Is Your Marketing Team Set Up to Win?

Why Roles, Resources & Expectations Matter More Than Hustle

Marketing performance doesn’t come down to hustle. It comes down to having the right structure.

We’ve all seen companies try to “do more” by working harder—spinning up campaigns, pushing content out the door, “SEOing” things, running some ads. But even with a great plan in place, things fall flat. Deadlines are missed. Campaigns underperform. Strategy feels unclear.

In many of those cases, the issue isn’t the plan. It’s the team structure around the plan.

If your marketing team isn’t set up to win—if roles are unclear, expectations are unrealistic, or resources are stretched—no amount of tactics or hustle will make up for it.

A strong digital marketing strategy must be matched with an equally strong execution team. So how do you know if your team is aligned, resourced, and empowered to succeed?

I have heard this story repeatedly. A business invests in strategy (sometimes for the first time). Everyone’s aligned on goals. But six weeks later… it’s not getting done.

When I dig in, the problem is almost never bad intentions or lack of motivation. It’s one of these: no clear owner for execution, one marketer asked to wear 10 hats, a resource gap between vision and bandwidth, or leadership unsure what “good” looks like in digital marketing.

Too often, companies assume that marketing is plug-and-play. Hire one “marketing person” and expect them to build the brand, drive leads, write content, manage vendors, and report on ROI. That approach sets everyone up for disappointment. The marketer burns out. Leadership questions results. The team becomes reactive instead of strategic. And the company loses momentum.

This is a big reason many digital marketing plans—especially new or ambitious ones—fail to launch. It’s not a strategy problem. It’s a structure and expectation problem.

Here’s how to assess and improve your marketing team’s setup to drive better execution—and results.

1. Define What Roles Are Actually Needed

Start by listing what your digital strategy requires. Not just in a general sense, but in real roles and functions: strategy and planning, content and messaging, paid media and SEO, analytics and reporting, project management and coordination. Sometimes this is one person (a generalist), sometimes a full team. The key is clarity. If one person is trying to cover all these areas, be realistic about what can actually get done.

2. Generalist vs. Specialist: Know the Difference

Generalists are great for early-stage teams or smaller budgets. But even the best generalist will hit limits. A generalist might be able to write blog posts and manage social media. But don’t expect them to also manage technical SEO or Google Ads at a high level, or vice versa. If your plan requires depth in key areas, consider where you need to bring in specialists—internally or externally.

3. Use the START Framework to Forecast Resource Needs

One of the most valuable outcomes of going through the START Planning Process (the core framework within Digital Marketing Success Plan®) is clarity—not just about what to do, but what it will take to get it done.

Each phase of START reveals a different set of needs, and if you want to successfully activate the plan you’ve built, you’ll need the right people, time, and expertise aligned.

• Strategy highlights the need for business and marketing leadership. You’ll need someone who understands goals, positioning, competitive landscape, and how digital supports the larger business strategy.
• Tactics brings in channel planning, budget allocation, and campaign planning. At this stage, you’ll likely need a marketing strategist or digital lead who can prioritize opportunities and shape an action plan across SEO, PPC, email, social, content, and more.
• Application focuses on defining the assets your plan depends on—web design and development, content writing, ad creative, landing pages, and technical SEO. This is where a significant chunk of time and resources will go, and where many teams realize they need external partners or specialists.
• Review requires data, analytics, and reporting structure. You’ll need someone who can set up performance tracking, interpret the results, and communicate what’s working (and what’s not). This goes beyond just marketing dashboards and needs a connection to business outcomes and impact.
• Transformation is where iteration happens. This often requires senior-level oversight, strategic thinking, and a culture of continuous improvement—so you can make smart adjustments without abandoning the plan too early.

Understanding what each phase demands allows you to forecast resourcing needs and avoid being caught off guard later. It turns the strategy from a document into a real, executable roadmap.

4. Audit Your Internal vs. External Resources

Not everything has to be in-house or fully out-sourced. But you do need a clear system for who does what. Ask: What are we good at internally? Where are we stretched too thin? What’s better handled by a partner or agency? Often, the best structure is a hybrid: internal team members drive strategy and coordination, while outside experts handle specific tactics like SEO, paid media, or design. The key is having the right mix, not trying to do everything in-house out of habit or cost assumptions.

5. Set Clear Expectations—and Educate Leadership

Marketing isn’t magic, and it isn’t instant. But it can be highly effective when expectations align with strategy, resources, and timelines. Help leadership understand how long it takes to see ROI, what good performance looks like at different funnel stages, and why consistent execution beats sporadic campaigns every time. This turns marketing from a cost center into a growth engine.

6. Watch for Warning Signs of Misalignment

If any of these sound familiar, your team may not be set up to win: projects start but never finish, goals change frequently or are unclear, one person is writing copy, managing ads, and doing analytics, reporting is inconsistent or overly focused on vanity metrics, or marketing feels “busy” but not strategic. These symptoms point to deeper structural or resourcing issues—ones that need to be addressed before more tactics are added to the mix.

7. Create the Conditions for Success

Once you’ve defined roles, assigned ownership, and aligned expectations, the next step is support. Ask yourself: does the team have the tools they need? Are they empowered to make decisions? Do they have time to plan, not just react? Sometimes success isn’t about more budget—it’s about clearer direction and fewer distractions.

A great digital marketing strategy is only as strong as the team that executes it. If you’re frustrated with results—or feel like your plan never gets off the ground—look beyond the tactics. Look at the structure. Look at the roles, expectations, and resources. Marketing isn’t about hustle. It’s about alignment. When you set your team up to win, everything changes.