“In applying digital strategy to a marketing campaign, who are the technical people that I would need to partner up with in order to implement banner ads, Web content, etc., assuming these are being done in-house on a company’s Website.”
That all depends on the size of the digital team at the company in question. In small companies, sometimes one person handles all of the tasks (OK, you’re right – this happens in larger companies sometimes, too!) Let’s break down a typical digital team:
Ad Sales Account Exec: Handles new business development and manages client relationships. Works closely with the Web Designer and Web Producer when brainstorming new business/product development ideas.
Ad Operations Specialist: Traffics display/video creative, and tracks campaigns for proper delivery according to agreed upon specs as set forth in the IO. In small companies, this person will also handle pricing and inventory tasks. Works closely with the Ad Sales Account Exec.
Pricing and Inventory: This person is the keeper of information related to what you charge for advertising and how much of it you have to sell at any given time. Works closely with the Ad Sales Account Exec and Ad Operations Specialist.
Executive Producer: Works with stakeholders to develop, and subsequently execute, the content and business strategy for the Website. Manages the digital team members listed below.
Web Designer: Handles front-end design (“look-and-feel”) and other creative tasks. Works closely with the Executive Producer, Web Producer, and Web Developer.
Web Producer: Responsible for creating and executing the content strategy of the Website. Works closely with the Executive Producer, Web Designer and Web Developer.
Web Developer: Manages the Web platform and handles all application development related to new and existing initiatives. Works closely with the Executive Producer, Web Designer, Web Producer, and System Admin.
System Admin: Handles the care and feeding of the hardware and software infrastructure that powers the Web platform. This includes, but isn’t limited to – servers, operating systems, databases, applications, and backups.
Within any organization, there can and will be more or less of any given resource described above (but if there’s more than one Executive Producer, there’s way more than you need – run away, and run fast.) The important thing to remember is that everyone needs to communicate often and effectively. The larger the team, the more communication (and leadership) will be required.
What’s your experience working with/within digital teams? Please leave a comment and join the discussion.
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Very helpful. I agree with Connie that getting everyone involved together at the very beginning is important. In my experience as an account person if the entire team is not brought in at the very beginning the process seems to have more challenges. I also agree the a Project Manager makes a significant impact. With the right project manager projects can be managed to be on time and on budget. I have experienced jobs with no project manager and despite efforts we are consistently over budget and not on schedule. These costs the company the time and even worse the respect and trust of clients.
Totally agree… another comment/question – I notice you didn’t mention Project Manager as it’s own resource. I believe it can be combined with the Product/Producer roles initially, but as an organization grows, it should be broken out under the Exec Producer. It’s a different skill set, and allows the product leads to focus on strategy/requirements/prioritization while Project focuses on implementation. What’s your take?
Good point, Andy.
The larger the project, the more of a need there is for a formal, overall project manager resource. Project management in the context of Web teams is usually reserved for development projects and this minimalist approach can be a costly mistake.
Project managers are responsible for the overall planning, execution, monitoring, control, and closure of a project. Based on the fact that 70% of IT-related projects fail to meet their on-time, on-budget objectives OR to produce expected business results, it makes sense to engage a dedicated PM early.
This is very helpful but if you did have to outsource offshore to save money do you have any suggestions? Also, how can one hear you at the New York Bankers Association meeting in NYC at the Waldorf?
Hi Emma. I’m not sure I understand your question – are you looking for vendors outside of the US for project work? If so, I prefer to use local talent for a number of reasons. First, I want to keep US workers employed. Second, I want the people I’m working with to be close.
Finally, before you outsource anything, you need a very clear understanding of what you’re trying to accomplish and that should take the form of (1) a functional specification, and (2) a technical specification. You can take either of those documents, if they’re properly written, and hand them to any developer for feedback/a quote for services.
Regarding the NY Bankers event at the Waldorf; it’s a private event. You’d need to be a member banker to attend.
Hope this helps – and thanks for your comment.
If there was one comment to share about the topic above it would be this from me:
Make sure all parties are involved at the very beginning of the planning stages. Lots of times, the person managing a new project campaign goes to the various groups individually to make it happen. I find that bringing everyone together in one room(hopefully face to face) with clear objectives on what needs to be accomplished provides the best avenue for success. Issues/challenges get raised from the onset , thus helping to close any gaps that would otherwise surface down the line. The best creative thinking is also born because often time developers for example, help to bring to life new capabillities that other may not be aware of yet in the industry.
So in a nut sheel, in addition to ongoing communication/leadership(which I agree is critical to sucess) there must be teamwork from the beginning.
-connie
What great advice, Connie! I find it really helpful to establish a really solid list of expectations right up front – that way, everyone knows what to expect from everyone else.
Then, once the expectations are firmly established (and understood), you can move on to establishing responsibilities. It stands to reason that in order to meet expectations, someone’s gonna have to do something, right? So making sure everyone has a good understanding of what they need to do (responsibilities) to meet those expectations is critical.
Finally, it’s imperative to provide ongoing feedback about how everyone’s doing. Once you’ve given (and received) feedback, it’s time to start all over again by re-establishing new (or updating changed) expectations and responsibilities, followed by more feedback.
It’s a constant process that ensures the success of your project and everyone involved.
Thanks for your comment.
I’d like to hear your thoughts on which roles can be outsourced for smaller companies and which need to stay in house. I see the system admin role outsourced often to a host, and Web design and development are commonly handed off to consultants. What are the roles that I should make sure are filled internally?
Hi Nick. You can outsource as much or as little of the technical operations as you see fit. It all depends on business drivers/requirements. Typically, though, I think you’ll want the Exec Producer role to be someone in-house. This role is critical to the success of the Website because it’s the Exec Producer who transforms the business requirements into a solid Web strategy – and then executes that strategy (activation.)
As for ad sales, there are independent sales houses out there that’ll sell your property by itself and/or as part of a larger group of networks. And of course, you can always turn to the ad networks and exchanges instead of hiring internally.
As long as you have a good program/project manager and can closely manage your vendor(s) and outsourced talent, outsourcing can be a great way to get things done while keeping your costs down.
Just remember – business comes first. Make sure you have a solid plan that includes short and long term goals and just as important, an execution strategy to put it all into action. Test your models often and adjust as necessary to ensure the success of your venture.
Very helpful breakdown… I happened to be discussing the staffing needs of a growing web property this morning, in particular the need for an Exec Producer to develop/execute strategy and a Developer to ‘manage the platform’. I subsequently forwarded this article. Thanks Gene!
Excellent, Andy. Let me know if the person you forwarded it on to found it useful. Not having the right people in place (whether internal or outsourced) to help plan and execute a Web strategy is the kiss of death for most ventures.
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