Elements of a Successful Marketing Team: A #BufferChat Recap
This week on #bufferchat our community chatted all about what it takes to make a superstar marketing team, everything from skills needed to favorite tools. Read on to discover all of the awesome insights shared during the chat!
Catch our weekly Twitter chat, #bufferchat, at TWO times every Wednesday for valuable industry insights and to meet hundreds of other smart marketers and social media enthusiasts. Same topic, same place, just at different times – feel free to join whichever chat time works best for you!
4 pm AEDT (Sydney time)
9 am PT (San Francisco time)
This week’s stats:
Bufferchat #1 (4 pm AEDT): 15 participants; reach of 972,086
Bufferchat #2 (9 am PT): 65 participants; reach of 1,158,057
Q1: How many team members would your ideal marketing team have and why?
From the community:
A1: my ideal #marketing team would be a director, content mgr #socialmedia mgr, community mgr, analytics mgr 1-2 coordinators #bufferchat pic.twitter.com/4AEEr0LZSm
— Joe Gill (@joegill88) March 14, 2018
A1: Depends on the stage of your company. If your company is an early stage startup then a generalist marketer is enough. As a startup begin to scale it needs a growing team of specialists to deal with each platform it participates in. So 1 to 10+? #bufferchat
— JC Antas (@antasjc) March 14, 2018
A1 Two (2)! The pro and the con…, the “pro”fessional marketer and the “con”verted PR person #bufferchat pic.twitter.com/zuLSKVnb06
— ShereeseM, MS/MBA (@ShereesePubHlth) March 14, 2018
A1 It’s crucial for companies to adjust this number and be flexible. I’d love to have staff that handled specific tasks -like research, social media, media plans & content ideas. And I think it’s important to have some crossover with those jobs as well. #bufferchat
— juliestuckey (@JulieStuckey) March 14, 2018
See all the great answers to question 1 here!
Q2: What different roles do you need to make a superstar marketing team?
From the community:
A2 A superstar marketing team must have a strong leader, superior writer & editor, amazing graphic designer, media relations mogul, a social sensei and two kick-ass interns. #BufferChat
— Shannon Mouton Gray (@ShannonRenee) March 14, 2018
A2: The follow basic roles + maybe an assistant to help with the work load #bufferchat
manager/VP
graphic designer
event/community marketer
communications/copywriter/content/PR
digital marketing/social media/ SEO
marketing analytics
— Loewe Chan (@sincerelyloewe) March 14, 2018
A2: You need creative, motivated people. Marketing is always changing and new ways to brand come up all the time. Have people who are aware and want to make an impact. You want people who are good with words, design, efficiency and communicating. #Bufferchat
— Terry Schilling (@tschill86) March 14, 2018
A2) You need leaders, doers, and great team chemistry. Everyone needs to buy into the same mission and have compatible personalities #BufferChat
— Eric Shainock (@ericshainock) March 14, 2018
See all the great answers to question 2 here!
Q3: What are the top skills that a marketer can bring to their team?
From the community:
A3: innovative strategy, content development capabilities, and the ability to convert insights into action.
Oh! And diversity! Eliminates a PR blow out. #BufferChat
— Brittany Applegate (@BrittApplegate) March 14, 2018
A3: First and foremost is communication!! Marketing thrives on good communication. You will also need to possess analytical thinking, creative thinking and need to have some negotiation skills as well #bufferchat
— Navya Manoj (@tapedspectacles) March 14, 2018
A3. Being a skilled writer, learning or adapting quickly, & basic tech skills are my top 3 hard skills. I think those skills help in almost any role these days. On the other side, I’d say EI and accountability on the soft skills side. #bufferchat
— D Johnson Lindsay (@djohnsonlindsay) March 14, 2018
A3. Soft skills! Active listener, empathetic…and energetic, positive, and diligent! And, willing to change course (when it’s strategic) with a good attitude.
Hard skills: metrics-driven, but still human, great grasp of content, curious. #bufferchat
— allison ryder (@allisonryder) March 14, 2018
See all the great answers to question 3 here!
Q4: Do you have any favorite tools that help you collaborate and be productive as a team?
From the community:
A4: There are so many tools—but ones that help you collaborate don’t always help you be productive. I prefer these: @SlackHQ, @trello, @air_story, & @inboxbygmail.
But the tools don’t replace face-to-face conversations & must be managed to not cut into productivity. #bufferchat
— Cassandra Schwartz ⭐ (@cssndrlnn) March 14, 2018
A4: With time, the number of tools I swear by has reduced. Google Analytics, Spreadsheets, email and @SlackHQ (+@zapier) are some I can actually swear by and use without double thinking. Rest depends on budget/comfort/use case of specific company/stage/goal #BufferChat
— Tejaswi Raghurama (@Tejazz89) March 14, 2018
A4. Favorite tools? I use so many! Right now we’re grooving on @asana, @evernote, @Confluence, and @SlackHQ, and of course my favorite tool, @buffer. I’m sure we could use one to do all but it works for us right now. #bufferchat
— Donnie II (@DonnieHaflich) March 14, 2018
A4: TeamworkChat, is a great tool that allows the entire office to be in sync, even if they are out of the country. It almost feels like I’m on Twitter at work… while I’m at work on Twitter @Pacifi54 #Bufferchat pic.twitter.com/nDGSssSvPT
— Pacific54 (@Pacific54) March 14, 2018
See all the great answers to question 4 here!
Q5: How does a great marketing team brainstorm and help each other succeed?
From the community:
A5: This is where hiring is so important. First, make sure you bring on team members who recognize & respect one another’s strengths, and are willing to acknowledge that everyone has a unique talent to offer. Give them FREEDOM to create in ways that work for them. #bufferchat
— Erin Sanchez (@candidlyerin) March 14, 2018
A5) Instill Group Trust, Inspire Creativity not Hierarchy,Encourage responses (no right or wrong idea) Respect ideas and contributions put forward and finally add a bit of laughter it always works well?#bufferchat
— Michelle Francis (@mich_fds) March 14, 2018
A5: one of the most important thing is to have the ability to listen and understand the other perspective and also not get too emotionally attached to your own idea. Makes a brain storming session a lot more productive. #bufferchat
— Shadaab Kadri (@kadman6) March 14, 2018
A5. Brainstorming is interesting. I think it’s MOST important not to taint the creative process. Writing a word on the board w/o saying WHY digs up so much more than, “We need ideas around ____.” Then, be open to someone not liking your ideas. It’s not personal. #BufferChat https://t.co/pOBlmMlGw8
— Sheryl Brown (@BionicSocialite) March 14, 2018
A5: First remove ego. I’ve found success going old school by using post-it notes. And making constructive feedback (asking for and giving) part of the team culture #bufferchat
— Joannah Long (@joloclt) March 14, 2018
See all the great answers to question 5 here!
Q6: What is one piece of advice you would give someone just starting out in marketing?
From the community:
A6 : Keep learning, stay curious, nurture your passion and let it lead the way. Believe me, you never know where it will lead you! #bufferchat #marketing
— David Perry (@SocialDave) March 14, 2018
A6: Ask questions. Find someone to mentor you either in the company you work at or someone you admire in the community. Sit down with other members throughout the team (maybe even those outside of marketing) to learn what they do! #bufferchat
— Jessie (@JessieDeschane) March 14, 2018
A6: Jump in with both feet! Put your ego aside and try multiple different roles and responsibilities in the marketing world. Meet people, go to information interviews, shadow people, LEARN and keep at it! #bufferchat
— Alicia Sharrard (@aliciasharrard) March 14, 2018
A6: Don’t just look at the end goal. Things seem impossible if you do that. Start with small steps towards your goal, whether it’s a campaign goal or personal goal and work from there. ✨#bufferchat https://t.co/Ry2L26U2yY
— Sommer ? (@sommer_leach) March 14, 2018
See all the great answers to question 6 here!
Thank you so much to our awesome community for sharing such great insights in this chat!
Do you have any comments or answers to these questions? Leave your thoughts in the comments! We’d love to hear from you!
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