A One-Person Marketing Team Can’t Do It All (But Here’s What You Can Do Instead)

Imagine a five-star restaurant run entirely by one person. She plans the menu, orders the produce and meat, and does all the prep. She works the grill, makes the desserts, and seats the guests. She pours the wine, runs the register, and does the books after close. Then she mops.

You probably wouldn’t eat there. Or if you did, you’d be waiting a long time for a cold dinner.

Nobody expects one person to run the kitchen, cook the food, manage the front of house, and seat guests, too. The same goes for just about any specialized field. If you’re having chest pains, I can guarantee you’re going to choose a cardiologist over a podiatrist. There’s respect for all doctors, but they’re specialized for a reason.

B2B Marketing and Nonprofit Marketing Are No Different

And yet that’s exactly how a lot of organizations approach marketing. They think one person should be able to do all of it, from brand building and strategy to event planning and execution.

Marketing is both an art and a science, and it’s far more specialized than most people realize. Think about it in three buckets:

The Thinking. This is brand strategy, marketing strategy, internal and crisis communications strategy, budgeting, and analytics. This is not the same as execution. Some people have big ideas but don’t know where to take them next. Others are more skilled at bringing ideas to life than developing the strategy behind them. Rarely will you find someone who has the capability and capacity to do it all.

The Making. This is the writing, design, video, and production work that brings a strategy to life. It’s also where the specialties get very specific. Back to that restaurant: a short-order cook might flip a perfect omelet, but you’d think twice before putting them on the pastry station. It’s the same for graphic designers, production artists, web designers, videographers, copywriters, and so on. Yes, talented people can stretch across different domains, but seldom across all the domains.

The Reaching. This is how your message gets in front of people: your website, SEO, paid digital, social media, public relations, and events. Each has its own tools, metrics, and ways of working. Most of them change constantly. I’m skilled at working through high-level strategy, but you wouldn’t want me researching keywords in Semrush. That’s not my specialty. That’s why the world has digital marketers, SEO specialists, social media managers, public relations specialists, event planners … you get the idea. Again, gifted people can wear many hats, but not all the hats.

Building the Right Marketing Team

Even if you found someone who could cook, serve, seat guests, and keep the books, they’d be worn out by the end of the month. And the quality of the food and experience would show it, too.

When it comes to your marketing, you don’t need to hire for every role. But you do need the right people at the right stations. For some organizations, that’s an in-house marketer supported by specialist partners. For others, it’s a fractional CMO who can lead the strategy and pull in the right help.

When you work with The Marketing Collective, you gain a whole team of thinkers, makers, and reachers: senior-level strategists, writers, and designers, plus trusted digital partners, each with real depth in their area. We can lead your marketing, fill the gaps around your in-house team, or work alongside your other partners to get things done. Whatever the mix, nobody should be expected to run the whole restaurant alone.

Let’s Talk

If your marketing is being asked to do it all, let’s talk about how we can help.

Key Takeaways

Can one in-house marketer handle all of our marketing?

It’s rare. Marketing covers everything from brand strategy and budgeting to design, video, SEO, and events. Many marketers wear several hats, but few can do all of it well, and even fewer have the time to. That’s where a fractional CMO or outsourced marketing team can help.

What’s the difference between marketing strategy and execution?

Strategy sets the direction: your brand, your plan, your budget, and how you’ll measure what’s working. Execution brings that plan to life through writing, design, digital, and events. Some people are great at big ideas, and others are better at bringing ideas to life. Rarely will you find someone with the capability and capacity to do both.

What skills does effective B2B and nonprofit marketing require?

More than most people realize. Strategy, copywriting, graphic design, video, web, SEO, paid digital, social media, public relations, and event planning each require their own expertise, and talent in one doesn’t always transfer to the next.

How do I build the right marketing team without hiring for every role?

Focus on putting the right people at the right stations. For some organizations, that’s an in-house marketer with outsourced marketing support. For others, it’s a fractional CMO backed by a full team of strategists, writers, designers, and digital partners.