmap.
- Content Writers/Copywriters: These individuals are responsible for writing and creating the actual content pieces. They may develop blog posts, articles, social media updates, website copy, whitepapers, eBooks, and other forms of written content.
- Editors/Proofreaders: Editors review and refine the content created by writers. They ensure it aligns with the brand’s voice, is error-free, and maintains high quality. They may also provide feedback and suggestions for improvement.
- Graphic Designers: Graphic designers create visual elements to enhance the content. They design images, infographics, illustrations, and other visual assets that support the messaging and engage the audience.
- SEO Specialists: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) specialists optimize content for search engines to improve its visibility and organic reach. They conduct keyword research, optimize meta tags, and apply SEO best practices to drive traffic and improve search rankings.
- Social Media Managers: Social media managers promote and distribute content across various social media platforms. They create social media strategies, schedule posts, engage with the audience, and analyze social media metrics.
- Video Producers/Editors: In teams focusing on video content, video producers and editors are responsible for creating and editing videos. They handle scriptwriting, filming, editing, and post-production to produce engaging and informative video content.
- Analytics Experts: Analytics experts track and analyze data related to content marketing efforts. They monitor key performance indicators (KPIs), measure the effectiveness of content, and provide insights to refine the content strategy and improve performance.
- Project Managers: Project managers oversee the content creation process, ensuring deadlines are met, resources are allocated effectively, and collaboration among team members is streamlined. They coordinate workflows, manage budgets, and maintain project schedules.
These are just some of the typical roles within a content marketing team. The specific composition and structure may vary depending on the organization’s size, industry, and objectives. Collaboration and coordination among team members are crucial for successful content marketing campaigns.