5 Crucial Strategies for Leading a High-Performing Marketing Team

What does it take to lead a successful marketing management team?

Marketing is a constantly evolving field, and it requires a team of experts with the right skills and mindset to stay ahead of the competition. The key word above is “experts.” 

When managing a team it’s important to recognize that there may be others in the industry with more expertise in certain areas than you may have. For example, in my digital agency, there were members of my team who were far better artists and programmers than I but we all had to depend on each other to accomplish the goals of the client.   

Having expertise and teamwork is a good start, but how do you get a team that will really perform for your clients?

Here are the five key strategies that I believe are crucial for leading a successful marketing management team:

Hire the Right People: 

Building a high-performing team starts with finding the right people, and again, recognizing that you can’t possibly be an expert in every part of the industry.

Amanda Walgrove, Content Marketing Manager at AdRoll Group said,  “When building a marketing team, look for candidates who have experience in different areas of marketing, from content creation to data analysis. The key is to create a diverse team of experts who can complement each other’s skills and perspectives.”  

Hiring experts in different marketing areas will lead to a better overall team.  Additionally, look for people who possess a combination of technical and soft skills, including excellent communication, teamwork, and critical thinking.  

Set Clear Expectations

Establish clear goals, expectations, and deadlines to ensure everyone is working towards the same objectives. When we are all on the same page and have the same goal we can move together without conflict.

“To ensure that your team is working towards the same objectives, you need to establish clear goals and metrics. This will help your team prioritize tasks, focus on what’s important, and stay motivated.” – Mariya Breyter, Director of Marketing at DigitalOcean. 

In the agency I built,  I often posted the goals and/or emailed specific goals as they pertain to particular projects. 

Foster a Collaborative Environment

Samir Patel, Founder and CEO of GrowthForce Marketing says that teams should “encourage collaboration and knowledge-sharing among team members. This helps to foster a culture of learning, experimentation, and innovation.” 

Collaboration is increased with the freedom to learn from mistakes.  I have been heard telling my team that there is probably no mistake they can make that I haven’t made myself. The freedom to make mistakes is as important to free collaboration as the sharing of ideas and asking questions. This helps to promote a sense of ownership, accountability and fosters creativity.

Embrace Technology 

“In order to stay competitive in today’s marketing landscape, you need to embrace technology and leverage it to your advantage,” said Kelsey Raymond Co-founder and CEO at Influence & Co. 

Technology is constantly changing, and marketing teams need to keep pace. When my team saw a new app that could possibly make our job easier (think ChatGPT) or help clients or end users we spent a bit of time investigating and looking at ways this might benefit our clients.  

Encourage Professional Development

Attending workshops online or in person where the content or networking could be beneficial is always encouraged. This helps keep the team motivated, engaged, and enthusiastic about their career path. The expense of attending these events has proven worth it time and again. 

Emily Byford, Senior Director of Marketing at Vidyard agrees, “One of the most effective ways to build a high-performing marketing team is to invest in your team’s professional development.”

As someone who has successfully managed a digital marketing agency and now leads the marketing and communications efforts at a national manufacturing organization, I am confident that these strategies can help you build a high-performing marketing team.