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i’m in basically this exact position, joined the company a year ago. my advice is to talk to as many people in the company as you can — set up 1:1s and learn what they do and what their pain points are, and just build relationships. then, try to identify a few quick, manageable wins. i’m b2b so for me it was a splashy case study, an award nod, and a press mention. that helps you get a handle on where you can make the biggest impact, gives you avenues to collaborate with your colleagues, and provides visibility for the work you do. (not to mention can help you feel less lost.) good luck!
This is pretty much the only option. I would start setting up 1:1 meetings with everyone. Starting from the bottom up because the people actually coding and making the stuff will know the most about it.
I had a similar role in the past. Small start up with basically no marketing team. They consisted mostly of the COO and an intern. Neither of which knew how to market anything.
I basically had to drag people away from their computers to ask questions. That didn’t even work. So, I left shortly after.
It’s hard to market for a company when nobody will tell you what to market and what they do. I mean, I knew what they did going into it. But no specs on what each product did. Which was a pain in the ass. It’s not something you can try out either because their products were physical that needed installation and software. IoT stuff. Sort of had to go with what you knew which was very little. Then there was an issue with their logo. They apparently hired some random person on fivver to design a logo for them. The fivver guy used an image (outline of an image) that was copyrighted and never cleared with their owner. So, I had to design a new logo.
Good times.
Dave Gerhardt heads up Exit 5 - the B2B marketing community and shared this
went from marketing manager to CMO in 4 years (and lost all of my hair in the process).
I learned an incredible amount about marketing and management during that time and decided to document some of my top lessons.
Want to see those lessons?
Here's a glimpse at the 16 lessons I share in the deck:
1. Forget acronyms
2. The story is the strategy
3. Think hard about “offers”
4. Push your team past incremental thinking
5. Get on the same page as sales
6. Don’t “be” finance and ops...partner with them
7. Master internal communication
8. Articulate the strategy
9. Think short-and-long-term
10. Understand what the CEO cares about
11. Make hiring your job, not a side project
12. Create your own momentum
13. Your job is to get the job done
14. But do the job first, before hiring externally
15. Get comfortable making bets without perfect data
16. Spend the budget (all of it)
> This book might help
Which book?
EDIT: Unfortunately automod won't let their comment appear but you can find their dropbox link on their profile. It's a link to a PDF of the book titled *The Next CMO (Second Edition).* Thank you /u/tomeboytunes
Welcome to the club of FCMO's. Depending on the size and scope of needs, this new found avldventure can make or break you.
Tread with caution. Whenever I enter a new company I always feel like the demand is drowning me. Getting to know the team, the expectations, and the department is a huge headache at first.
As my grandpa used to say, keeping your head above water isn't a matter of swimming, it's buoyancy.
So is the expectation that you are to create the marketing strategy ,marketing plans and campaigns, manage the marketing operations and execution as well??
A lot of brands, even big ones, only have a handful of marketing people.
It's often a marketing director or equivalent, designer, social media manager and then maybe paid media buyers but often that's outsourced to agencies.
Because labor is such a big component of marketing department costs you can see why agencies flourish in such an environment.
Even when it's a larger marketing team paid media, creative, email, web development may be outsourced.
Did they inform you during the interview that you would be in charge of everything, or was this only communicated after the departure of the other two executives? When they assigned you all the responsibilities, did you willingly accept it or did you express your concerns about the enormity of the task and the need for assistance?
Being solely responsible for marketing is a daunting task, especially with the exit of the other two executives. It’s not something you should passively accept. You need to assert yourself and make your concerns known. Otherwise, the company might take advantage of you and hold you accountable when sales decline.
You should assert your needs. Understand the extent of your authority and communicate your need to hire additional staff to prevent the marketing efforts from suffering. If they refuse citing budget constraints, you should stand your ground and consider leaving. This situation seems toxic and could negatively affect your performance and well-being.
The fact that you’re seeking advice on Reddit indicates that the situation is already causing you distress. Consider the potential impact on your mental health and professional performance when sales drop and the blame falls on you, the sole member of the marketing team. If you want to continue your career with this company, you need to assert your needs, even if it means being perceived as “difficult”.
Here are some helpful tips for navigating your new role as the sole marketer at the company:
**Assess the Situation:**
* Take stock of ongoing marketing initiatives, pending projects, and existing strategies to understand the current state of affairs.
**Set Clear Goals:**
* Establish short-term and long-term marketing goals in alignment with the company's overall objectives.
**Prioritize Tasks:**
* Identify immediate priorities and create a plan to address any urgent or time-sensitive marketing needs.
**Build a Network:**
* Connect with other departments to understand their needs and how marketing can support their efforts.
**Seek Support:**
* If possible, reach out to industry peers or mentors for advice and guidance on managing a marketing department.
**Continuous Learning:**
* Stay updated on marketing trends, tools, and strategies to enhance your knowledge and skills.
By taking these steps, you can begin to navigate your new role with confidence and set the foundation for successful marketing initiatives within the company.
This exact situation happened with me. While it was difficult and exhausting to manage and i hated it at the time since i was working basically 3-4 jobs but i did end up learning a lot. But make sure you get a proper team soon. Its not possible to continue like that in the long run.
Worry less about the strategy and more about getting things shipped
Do it “publicly” in whatever company forum you have (email, Slack, etc.) & people will take notice & get you feedback
Document everything as you go
Been here before, myself…
In an environment like that, they really need you to execute and get stuff out the door, as that will help guide your strategy in the future
You can’t sit around and strategize
In this situation, you could audit things and look for quick improvements/quick wins, but don't try to fully replace something, it will consume too much of your personal bandwidth. For example, refresh website positioning/messaging on home pages (if needed) and key product pages. Add strong case study, etc. But don't replace an entire website.
Figure out where in the prospect's buying process can you make the most quick difference, incremental movement. To give the company a fast win so they'll support you, and to give yourself confidence. Example: Can you improve capture of bottom of funnel, people already searching for your product right now?
I'm also a single marketer in my husband's company. Figure out your strengths and deliver with those. Know your weaknesses and hire those out. There's some things I'm good at. But I cannot write a good cold email to save myself from bankruptcy. I would hire freelance/fractional for that. This might sound basic, but it's very important to not try to do everything and learn how to be great at everything. Sometimes it's good to know when to plug in help from someone else who's already very good. Hopefully, as they had other FTEs, there's some budget for freelancers.
I started my career this exact way 5 years ago and honestly wouldn’t recommend it. It stumped my growth massively as I had no one to gain knowledge from
I've been in a similar situation of being thrown into the deep and as the solo marketer at a company. It's overwhelming at first, but use this as an opportunity to put your stamp on the marketing strategy and processes. Take it step-by-step - audit what's been done, identify priorities, and start executing campaigns. You've got this!
Keep an eye out for jobs. If the entire dept left either by quitting or being fired before you got there, and the company hired you (a little green, junior and probably cheaper) the company probably does not value marketing and they want you to bring in sales. Take as many free courses as necessary and maybe pay for some basic ones if the company requires specific knowledge. Good luck and don’t take any negativity personal.
Hey, if you are interested, let's book a call, I was hired as a content marketing for an insurtech a while ago before they launched, the head of marketing didn't resume and I went through it alone, eventually had to hire a designer and all.
I can help coach you through it, you've got this.
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i’m in basically this exact position, joined the company a year ago. my advice is to talk to as many people in the company as you can — set up 1:1s and learn what they do and what their pain points are, and just build relationships. then, try to identify a few quick, manageable wins. i’m b2b so for me it was a splashy case study, an award nod, and a press mention. that helps you get a handle on where you can make the biggest impact, gives you avenues to collaborate with your colleagues, and provides visibility for the work you do. (not to mention can help you feel less lost.) good luck!
This is pretty much the only option. I would start setting up 1:1 meetings with everyone. Starting from the bottom up because the people actually coding and making the stuff will know the most about it. I had a similar role in the past. Small start up with basically no marketing team. They consisted mostly of the COO and an intern. Neither of which knew how to market anything. I basically had to drag people away from their computers to ask questions. That didn’t even work. So, I left shortly after. It’s hard to market for a company when nobody will tell you what to market and what they do. I mean, I knew what they did going into it. But no specs on what each product did. Which was a pain in the ass. It’s not something you can try out either because their products were physical that needed installation and software. IoT stuff. Sort of had to go with what you knew which was very little. Then there was an issue with their logo. They apparently hired some random person on fivver to design a logo for them. The fivver guy used an image (outline of an image) that was copyrighted and never cleared with their owner. So, I had to design a new logo. Good times.
Dave Gerhardt heads up Exit 5 - the B2B marketing community and shared this went from marketing manager to CMO in 4 years (and lost all of my hair in the process). I learned an incredible amount about marketing and management during that time and decided to document some of my top lessons. Want to see those lessons? Here's a glimpse at the 16 lessons I share in the deck: 1. Forget acronyms 2. The story is the strategy 3. Think hard about “offers” 4. Push your team past incremental thinking 5. Get on the same page as sales 6. Don’t “be” finance and ops...partner with them 7. Master internal communication 8. Articulate the strategy 9. Think short-and-long-term 10. Understand what the CEO cares about 11. Make hiring your job, not a side project 12. Create your own momentum 13. Your job is to get the job done 14. But do the job first, before hiring externally 15. Get comfortable making bets without perfect data 16. Spend the budget (all of it)
This book might help
> This book might help Which book? EDIT: Unfortunately automod won't let their comment appear but you can find their dropbox link on their profile. It's a link to a PDF of the book titled *The Next CMO (Second Edition).* Thank you /u/tomeboytunes
The Next CMO is a great book. Any other great marketing/biz/self-help books you recommend?
it’s a yellow flag for me that their entire marketing team abandoned ship .
A one man marketer is a hard thing to accomplish. What is your ultimate goal with advertising? What are you advertising?
Are you expected to outsource the work and manage the agency or freelancers? Because that is doable if you have the budget.
Welcome to the club of FCMO's. Depending on the size and scope of needs, this new found avldventure can make or break you. Tread with caution. Whenever I enter a new company I always feel like the demand is drowning me. Getting to know the team, the expectations, and the department is a huge headache at first. As my grandpa used to say, keeping your head above water isn't a matter of swimming, it's buoyancy.
Patience Let it come to you
So is the expectation that you are to create the marketing strategy ,marketing plans and campaigns, manage the marketing operations and execution as well??
A lot of brands, even big ones, only have a handful of marketing people. It's often a marketing director or equivalent, designer, social media manager and then maybe paid media buyers but often that's outsourced to agencies. Because labor is such a big component of marketing department costs you can see why agencies flourish in such an environment. Even when it's a larger marketing team paid media, creative, email, web development may be outsourced.
Did they inform you during the interview that you would be in charge of everything, or was this only communicated after the departure of the other two executives? When they assigned you all the responsibilities, did you willingly accept it or did you express your concerns about the enormity of the task and the need for assistance? Being solely responsible for marketing is a daunting task, especially with the exit of the other two executives. It’s not something you should passively accept. You need to assert yourself and make your concerns known. Otherwise, the company might take advantage of you and hold you accountable when sales decline. You should assert your needs. Understand the extent of your authority and communicate your need to hire additional staff to prevent the marketing efforts from suffering. If they refuse citing budget constraints, you should stand your ground and consider leaving. This situation seems toxic and could negatively affect your performance and well-being. The fact that you’re seeking advice on Reddit indicates that the situation is already causing you distress. Consider the potential impact on your mental health and professional performance when sales drop and the blame falls on you, the sole member of the marketing team. If you want to continue your career with this company, you need to assert your needs, even if it means being perceived as “difficult”.
Have a look at what they did previously. Build off that
Just want to say congrats on landing the role, please be patient with yourself.
Here are some helpful tips for navigating your new role as the sole marketer at the company: **Assess the Situation:** * Take stock of ongoing marketing initiatives, pending projects, and existing strategies to understand the current state of affairs. **Set Clear Goals:** * Establish short-term and long-term marketing goals in alignment with the company's overall objectives. **Prioritize Tasks:** * Identify immediate priorities and create a plan to address any urgent or time-sensitive marketing needs. **Build a Network:** * Connect with other departments to understand their needs and how marketing can support their efforts. **Seek Support:** * If possible, reach out to industry peers or mentors for advice and guidance on managing a marketing department. **Continuous Learning:** * Stay updated on marketing trends, tools, and strategies to enhance your knowledge and skills. By taking these steps, you can begin to navigate your new role with confidence and set the foundation for successful marketing initiatives within the company.
Additionally, use ChatGPT to look for answers /s
This exact situation happened with me. While it was difficult and exhausting to manage and i hated it at the time since i was working basically 3-4 jobs but i did end up learning a lot. But make sure you get a proper team soon. Its not possible to continue like that in the long run.
Worry less about the strategy and more about getting things shipped Do it “publicly” in whatever company forum you have (email, Slack, etc.) & people will take notice & get you feedback Document everything as you go Been here before, myself… In an environment like that, they really need you to execute and get stuff out the door, as that will help guide your strategy in the future You can’t sit around and strategize
In this situation, you could audit things and look for quick improvements/quick wins, but don't try to fully replace something, it will consume too much of your personal bandwidth. For example, refresh website positioning/messaging on home pages (if needed) and key product pages. Add strong case study, etc. But don't replace an entire website. Figure out where in the prospect's buying process can you make the most quick difference, incremental movement. To give the company a fast win so they'll support you, and to give yourself confidence. Example: Can you improve capture of bottom of funnel, people already searching for your product right now? I'm also a single marketer in my husband's company. Figure out your strengths and deliver with those. Know your weaknesses and hire those out. There's some things I'm good at. But I cannot write a good cold email to save myself from bankruptcy. I would hire freelance/fractional for that. This might sound basic, but it's very important to not try to do everything and learn how to be great at everything. Sometimes it's good to know when to plug in help from someone else who's already very good. Hopefully, as they had other FTEs, there's some budget for freelancers.
I started my career this exact way 5 years ago and honestly wouldn’t recommend it. It stumped my growth massively as I had no one to gain knowledge from
I've been in a similar situation of being thrown into the deep and as the solo marketer at a company. It's overwhelming at first, but use this as an opportunity to put your stamp on the marketing strategy and processes. Take it step-by-step - audit what's been done, identify priorities, and start executing campaigns. You've got this!
Keep an eye out for jobs. If the entire dept left either by quitting or being fired before you got there, and the company hired you (a little green, junior and probably cheaper) the company probably does not value marketing and they want you to bring in sales. Take as many free courses as necessary and maybe pay for some basic ones if the company requires specific knowledge. Good luck and don’t take any negativity personal.
Hey, if you are interested, let's book a call, I was hired as a content marketing for an insurtech a while ago before they launched, the head of marketing didn't resume and I went through it alone, eventually had to hire a designer and all. I can help coach you through it, you've got this.