If you’ve followed along so far, you’ll know this is  part three in our series about 6 Steps to Building B2B Marketing Function. If this is your first time joining us, welcome, and be sure to check out our first post!

Today, we’re going to discuss the importance of marketing org design.

Designing a marketing org structure for start-up or small business may seem like overkill…but I can assure you, it’s not. For clarification, when I say marketing org structure the emphasis should be on the marketing functions you intend to focus on as a team and less to do about “who reports to who”.

Here’s an example of a B2B marketing org structure I’ve been using for years. I use it as a guide to paint the possible and educate executives on the responsibilities that B2B marketing functions can accomplish when given the right resources and direction. I’ve taken it with me to several companies and while functions on the chart may change/shrink/expand depending on the organization…the principal remains the same.

If you’re looking for other great examples of marketing org designs, check out this Slideshare presentation from HubSpot: The CMO’s Guide to Marketing Org Structure.

So, why is a marketing org design so important to your function’s success? One word…focus. I find it particularly helpful for two reasons:

1. It’s my sanity check. In a world where we could always be doing more, having a an org function that’s agreed upon at the highest level ensures that I’m focusing time, money and resources in the right areas.
2. It’s a good way to assess if you have the right team to execute the function. For example, if content marketing is a core function to your marketing org (which it should be) then you best have someone that can write!

Next time we’ll talk about the importance of defining roles and responsibilities for your team members. Until then, you can contact 3 dots marketing  at info@threedotsmarketing.com or call 317.331.3030.