3 Ways To Bring New Employees Onboard the Digital Marketing Team
Depending on the type of industry you are in, and the average age of your team members, teaching the fundamentals of digital marketing to your team may take up quite a bit of your time. However, if you get it right, everyone in your organization will focus on broadcasting your company's message through a signal capable of reaching every corner of the world.
The tools used for digital marketing are constantly changing and evolving. So as you lead your team of intrepid digital marketers to new frontiers, keep in mind that they can always learn the latest tools for getting the job done. Your job is to help them attain a mindset, an overview of the landscape that will help them to instinctively know which tools to use and how to best craft the message to reach the desired audience.
1. Lead a Digital Marketing Book Club
One of the best ways to learn digital marketing is to take a deep dive into well-written digital marketing books. Unfortunately, many people tend to procrastinate reading since many other pressing issues can seem to take priority. Adding some accountability with weekly reading assignments can usually fix the problem and help motivate your employees to stay up with the group.
Start your book club by assigning good-quality digital marketing books for the group to read. Lively discussions about putting digital marketing principles learned from books into practice can help your participants adopt industry best practices. In addition, getting into the minds of some of digital marketing's most successful practitioners can help your team fully understand how digital marketing works.
2. Assign a Free Online Digital Marketing Learning Platform
The Internet is full of free learning opportunities to help your team members master the intricacies of digital marketing. Entirely free platforms cover a variety of subjects like content marketing, email marketing, advertising on websites, search engine optimization (SEO), and much more.
Learning the concepts taught in numerous free online digital marketing courses could help your new employees grasp the basic concepts and start mastering the advanced skills necessary to run a successful digital marketing campaign. For example, they would learn how to research specific markets, down to one particular radio station, like 90.9 FM, and determine how to best mix traditional, digital, and hybrid digital-traditional advertising mediums.
3. Send Team Members to Digital Marketing Conferences
One of the best ways for your new employees to learn how to be digital marketers is to be around other digital marketers. The best place to find large groups of digital marketers ready to share their experiences with newcomers to the field is at digital marketing conferences.
Digital marketing has matured to the point that large organizations promote industry standards and practices. In addition, these organizations hold annual meetings to present the latest industry techniques and tools and share what is working for other digital marketing teams.
Not only will your team get to see the latest digital marketing leaders have to offer, but they will come back to work inspired and full of new ideas. They will likely begin to take your company's marketing to the next level.
Lead a Culture of Digital Exploration
When you make digital marketing an exciting priority for your new hires, your business will benefit from it. In addition, getting the newcomers excited about digital marketing will help ensure that they will latch on to the latest ideas as soon as they emerge. Finally, by prioritizing a culture of learning centered around digital marketing, you will eventually develop a team of experts who will become their respective generation's thought leaders.
You will be responsible for moving the ball forward, changing the game by raising the bar. Your digital marketing achievements will help motivate and inspire the next generation. Meanwhile, your organization will be the benefactor of organically grown marketing campaigns that become a part of the company's DNA and ring true with your audience of customers.
7 Key Steps for Building a Successful Remote Marketing Team
Before COVID-19, we were already seeing companies and employees embracing the work-from-home setup. The pandemic forced employees to adopt a remote work set up so that they could "flatten the curve."
Whether the pandemic will shape how the global workforce will operate remains to be seen. Nonetheless, this provided employers the opportunity to see whether a remote work setup can benefit them.
A study by FlexJobs and Global Workplace Analytics shows that remote work has significantly increased to 44% in the US alone. And they are likely to adopt a hybrid model in the future. On the other hand, 9 out of 10 employees are eager to work in a remote or hybrid setup in the future.
Employees who work remotely are at least 30% more productive as far as advantages go. Meanwhile, it enables companies to save on operational costs since they no longer need to lease large office space.
Nonetheless, managing a remote team has its challenges.
In this post, we will walk you through the seven management tips on how to build a successful remote marketing team:
1. Choose the right candidate
While remote work is gaining popularity, it's always not the best fit for everyone. Some employees report an increase in productivity after working from home. However, some find it challenging to adopt this kind of setup.
That's why you need to ensure that your team members will be perfectly capable of thriving when faced with this kind of situation.
In addition, you must choose the right employee candidate. This means that your employee should be knowledgeable about what you offer and the industry you are in. Your remote marketing team should have a good grasp of the market to share their unique insights later.
2. Communicate your company's core values
As we mentioned earlier, effective marketing requires every team member to grasp who you are as a brand entirely. This includes your company, the image you want to project, and your core values.
Ideally, everyone should have a good grasp of what the brand stands for. That way, they can feel more empowered and take on initiatives that align with your goals and objectives.
Also, they need to share the same vision. That way, everyone will work in the same direction while trying to achieve the same things.
3. Set clear guidelines and expectations
Setting clear expectations and guidelines on the current workflow is key to maximizing your team's productivity. Here are some tips:
- Create a process of documentation for tasks
- Set goals that teams or individual employees can reach
- Who should be the point of contact if specific issues or projects arise
- What means of communication needs to be used under certain circumstances
- Setting particular work hours or check-ins
Depending on the nature of their work, there are many things that you can do to ensure your employees reach these expectations. Just see to it that they're communicated clearly, and are implemented fairly.
You can do that by working with a remote project manager to help you manage your remote marketing team efficiently.
4. Implement a comprehensive onboarding process
When onboarding a remote team member, you need to ensure that these people share your company's vision and your brand value. That's because these are the critical foundations of having an effective marketing campaign.
By knowing your brand value and long-term objectives, your remote team members will feel more empowered to work autonomously. They would also gladly take on initiatives that contribute to the value of your organization.
5. Use the right collaboration and communication tools
There are now tools that enable us to communicate and collaborate with our remote marketing team. Nonetheless, you need to consider the following when choosing what collaboration and communication tools to choose:
- It lets you communicate with everyone efficiently.
- It allows you to have private communication without hassle.
- It enables team communication and collaboration.
- It allows you to follow up on a task, project, or campaign status.
When you consider these things, you can quickly find the right tools to invest in. As a result, you can manage your team and get things done effectively and efficiently.
6. Implement IT security policies
Since your marketing team often collects, processes, and continually access customer information, data security should be high on your priority list. That's because cyberattacks are prevalent and can lead to data breaches.
That said, your marketing team must follow the latest cybersecurity protocols.
For one, your team should be using a VPN service to securely connect to the company's network. Their devices should also be equipped with security measures like firewalls and antivirus.
Moreover, your team members should be able to log in to the network and other online tools using strong passwords. As extra security, it's advisable to enable two-factor authentication when accessing the internal system. You can do the same for other online applications.
On cloud-based software apps, make sure that you implement access control. That way, employees will only access the information they need to do their job. Similarly, make sure to automate security log monitoring. This is to identify any suspicious patterns and immediately address any malicious activities.
Finally, it would help if you also educated employees about cybersecurity. This is to avoid any phishing scams, equipment theft, and so on.
7. Constantly measure success and improve
Apart from creating a solid business foundation, hiring the right people, using the right tools, and setting up workflows, you should regularly track your remote marketing team's performance.
Ensure the appropriate support and resources for the job to accomplish goals effectively. You should also be identifying the correct KPIs to measure productivity and results accurately. Similarly, implement a balanced scorecard system and reporting software to keep track of everything.
Wrapping it Up
If you manage a remote marketing team, you must develop effective systems for efficient work. This is where communicating your core values, using the right tools, and establishing workflow become helpful.
So, make sure that you use the tips outlined in this post. That way, you can manage your remote marketing team the best you can.
Unusual Team-Building Activities for Your Marketing Team
Team-building activities have a bad reputation. They are perceived as pointless diversions from work duties that make people look ridiculous. Nevertheless, pushing people a little outside of their comfort zone is part of what makes the experience valuable. Team-building helps to build important aspects of a successful team, such as trust and camaraderie. It helps you get to know your teammates as human beings, which in turn helps you to function as a cohesive group rather than a bunch of disjointed individuals. It gives you a chance to practice problem-solving skills in a risk-free environment and take a break from the usual daily routine to have fun and blow off some steam.
Despite the potential benefits of team-building activities, there are some that are overused and should be retired. It may be easier to interest your team in activities that are fresh and new. Here are some unique ideas.
Olive Oil Tasting
An olive oil tasting is similar to a wine tasting. Both involve trying out important products from the Mediterranean. Olive oil tasting is different, and potentially better for a team-building exercise at work, because there is no chance of anyone getting drunk and no need to spit out the olive oil as you typically would at a wine tasting to stay alert. Otherwise, it is similar in some respects to a wine tasting in that there are specific steps you take to complete the exercise. Olive oil tasting can help team members bond and communicate more effectively by coming up with a shared vocabulary to describe what they are tasting. A virtual olive oil tasting involves sending the materials to team members at home and holding the gathering via video conferencing.
Cooking Class
Cooking is a collaborative activity in which each member of the team needs to perform his or her responsibilities correctly or the end result will not turn out right. It is also an exercise in following directions and delegating responsibilities. Once the class is complete, team members can have fun sharing their creations with one another. If you decide to take a cooking class as a team-building activity, be aware of any food allergies or sensitivities that team members may have.
Trivia Night
You can arrange your own game of trivia at your office or the home of one of your team members, or you can find a bar or restaurant in your community that hosts trivia games. If you sign up for a trivia night at a local spot, keep in mind that the number of team members is often limited, so if you have a large group, you may have to split up into several teams. Trivia encourages teamwork and friendly competition. It gives individual team members a chance to show off arcane knowledge. This can spark conversations about how a team member learned something particularly obscure, which can help team members get to know each other better and gain a deeper appreciation for co-workers.
Improv Class
Improvisational comedy involves a lot of skills that are useful in the workplace, such as effective communication and quick thinking. It is also an opportunity to defuse some tension by laughing together. Improv helps to put everyone on the same level. Everyone is a hero at times and everyone is a fool most of the time. Since everyone looks foolish at some point during the exercise, improv can help put all teammates on an equal footing with one another.
Volunteer
Working together for a cause that is greater than any one individual can be a way to help build perspective. It feels good to help people by volunteering, and when you take on a project as a group, the shared sense of accomplishment can help bring you closer together as a team.
These team-building activities may work particularly well outside of work. There are others that you can do on a normal weekday or during a company meeting. The activity should be appropriate to the setting.
5 Essential Skills For Digital Marketing Teams
Digital marketing has likely replaced traditional journalism for generating sales leads and conversions (customer visits to websites that result in purchases). The necessary skill sets for digital marketing teams seem endless though. How can your business prioritize the new hires they need while maintaining efficiency and keeping costs within budget? Consider what digital marketing experts are recommending.
Here are your top 5 team members:
1. Analytics Ace
Analytics is a key tool for measuring the success of your campaigns. Your company will need to know how many leads they are generating and also, the percentage of conversions. When scanning resumes, hold onto the candidates who have knowledge or certification for Google Analytics.
2. Savvy Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Expert
SEO is another essential skill with which digital marketers should be familiar. SEO keyword research is what drives traffic to business websites. And keyword success drives your content creation, so these two team members will be working together. Look for an SEO applicant who has proven success in past projects.
3. Social Media Superstar
According to a 2019 report by Statista, 91% of businesses are using social media for advertising. A social media expert can help you measure how well your campaigns are performing on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, but they should also know how to work with other business channels such as Reddit and Pinterest. University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School also emphasizes that social media applicants with customer service skills will help your company communicate directly with customers.
4. Talented Techie
A marketing tech expert should know website development and how to automate your company’s marketing campaigns and analytics tools. Once you automate your data gathering, it saves you time and money due to its efficiency. Look for techies who have certifications and experience in a variety of platforms such as HubSpot, WordPress, and two Google tools: Google Analytics (Here's even more evidence for this in-demand skill.) and Google Keyword Planner.
5. Content Connoisseur
According to Forbes, adults spend up to 12 hours per day perusing web content on their computers, phones or other devices. Folks are getting five times more information daily than they did 50 years ago. Due to this trend, businesses know investing in content creation is a wise decision. When choosing a content specialist, look for evidence of superior persuasive writing skills and ask: “Are they attracting and engaging customers”? You can also look at their history of creating conversions and ask to see a portfolio.
Consider Hiring Freelancers
Many businesses realize that it can be difficult to hire experts in each skill area for a digital marketing team. One alternative is to hire a digital marketing generalist who can manage and coordinate the freelancers you hire. This can be helpful if you need just some tweaking for WordPress or if you want to work with a graphic designer to add some visual aids to your site.
How Do You Vet and Choose Ideal Freelancers?
- Get proof of their past experience. Do an online search to find their past work experience. Their LinkedIn profile could be a good place to start.
- You could also get proof of income, which is important when negotiating salary. Unfortunately, there are some applicants who could try to inflate their job experience in order to push for higher pay.
- If they are affiliated with Upwork, you can look at their ratings and customer testimonials. If you see consistency in the comments, it could be valid feedback.
Regarding freelancers, keep in mind that they are self-employed and work independently to get the job done. However, they will dedicate their time to understanding exactly what your needs and preferences are. Plus, they often charge less than contracted marketing agencies.
Hopefully, you’ve discovered what your company’s needs are for new digital marketing employees. Now you can hire the candidates who have the skill sets needed to drive customers to your website, increase conversions, add sales leads and monitor and maintain the success of your marketing campaigns.
Four Ways To Learn More About Your Marketing Team
Having a successful marketing department is vital for any corporation. These are the individuals who get your company name and products out to the public and establish the business in a favorable light. When you know the staff members that you work with, you can recognize what their strengths are and are able to provide them with the tasks that let them shine. Here are a few ways to learn more about your marketing team.
Team Builder Exercises
To get to know the staff that works for you, consider finding activities that you can do together as a group. This allows you to observe what skills each member has and what their strengths and weaknesses are. If you have a tight budget or an issue finding time to get away from the facility, you can book your employees the opportunity to collaborate on an escape room free online. Schedule them for conferences that they can attend as a team then set up a time when they return to discuss what they have learned and to take notes. Invite a peer from your industry to come into your office and talk to them on a topic that you might be dealing with at the time. Setting up these exercises allows your workers to get to know each other as you recognize what their contributions to your department can be.
Review the Results
Compile the statistics you have achieved over the past few months. Do this for the entire group as well as each member individually. Determine which avenues are bringing the most sales to your company and which ones you struggle with. Also, look to see which platform each employee excels at and which one they need help with. Consider investing more dollars towards the media that you profit from. Look for methods to train your department so they succeed in the areas where they are weak. Research for books on the subject then assemble a communal bookshelf. This provides them with materials to read to assist them. Bring in an outside source to talk on the subject or put on a class to help them understand the material better. The more knowledge that you provide, the stronger your staff will be in the long run.
Set Achievable Goals for Your Staff
When your employees have a benchmark to strive towards, they will know what is expected of them and want to work hard to complete it. Make the goals that you set reasonable and achievable. Review the tasks that they have completed already and use it to devise what you want them to reach for. Make a list of additional marks so that you have one ready when they conclude the one they are on. When you determine the time frame you want the task finished by, be sure to plot out a deadline that they can realistically reach. If they feel they will struggle to get done before the set time has passed, they may let the project go or give half an effort. When they do succeed, think of a way to reward them. You can give them extra vacation, order lunch in, or find a unique way to show your appreciation.
Provide Them With the Knowledge That They Need
There are subjects that your staff might have trouble with and need additional help. If this is the problem, offer to set them up with classes that can strengthen their knowledge. Refer them to articles on the topic or a blog post that explains the concept further. Offer to tutor them and give them the assistance that they need to understand the matter at hand. This instruction will make them better at their jobs which benefits your organization as well. Knowing the potential of your marketing department is essential to your company. Researching their strengths and weaknesses, giving them opportunities to learn as well as enjoy time together, and setting reasonable goals can assist your staff as they provide the best work they can achieve.
How the Work Environment can Affect Your Marketing Team's Productivity
Productivity is a fleeting thing. But when it's there, one can achieve so many things.
That said, you want your marketing team to be as productive as possible all the time. Luckily, you have plenty of ways to make that happen.
One of which is to provide a conducive work environment. And to make your marketing team's work environment functional and productive, here are nine things you should consider:
Clutter
According to Maid Sailor Office Cleaning Companies NYC, clutter is something you shouldn't tolerate in your workspace. That's because there are many downsides to having a cluttered office.
A messy and disorganized workplace can affect the mental state of everybody working in the office. Aside from that, it gets in people’s way when they’re trying to work, thus, if your'e from New York, hiring a professional cleaner in Rochester is now essential.
Another way that clutter can negatively impact your marketing team's productivity is that it can cause accidents. Not only will it be expensive, but having a team member incapacitated in some way is not suitable for everyone's productivity.
Also, as a marketing team, one should be aware of how clutter can make your company look: unprofessional and low-quality. Thus, you want to keep the mess to a minimum.
Lighting
Lighting is not the most obvious when becoming an integral part of a productive work environment, but it can make a difference. You want to have a work environment that's bright and clear so that people don't have to strain their eyes to see what they're doing.
Dim lighting is only suitable for places where you want to relax and unwind. That's why bars and bedrooms have the option for dim lighting. For work, however, you want it to be bright and clear.
If you can, try and incorporate as much natural light into the office as well. Natural light can add a fresher and more inviting atmosphere to your workplace.
Ambient Noise
Excessive noise levels can harm the concentration or focus of the people in your marketing team. Since marketing usually involves interpersonal coordination, you might expect a lot of chit-chat and noise in the office. However, this can distract people from doing the work that they need to do.
Aside from investing in soundproofing and incorporating dedicated quiet spaces around the office, it would help to get ambient noise in the office. It might seem counterproductive, but it works pretty well in fighting against sharper, more disturbing noises.
Air Quality
Another unexpected factor in your work environment that can affect the quality of your work would be the air quality indoors.
You might be under the impression that outside air is more dangerous and polluted than indoor air, but sometimes this can be false. In the office, which usually has poor access to natural airflow, you want to make sure that you invest in air quality.
Filters in the air vents are a good start, but make sure you clean those regularly to work well. Also, much like with the natural light factor, if you can, try and incorporate natural air into the office too.
Although air conditioning is convenient, it's much healthier to get natural airflow throughout the office, at least every once in a while. Get the latest collection of industrial doors at our store.
Temperature
The optimum temperature in the office is a constant battle between people. Because what's okay for some can either be too humid or too cold for others.
That's why you want to keep things at a welcoming temperature instead of adjusting based on personal preference alone. Regardless, the safest bet might be to stick the temperature somewhere between 18°C to 21°C or 64°F to 70°F.
You can still get some complaints, but most people should feel comfortable operating in these temperatures.
Individual Workspace
Open workspaces have become all the rage in modern office designs. The modern open office design makes for an excellent way to collaborate and brainstorm with people. Thus, your marketing team members may value an open office design.
However, not every type of work involves group efforts. As such, it's good to invest in individual and closed-off workspaces.
You want people to have a space where they can do focused work without anyone interrupting them, especially if there's intensive work to do. That's why having an individual workspace can come in handy.
Ergonomics
Ergonomic office furniture is critical for having a work environment that doesn't tire people out or fatigue their bodies.
If you have poor-quality office equipment, they're likely not very ergonomic, so they're not comfortable to use. That means that working there for a long time will make it harder and harder for people as time progresses.
If you want people to stay productive and focused for an extended period, you should invest in ergonomic office furniture pieces. Luckily, you can find a plethora of ergonomic office pieces in the market today.
Colour Schemes
Color theory is not new, and many people have used it to impact people's moods and feelings depending on where they are and what they want them to do. That said, if you're looking to repaint your workplace, some colors work best depending on the work that needs doing.
Some workplaces use their excellent brand colors, but some workspaces might need color psychology deliberation.
For a marketing team, you want a workspace that encourages creativity and strategy. Thus, you can go with yellows and oranges for the creative spaces and blues and greens for strategic work.
Plants
Regardless of your office's interior design, the feel and vibe in the workplace will instantly elevate with more indoor plants around. You'll find that the office feels more human and welcoming with the presence of indoor plants here and there. Plus, there's also the added element that they can help cleanse the air a bit.
Of course, you have to remember that you won't be in the office 24/7, and most offices don't have direct sun access. When you choose plants for the office, make sure that you do your research. That way, you aren't getting dead plants in the office, which certainly does not bring up good feelings in anyone.
The work environment can do a lot in terms of how productive your marketing team is. However, once you start investing in the work environment is an indirect way of investing in your employees. Your marketing team will have a more motivating and inviting workplace if you learn to keep the above mentioned factors in mind.
Can I Help My Marketing Team Be Awesome?
Running a small business is a complex web of processes, from the way that you conduct interviews for prospective employees to what closing duties are in place at the end of the day. Although it takes time to build these processes and get a firm grasp on them, one thing that you need to make a top priority is the kind of marketing strategy you have in place. Advertising and marketing your company is everything, and its concept has changed dramatically in the last ten years. If you’re beginning the task of organizing a marketing team to help you drum up more business, what are some ways that you can help your team be the most successful?
Identify Your Purpose
You know why advertising is important, but have you ever stopped and considered what direction you’d like to go in during the process? Why are you reaching out to marketing specialists at all? There are plenty of reasons that businesses hire these professionals, and it’s not just to create a snappy new slogan.
- Are you a pro at negotiating with difficult customers or are you in need of negotiations training? No worries — that’s one thing that marketing consultants specialize in. Working with others and coming to a happy resolution is an incredibly valuable skill, so even if it’s one you lack you can hire someone to do it for you.
- Is your logo starting to look tired and outdated? Rebranding and reimagining your business with a fresh, updated logo is one service offered by marketing agents. Graphic design skills and knowledge of what is hot in the design world can give applicants a leg up if this is what you’re looking for.
- Do you manage six different professional social media accounts, a company website and run your business all at once? Social media managers are there to help you. These professionals have specialty software available to them that can help to identify trending keywords, hashtags and topics.
Once you’ve identified a clear purpose and figured out what your needs are, you can start going through the application process and seeking people out who can help you. Make sure that you’re looking at a professional portfolio, have spoken to references and have written a clear purpose in the job description.
Be Upfront About Your Goals — And Ask For Help Achieving Them
You’ve hand-picked the team that you want to work for you and you’re on your way to getting your name out there. Hooray! That’s a fantastic start, now it’s time to discuss your goals with everyone. Where do you want your company to be in a year? In five years? Tell your team what you hope to achieve. Be specific, for example: “I hope to double my customer base within the next five years.” They can not only help you to determine whether or not your goals are realistic by having a plethora of data available to them, but they can find ways to help you achieve those goals.
Remember, even if you have a very specific vision about what you want to do, always listen to what your marketing agents have to say. You did hire them for their expertise and knowledge on the subject, after all, so take advantage of it. Who knows, they might have a stellar idea that is something you never even knew was an option. It’s okay to admit that you are not a pro in every subject, which is why you have a team of them to help you out in the meantime.
Communicate Regularly And Have Meetings As A Group
In 2013, poor communication was the number one reason for divorce. While you are likely not married to any member of your marketing team, the dynamics are the same: This is an important partnership and you are all working to achieve a common goal, and let’s face it: It’s a pretty important goal! Rather than let your team go down in flames thanks to lack of communication, make it a point to bring everyone together. Hold meetings however often you feel is necessary, discussing the decisions that are being made and the milestones that have been reached. These don’t have to be in the boardroom over a Powerpoint presentation, why not have lunch or coffee meetings?
Additionally, don’t underestimate the power of emails. We’ve all been to that hour-long meeting that could have been summed up in a single email, so know when to take that route. Including all members of the team in an email ensures that all parties have been contacted, and they can also add any information as well. You don’t want your marketing team to end up in a state of confusion with everyone thinking something different, so be sure to stay on top of communication. As the leader, this is very much your responsibility!
Hold Everybody Accountable
It should go without saying that in a team, everyone is expected to do their part. All people depend on someone else to accomplish whatever task they’re working towards, and if even one person fails to do their job then the next person can’t do theirs. Remember, you are paying these people. Yes, you want to be a nice person and not seem like a nag, but the bottom line is they are working for you. If someone isn’t pulling their weight then you need to be sure you’re addressing your concerns with that person.
If you start to notice bad habits developing (infrequent communication, sloppy work, HR issues, etc), then you need to nip them the moment you see them forming. It takes 66 days (or two months) to develop a new habit; don’t let anyone pass that 66-day threshold and still be doing the wrong thing.
It can seem like a big job to lead a marketing team, and let’s not beat around the bush: It is. Having a clear path and sense of direction can help you all to stay organized, on task and ready to make something beautiful together.