When you think of marketing organizations, what structures come to mind? Do you believe in the strictly traditional marketing structures? How should one organize their marketing team for optimal efficiency, communication, and customer focus?
In this article, we will share the top trends in organizing a marketing team, as defined by a recent HubSpot study, The CMO’s Guide to Marketing Organization Structures. In this, we will share the key features of efficient marketing teams, the structures that leading organizations use, and quotes from the organization leaders.
We hope these generous contributions shed some light on the subject for marketing leaders who are rethinking how to organize their departments to take advantage of changes to all stages at the buying process. Please take a look at these varied structures, compare them to your own, register for a marketing assessment, or check out our outsourced CMO services.
“As marketing continues to evolve, this organizational structure will adapt to whatever needs come about. Coupled with the adoption of new business processes like Agile Marketing, I believe functional depth expertise, coupled with cross-functional management of the work your team is focused on, will keep a steady stream of ideas flowing, more analytical decisions about which of those ideas to implement, and ultimately create predictability in the outcome of you and your team’s efforts.”
A well-designed organization chart provides clarity on roles, responsibilities, and reporting structures within a company’s marketing department. With clear outlines of who manages what activities and how teams intersect, an org chart enables smoother operations, accountability, and workflow.
However creating an optimized org chart for marketing is an art and science. The right structure must align with broader corporate strategies while also fitting the specific needs and culture of your department. As strategies and campaigns evolve org structures may need revising to stay relevant.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore tips for crafting an organization chart that empowers your marketing department to function at its best
Core Elements to Include in a Marketing Org Chart
While marketing org charts can take many forms, certain elements are key:
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Top leadership titles and hierarchy: Show the management structure at a glance – who sits at the top as CMO, VP, Director etc. and their direct reports.
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Department names and branding: Groupings of teams/functions should have descriptive names consistent with internal branding.
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Team/individual names and roles: List names with clear, consistent job titles that summarize key responsibilities.
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Lines indicating reporting relationships: Use solid lines to map who each role reports to managerially. Dotted lines can show Matrix relationships.
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Grouping aligned to workflows: Cluster roles into sensible groups that reflect collaborative workflows.
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Legend for color coding and symbols: Use visual cues consistently like color to indicate departments, dotted lines for matrixing, etc.
Key Questions to Guide the Mapping Process
Developing a marketing org chart isn’t just a rote mapping exercise. Thoughtfully answer these questions to create the optimal blueprint:
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What are the core objectives and focus areas of our marketing strategies?
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Which departments and team groupings best support these strategies?
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How many staff currently fill each type of role? Is capacity aligned to workload?
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Who oversees which specialty areas and team groupings? How spread out are managers?
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What workflows and cross-team collaboration are essential to get work done?
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Are there partnerships/Matrixing with other departments that should be shown?
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How should new hires, promotions, team expansions, etc. be structured?
5 Common Approaches to Organizing Marketing Departments
While each company’s needs are unique, these are some typical frameworks adopted:
1. Functional Organization
In this traditional structure, marketing roles are grouped by common functions into specialized departments like:
- Advertising
- Web and Digital Marketing
- Social Media
- PR and Communications
- Branding and Campaigns
2. Divisional Organization
Here similar roles are structured into divisions focused on specific products, brands, markets or geographies:
- Brand A Marketing
- Brand B Marketing
- Region 1 Marketing
3. Customer-Centric Organization
This aligns groups to the customer experience journey, such as:
- Acquisition Marketing
- Customer Retention
- Customer Loyalty
4. Lifecycle or Mix Organization
Combines Functional and Divisional approaches, with roles grouped into cross-functional teams that manage full marketing lifecycles for specific brands/products.
5. Flat “Holacracy” Organization
Minimal hierarchy with self-organizing teams. Can enable flexibility and quick reactions in some cases.
Organizing Hybrid Marketing Teams
Many marketing departments use a hybrid model combining aspects of Functional, Divisional, and Customer-Centric structures:
- Parent department groups by Function (PR, Advertising, etc.)
- Then divisions within each department align to Brands/Products/Regions
- Cross-functional Customer Journeys unit pulls from all groups
This allows both specialization and customer-centric agility. Sync workflows with an RACI chart mapping roles to tasks.
Allow Flexibility for Fluctuations
As campaigns and headcounts grow over time, org structures often need realigning. Build in room for expandability within your chart:
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Use Titles Like “Director 1” allowing addition of “Director 2” later
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Have Managers Oversee “Team A, B” then add “Team C” subsequently
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Show Open Headcount Slots as Dashed-Line Roles
Cascade Alignment Down the Hierarchy
Cascading alignment of goals and strategies via the org chart enables success:
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CEO provides guidance to CMO
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CMO directs VPs
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VPs lead Directors
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Directors rally Teams
With all levels working towards shared objectives, productivity flows.
Keep the Chart Visible Across the Department
Don’t let your org chart languish in obscurity. Keep it visibly posted:
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On the company intranet
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In team collaboration platforms
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Printed in office common areas
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Shared during onboarding
This enables staff at all levels to understand intersecting roles and how work flows between teams. Post updates as changes occur.
Conduct Quarterly Reviews and Revamps
Treat your org chart as a living document, not a static artifact. Set reminders to review it regularly and make needed tweaks:
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Every fiscal quarter
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After major team expansions/contractions
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When market or strategic focus shifts
Be ready to rearrange structures as the marketing landscape evolves.
Enabling Success with a Strategic Marketing Org Chart
An intelligently crafted organizational chart removes confusion around marketing team alignments and responsibilities. With a clear roadmap of reporting hierarchies, goal cascade, and cross-team workflows, your department will function more efficiently and collaboratively.
Use the strategies in this guide as a playbook for designing – and redesigning – a marketing org structure tailored to your company’s needs and priorities. Maintain awareness of when fluxes in strategy and staffing warrant realignments.
With the right framework depicted, your marketing department will be set up for success as they navigate the marketplace.
Structure of an Elastic Organization
(Note: Click for Larger View)
The Culture Organization: GitHub
Company: GitHub
Company Headquarters: San Francisco, California
Products or Services: Hosted Git repository and social network for programmers, allowing members to collaborate on and monitor project development.
VP of Marketing: Brian Doll (@briandoll)
“I like to think of marketing as the intentional transfer of culture. It is an essential element to just about everything. Building great product is marketing. The way we talk to our customers is marketing. With that definition, I do see everyone participating in marketing to various degrees.”
How Seven Figure Marketing Agencies Structure Their Businesses | Organizational Chart
What are organization charts for marketing departments?
Organization charts for marketing departments provide a visual outline of this structure by displaying the role of each employee, team and supervisor in relation to one another. If you work in a marketing role, it’s helpful for you to understand the different roles within this department and how you can include them in a chart.
What is a marketing department organization structure?
It’s often visualized as a hierarchy chart and includes what roles are available on your team, their responsibilities, and who they collaborate with or report to. With a solid marketing department organization structure, teams can be more effective and better hit their goals.
How should a marketing department be organized?
The organization of your employer’s marketing department can relate to the organization of the rest of your company. For example, if your marketing department frequently collaborates with other departments at the company for which you work, a product- or service-based structure might be a good fit.
What is a network organization chart?
A network organization chart shows the structure not only within an internal marketing department but for individuals or businesses outside of the department who work with full-time marketing staff. A network structure often benefits marketing departments that work frequently with contractors, freelancers or third-party organizations.
