Let’s face it, marketing departments are essential to business performance and overall sales success. Most businesses wouldn’t be where they are today without the support and expertise of their marketing teams. However, gaps in the marketing department can creep up, going unnoticed for periods of time and be detrimental to the overall business. 

 

On average, marketing efforts attribute to 30-40% of overall revenue. As a large proponent of revenue relies on marketing strategies and campaigns, it is imperative that gaps are filled and areas of opportunity are consistently identified. 

 

The top 5 areas where marketing leaders see gaps in their marketing team are the following:

  • Customer journey, acquisition and conversion
  • Segmentation and personalized messaging at scale
  • Actioning on customer data insight
  • Demand generation and pipeline
  • Campaign execution and measurement

Identifying gaps in your marketing team

Marketing leaders are essential to the success of the rest of the marketing team and set the precedent for those under their leadership. They oversee the projects and execution but may not notice gaps directly. Identifying marketing team gaps leads to opportunities for improvement across all levels of the organization. 

 

Here are some reasons why you may be seeing gaps within your marketing department. 

Team members are “wearing multiple hats” 

While marketers should be well-versed in a variety of marketing functions, they should not necessarily be an expert in each area. Marketing is a vast and diverse field, meaning a digital advertising specialist will likely not be an expert in UX, email marketing, organic social, etc… If you are looking to grow your business in one area, but your team lacks the expertise to take it where it needs to be, there is an area for improvement which must be filled by an experienced person or persons. 

Team members have moved on

If a team member has been promoted or moved onto another opportunity, their position can’t be permanently filled by the remaining team members. Sure, these employees can rally together to temporarily fill the gap, but the previous team members’ responsibilities often become those of the remaining team for longer periods of time, resulting in that lost position being unfilled. While these individuals have taken on new responsibilities it is not uncommon for additional gaps to form under the weight of too much work.  

Lacking resources and capabilities 

The main reason for gaps and impaired performance within marketing teams is simply a lack of resources and capabilities. If marketing team members are not provided with adequate training and support systems, this leaves room for missed opportunities and knowledge. Additionally, if the marketing team is not working collaboratively, or on the same page as other departments, the goals, KPIs and measurements of success will be inconsistent.

Fixing these gaps to improve marketing functions

According to the CMO Council, 43% of CMOs believe that it is time-consuming and challenging to find proficient, knowledgeable and experienced marketing leaders. Most senior marketers are challenged by the time it takes to properly recruit and onboard proficient marketing team members. It can take anywhere from 3-6 months, sometimes longer, before an empty position is filled with a strong candidate. 

Fractional marketing can help 

There is no doubt that on-demand, competent marketing support can fill short or long-term gaps in marketing teams. Fractional marketing provides technical and strategic marketers to fill resource and knowledge gaps. If you’re experiencing gaps within your marketing department, contact us today to find out how Able & Howe can support your needs and drive marketing growth. Unlike consultants, our team of fractional CMOs, marketing directors, and execution specialists help to build and upskill your marketing team so that you can achieve solid marketing independence.

Written By:

Ilarya Ochab

Ilarya is intrigued by the science and theory behind marketing. She pairs an honours degree specializing in digital marketing with years of hands-on execution. Possessing a breadth of knowledge, her specialties are digital advertising, search engine optimization, and content writing.