THE B2B CEO’S ULTIMATE GUIDE
TO BUILDING AN EFFECTIVE
MARKETING TEAM

Like many B2B CEOs, you’ve grown your company to $3+ million primarily on sales-led initiatives, but eventually reach a revenue plateau that’s difficult to move past. You know you need to invest more seriously in marketing, but you’re not sure where to start.

While you may have engaged marketing agencies here and there for specific tasks, such as website development, content creation, SEO or an ad campaign, you know that these random acts of marketing are not enough. But what are your next steps? What type of marketing support do you really need?

Play Video about Why is a Fractional CMO & Expert B2B Marketing Team the Right Choice for Your Business

In today's complex marketing world, it can be challenging to determine
the right path for your current stage of growth:

  • Should you hire in-house? If so, what position should you hire first? Do you need one person or a whole team? How long will hiring and onboarding take? What level of experience do they need?
  • Should you engage with more marketing agencies to create specific campaigns? If so, which campaigns should you focus on? And who in-house will manage the agencies?
  • Should you bring on a marketing consultant for a single short term project, like creating your marketing strategy? But then who is going to implement it?
  • Or should you consider starting with a Fractional CMO and Marketing Team that specializes in B2B and can give you the leadership, strategy and tactics you need right away?

That’s where this ultimate guide comes in. Learn everything you need to know as a B2B CEO to choose the right next marketing steps to help you move past revenue plateaus and set the stage for long term, sustainable growth.

Building Your B2B Marketing Team

What positions make up a best practices B2B marketing team? What are the responsibilities of each position and which ones are needed first?

Gone are the days of a single marketing generalist who can do everything. In the modern marketing world, a well-structured B2B marketing team often includes a variety of roles, each contributing unique expertise to achieve your company’s marketing goals.

Below is a comprehensive list of the typical marketing positions in a B2B marketing department. Depending on the size of the company, one person may have to roll up their sleeves and handle more than one of these functions, or often some of these functions are managed in house, and others are outsourced. Understanding these different marketing roles will help you to better gauge which roles you need first, which roles can be combined, and what type of experience your in-house hires or outsourced marketing people need to bring to the table.

The B2B CEO’s Ultimate Guide to Building an Effective Marketing Team

In this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn today’s B2B marketing best practices, what an ideal marketing team looks like, and types of marketing models you have to choose from (and when to engage each one).

Hire an In-House B2B Marketing Team or Outsource? That is the Question.

What are the marketing model options available for B2B companies at your stage?

When you know it’s time to invest more seriously in your B2B marketing, you may think your only option is to hire in-house. But is that true? Today there are multiple options to build your B2B marketing team, including hiring a senior marketing leader and marketing team in-house, outsourcing to marketing agencies, or hiring a Fractional CMO and outsourced marketing team? Understanding the benefits and challenges of each option, and knowing when each should be used, will help you to evaluate which direction is right for you.

When is the Right Time to Build Your B2B Marketing Team?

How do you know it’s the right time to build your B2B marketing team and invest more seriously in marketing?

What are the signals that it’s time to move past sales-led initiatives and invest more seriously in your B2B marketing? What stage of business is ideal to build your B2B marketing team, and what marketing resources do you need for each stage? There are many different marketing models and skill sets to hire for your in-house or outsourced marketing team. Understanding the stage of business you’re in right now can give you valuable clues as to the resources you need.

Do I Really Need B2B Marketing or Is My Sales Team Enough?

Why is sales not enough to move past revenue plateaus and achieve long-term, sustainable growth?

When you’ve hit a revenue plateau, should you double down on your sales-led initiatives, or invest in marketing? How do you know when sales or marketing is needed and how do they work together? Better understanding the roles sales and marketing play in your customer journey, when each is needed, and how they ideally work together and complement each other is the key to moving past those revenue plateaus and reaching the next level of growth.

  • B2B Sales vs. B2B Marketing – Where’s the Line & Who Does What? (coming soon)
  • How Your Customer Journey Can Inform your Sales & Marketing Hires (coming soon)
  • Signs Your B2B Company Needs More Than Sales (coming soon)
  • Breaking Down Silos: How B2B Sales and Marketing Can Work Together to Transform Your Business (coming soon)