What's the most effective way to scale a Demand Generation team beyond the first Demand Generation manager?

My number one tip when building or scaling a Demand Gen function and team is to ensure that there is a clear path to measureable outcomes and impact across the DG team. While understanding impact and building a sense of accountability is important for all marketing functions, it's critical for Demand Gen. Regardless of how your company is structured, every Demand Generation member should have a set of tangible metrics and business outcomes that they are working towards. This is generally a pipeline target, but may vary. For example, if your company sets different pipeline targets across industries or product lines, you want to ensure that you have 100% coverage over those targets through the structure of your team, which requires mapping all team members to targets. While the metrics and goals will differ depending on scope of the role, all should be connecting back up to key goals and objectives for the broader business.

From my perspective, the most effective way to scale a demand generation team is by being able to define the following:

• What roles will help you move faster and what would be the associated impact?
• How will you gauge success for this role including associated metrics?
• What is your vision for the first 90 days of this role?

Essentially, you have to be able to tell the story of the value each role will add, the impact the role will make on the business including KPIs, and how the different roles will function as a unit. You’ll see this is largely about being able to articulate the desired outcome and impact as the team continues to scale. The larger the team becomes the more likely you will have specialized roles as well so you’ll want to futureproof the team with this in mind.

The most effective way to scale a demand generation team after hire #1#1 is by partnering with freelancers and/or agencies. 

When you first join a company, understand its best and worst-performing channels. Then, compare that performance to your competitors. If your competitors are all benefiting from channels you are underperforming in, those are the areas to experiment in. 

First, I will run a pilot test in each one of those channels myself. Then, whichever channels show promise, I will look for external support to help scale them further. 

For example, if I am experimenting with paid search, I will create the first branded and non-branded campaigns just to see if there's any ROI. If the answer is yes, I will then transition into a strategic role and find an agency to help with the execution of it.

In my personal experience, it was best to expand the team by bringing in a marketing generalist with an interest in Demand Generation. Someone who had a solid base of entry-level marketing skills in multiple departments and that was eager to learn the role of Demand Generation, allowed me to have a starting point to expand and grow upon. 

A generalist has experience in all of the marketing basics and can be a "pinch hitter" for all aspects of your program. ie. If you need a content writer or editor, someone to assist with social media, events or basic SFDC/Marketing Automation platform skills, you have an asset that can fill the gaps. 

As time grows, you can teach DG basics and the "why" and how to run successful programs, then eventually the newest team member can branch out to develop and run smaller strategic programs for the business and also grow in their career. 

Scaling beyond your first DG Manager is both an exciting time but also one that can bring about a lot of uncertainty - there are so many directions you could go! With that said, it's likely that you are still in high-growth mode and I would strongly recommend considering bringing on a paid media specialist. Someone who knows systems like LinkedIn, Facebook, Google Ads, and if you're lucky you can find someone who has that experience plus some web experience such as CRO and even SEO.

Your best bet is to continue focusing on growth which can fuel both the revenue and credibility to continue scaling your function!

The most effective way is to scale in a way that best fits the organization’s needs and abilities.

• Build vs fix: You might want to scale the function that is either doing well or is a critical need. For example, if social campaigns are effective and you know what needs to be done and how – then hire someone so you can scale it and hand it over. That will free your bandwidth to build and scale other tactics and programs. It can also be the reverse, e.g. if the SEO is not effective and you need to build content that works, you can either outsource or hire.

• Inhouse vs outsource: The next step in scaling becomes a build vs outsource decision. Whether you want to build content, SEO, design, etc., internally or externally will determine how you scale our team.

• Cross functional hiring: Once you decide to grow in house, then ensure to hire a good cross functional team covering all areas and then scale each function based on scale.

It depends on your company and your market. As a baseline guide, I map Demand Generation resources to sales teams. If there are 2 products being sold by 2 different sales organizations, you need support for both products and both sales teams. That might be 2 Demand Generation Managers - one for Product A and one for Product B.

In a situation where there is only a singular product or sales team, I look more at the approaches. Are we doing ABM for our Enterprise accounts, but still running Integrated Campaigns to the market as a whole? That might require 2 Demand Generation Managers still, but one focused entirely on ABM. Do we have a Land and Expand motion? That might require a Demand Generation Manager focused entirely on upsell/cross-sell to our customer base.

Scaling a Demand Generation team beyond the first manager involves a multifaceted approach that encompasses organizational structure, talent development, technology adoption, and strategic alignment. Here's a more in-depth guide:

1. Strategic Alignment:

   • Ensure that the demand generation strategy is aligned with overall business goals. Regularly revisit and refine the strategy based on market changes, competitor activities, and business priorities.

2. Leadership and Structure:

   • Establish a leadership hierarchy that can guide the growing team effectively. Consider introducing specialized leadership roles, such as a Content Director, Campaign Strategy Lead, or Analytics Manager, to oversee specific aspects of demand generation.

3. Talent Acquisition and Development:

   • Develop a comprehensive hiring strategy that considers not only the skills required for the current phase but also anticipates future needs. Encourage a culture of continuous learning and provide professional development opportunities to nurture the skills of existing team members.

4. Team Specialization:

   • As the team expands, introduce specialized roles to deepen expertise in key areas. This might include roles focused on content creation, SEO optimization, paid advertising, social media, analytics, and marketing automation. Specialization enhances efficiency and allows team members to become experts in their respective domains.

5. Technology Stack:

   • Invest in a robust marketing technology stack that aligns with the team's goals. Marketing automation platforms, customer relationship management (CRM) systems, analytics tools, and AI-driven solutions can streamline processes and provide valuable insights.

6. Data-Driven Insights:

   • Foster a culture of data-driven decision-making. Implement advanced analytics to gain insights into campaign performance, customer behavior, and market trends. Use these insights to optimize campaigns, allocate resources efficiently, and make informed strategic decisions.

7. Agile Processes:

   • Develop agile processes that can adapt to the dynamic nature of the marketing landscape. Implement iterative campaign planning, execution, and optimization cycles to respond quickly to market changes and capitalize on emerging opportunities.

8. Cross-Functional Collaboration:

   • Strengthen collaboration between marketing, sales, and other relevant departments. Foster a seamless flow of information between teams to ensure a unified approach to customer engagement and lead conversion.

9. Performance Metrics and KPIs:

   • Establish and regularly review performance metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) for the team. Metrics should align with broader business objectives and provide actionable insights into the effectiveness of demand generation efforts.

10. Customer-Centric Approach:

    • Continuously refine and personalize campaigns based on customer feedback and behavior. Use customer insights to tailor messaging and strategies, enhancing the overall customer experience and increasing the likelihood of conversion.

11. Scalable Content Production:

    • Develop a scalable content production strategy that aligns with demand generation goals. Leverage a mix of formats (blog posts, videos, webinars, etc.) and distribution channels to reach a diverse audience.

12. Risk Management and Contingency Planning:

    • Anticipate potential challenges and have contingency plans in place. This includes scenarios such as changes in market conditions, shifts in consumer behavior, or unexpected disruptions.

By addressing these aspects in a comprehensive manner, you can build a Demand Generation team that not only scales effectively but also contributes strategically to the growth and success of the overall business.