Does Your Marketing Staff Match Your On-line Strategy?

Structure follows strategy. It is one of the basic tenants of organizational management. The question is, does your marketing structure match your on-line strategy?

There have been so many changes with interactive marketing in the last few years that the skill level and focus of your marketing staff may no longer be effective. Think about all that has happened since the middle of the decade - a company's basic on-line strategy has evolved from a single web site to search marketing to display ads to social media. The way you interact with your customers and prospects has evolved from simple emails to email marketing to social media and twitter. If your marketing team is still structured around "the web site" as your only on-line marketing element, then it is time to reevaluate your staff's skills and your team's structure.

Don't get me wrong, there is a healthy mix between on-line and off-line marketing. Each may have their place as an element your product's marketing mix. But as a leader you need to make sure your tactics and team are evolving with the times.

Companies between $50 to $500 million have quite the range of marketing sophistication and staffing - from a one person show to a specialized team of over 20. Though the tactics used to market products and services have evolved since my early days as a Marketing Analyst with a freshly minted MBA, we are still trying to accomplish the same goals - build brand awareness within target segments, convert a prospect into a lead or sale, and reinforce the buying decision so a customer comes back to buy again. You need the right team structure and talent to achieve these goals in the rapidly evolving reality of interactive marketing.

I suggest that you take a step back and look at your group. Ask yourself these questions to see how well your structure is matching your interactive strategy.

• Are you still staffed and structured to the off-line world of print brochures and catalogs, old media advertising, or direct mail?


• How deep of a role does interactive marketing play in your current marketing mix and in your future marketing plans?


• Do you have the talent, skill level, and structure to explore and implement the range of interactive marketing tactics such as Search (SEO & SEM), Display Advertising, E-mail Marketing, Social Media, or Mobile Marketing?


• What three steps can you take this week to begin aligning your team's skill level and structure to your interactive strategy?

Marketing is evolving at a rapid pace, make sure your team is keeping up or your company will be left behind.