How to structure a marketing team

A good starting point is to think about needs before roles. Instead of copying another company's structure, it's worth understanding what marketing needs to achieve its objectives, and then structuring the team around those needs. The necessary functions vary according to the strategy: a content-focused company has different needs than one focused on paid media. Starting from needs ensures a team tailored to the company's reality, not a generic structure that might have too many people in one area and too few in another. Needs define the structure.

Although it varies, marketing typically involves some major areas of competence: strategy and management (planning and coordinating), creation and content (producing assets and content), media and channels (managing outreach and channels), data and analysis (measuring and optimizing), and relationship management (CRM, automation). Not every company needs dedicated people for each area, and many functions can be combined or outsourced. But understanding these major areas helps in considering what competencies the team needs to have, whether with internal staff or partners. It's a map of the capabilities a comprehensive marketing effort usually requires.

The size and structure of the team should be proportionate to the company's stage and needs. A small or nascent company can have a lean team, with a few people accumulating functions, and complement with partners. A larger company, with more demands, can have a more robust and specialized team. The error is to build a structure that's too big for the need (generating cost without return) or too small (limiting what can be done). Scaling the team according to the moment, and letting it evolve as the company grows, is the intelligent way to structure marketing.

An important decision is what to do internally and what to seek from partners (agencies, freelancers, consultancies). Each model has advantages: the in-house team brings knowledge and dedication; partners bring specialization and flexibility without fixed costs. Many effective structures combine the two: an internal core handling strategy and essentials, with partners complementing in specialties or capacity. You don't need to have everything in-house. Thinking about the best combination of in-house team and partners for the company's needs usually leads to a more efficient and complete structure than trying to internalize everything.

Regardless of size, one element is essential: someone needs to handle marketing strategy and coordination. A team, no matter how competent in its functions, needs direction and someone to ensure everything works in alignment toward the objectives. Without strategic coordination, marketing becomes a set of disconnected efforts. Therefore, even in lean structures, it's important to have someone who thinks about the strategy and coordinates the actions. This leadership function is what gives coherence to the team's work and connects actions to business objectives.

An important point is that the marketing structure is not definitive: it should evolve as the company grows and its needs change. A suitable structure today might become too small or misaligned tomorrow. Therefore, it's worth periodically revisiting the team structure, adjusting it to the company's current stage: adding competencies, reallocating functions, changing the combination of internal and partners. Viewing the structure as something that evolves, rather than something fixed, keeps the team always aligned with needs. A good marketing structure is one that accompanies the growth and changes of the business over time.