5 Types of Marketers Your Company Needs

Have you ever prepared a meal with a group of people? Each person tends to gravitate towards what they do best. Some folks have impressive knife skills and some love to precisely measure out ingredients. Others shy away from the cooking altogether, preferring to lay out place settings instead. No matter the role, the goal is shared — an enjoyable meal.

It is not so different from being on a marketing team — you lean on your best skills to cook up a successful outcome.

As a marketer, you know there are many skills required to reach that outcome. Product announcements, advertising campaigns, social media, email blasts, blog posts — each one requires a unique approach. At larger organizations, this work is done by a team of people, each with their own specialized skills. But not every marketing team is like that.

Smaller organizations often have a marketing “team” of one or two — all-purpose marketing managers doing the work of many. No matter the structure, every marketing team needs to understand customers, the market, and have a vision for how they want to communicate. And they need to be flexible with the ability to tweak how they deliver a message based on the audience and time.

I have been fortunate to see marketing at its best over the last 20 years. I started out in marketing early in my career, and over the years I have worked with many talented teammates — all who practice their craft a bit differently. Today at Aha! I am fortunate to work with an incredibly high-performing marketing team.

Based on my experience, these are the five types of marketers that all companies need:

The Advocate A true tech enthusiast, this marketer truly believes in the company’s product and loves sharing its benefits with customers. In order to do that, they need to work closely with product management — learning what new features and enhancements are coming so they can plan and deliver the go-to-market strategy. (They are often the first to use that new functionality — a big perk of the job.) And while you will often find this person on a product marketing team, they spend a lot of time working cross-functionally, highlighting the product’s value to teams like sales and support.

The Statistician Recurring revenue, monthly trials, sales goals… this pro can practically recite these numbers in their sleep. This is because they spend their days mining data and pulling insights to help educate the team. For instance, when teammates are struggling on how to increase trials or engagement, this numbers-savvy pro can pull up an insightful report and guidance. When they are not weighing in on marketing campaigns, you will find them heads down in data — looking for new ways to optimize the budget.

The Wordsmith Words, words, words. This scribe knows how to string the perfect ones together to send the right message with the right tone. Just ask the rest of the team — this is the go-to person when it comes to crafting new blogs, editing ad copy, or writing new marketing collateral. The best ones are more than just content pushers. They are strategists. It is their job to put together an editorial calendar that aligns with the company’s objectives, making sure each piece of content serves a clear purpose.

The Connector Ping! That is the sound of another new notification. These community builders and social media managers have the ability to connect with people online and keep them engaged. They are skilled at writing short, quippy copy and responding to folks (especially those with support questions) in real time. But the connecting does not stop there. They are constantly pulling new analytics reports to understand what messages are working so they can better inform the next social calendar and engage with followers.

The Protector This person voraciously guards the brand. You might even find them peering over the work of others — ensuring that every marketing activity and piece of communication stays true to the company’s core values and identity. This work is important but they do not just understand the company — they know the audience. They spend a lot of time analyzing the market and keeping a close eye on competitors in order to deliver messaging and materials that resonate.

You may approach your work differently from your teammates but you should all be united in your shared goals.

So, is there really such a thing as too many cooks in the kitchen? This old cliche rarely rings true for marketers. To realize big goals and create breakthrough moments for your company, you need a team. It is the only recipe for success.

Which types of marketers does your company have?

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