When it comes to building a successful business, one of the most important things you can do is create the right team.
Entrepreneurs know that they need to surround themselves with the right people if they want to get the job done and grow the business.
This includes making sure your online marketing team has the values most likely to help your business grow. As you assemble your crack team, here are seven values to encourage:
1. Passion
Look for passion in the members of your online marketing team. One of the great predictors of success is a passion for your work.
Members of your team should want to do the work they are doing. They need to feel as though they are making a positive difference.
When your team has a passion for what they do, it makes a huge difference in the long run. Team members are more committed to doing a good job. They are also truly interested in the outcomes.
Yes, you need to provide a fair paycheck. After all, your team members need to be able to feed their families. But at the same time, look for people who are interested beyond just cashing a paycheck. These are the folks that will take things to the next level.
2. Ability to Communicate
Your online marketing team needs to be able to communicate with each other, and with others.
Members of your team should be open with each other, and with other business units.
In today’s world, connectivity is increasingly important. We see the importance of being open and transparent. Plus, your team members need to feel comfortable going to each other for help solving problems.
Look for good communicators on your team. You want people who will share their needs, collaborate, and get the job done. It’s all about making sure things get done efficiently and effectively.
3. Flexibility and Adaptability
One of the biggest competitive advantages is adaptability.
When encouraging values in your online marketing team, it’s important to focus on flexibility. Your team members need to be flexible in their approach.
There is rarely one “right” way to do something. Getting hung up on rigid rules and past traditions can stunt creative thought. Instead, it’s important to be flexible.
Part of flexibility is adaptability. Can your team members readily adapt to a changing online environment? There’s a lot going on right now. The landscape is always changing.
Choose a team of people that are capable of adapting to what’s next and innovating. These success traits can help you go a long way toward finding new markets and new solutions to your marketing problems.
4. Ability to Set Goals
Do your online marketing team members have a goal-oriented way of doing things?
You want your team members to be willing and able to set effective goals.
This isn’t about meeting goals you set for them. Instead, you want self-directed and self-motivated team members willing to set their own goals.
As the business owner, you provide the overall vision. You have an idea of where you want the business to go. However, that doesn’t mean you always know the best way to make that happen.
A goal-oriented team can figure out the nuts and bolts. Choose people who understand the landscape, and who can figure out which benchmarks and measurements are most meaningful and useful.
Empower your goal-oriented team to get the job done, and you might be surprised at what happens.
5. Specialization
Your team should be comprised of people with different abilities and areas of specialization.
It doesn’t do you much good if everyone is the same. Effective organizations know how to make use of different strengths.
We all have strengths and weaknesses. It’s important to assemble an online marketing team of people whose strengths complement each other.
There are many different strategies that can be used to get the job done. A number of approaches can be used in online marketing. Additionally, there are different aspects to online marketing. From social promotion to crafting ad copy to outreach, it helps to understand what your team members are good at and to allow them to focus on those areas.
While you want team members willing to learn about other areas, you will be most effective when you encourage specialization so that everyone can do what they do best with a bit of overlap and an ability to help others.
6. Accountability
Are your people willing to own up and learn from their mistakes?
It’s hard to admit when we’re wrong. None of us like to make mistakes. We don’t like to fail. We don’t like to see less than ideal results.
However, there are times when we do fail. We all make mistakes. No matter how good your online marketing team is, eventually there will be a failure.
When that day comes, do you have the type of people on your team who are willing to acknowledge what went wrong and work to fix it? This is essential to your business.
You need people who are accountable to themselves, to each other, and to you. You need people who are willing to accept responsibility for taking the next step and making improvements.
It’s not about perfection. It’s about being ready to move forward and taking responsibility for overcoming mistakes.
7. Leadership
Finally, you want to make sure members of your online marketing team have leadership qualities.
Are you hiring potential leaders who can take charge as needed?
While you can’t have too many people vying for an “official” title or position “in charge,” it is important to look for team members who are interested in stepping up as needed.
Part of this is providing empowerment to your team. Do your team members feel as though they can share ideas? Do they feel like you will listen to them when they talk? Do they feel like they can take the lead when it comes to solving problems?
This is a difficult value to cultivate because it requires helping your team members walk a line. You don’t want all your business solutions and ideas to come from the top down. Your team should feel like they have a stake in the company, and that they can be leaders as well.
It’s the only way to ensure that your team stays on top of the situation and that they are able to provide true value to your organization.
What Kind of Culture Do You Promote?
In the end, it’s about the culture you promote. You want your online marketing team — and all your teams — to feel as though they are invested in your company.
This means you need to promote a culture of openness throughout. Hire good people who understand the field and who are willing to take their efforts to the next level. Look for flexible innovators who aren’t afraid to share their ideas.
And, once you hire the right people for the job, make sure you promote a company culture that empowers them to be more effective and feel as though they are invested in the outcomes of the company.
When you look for people with the right values, and you match them to your company, you are more likely find long-term success for your business.
