How to Build a High-Performing Digital Marketing Team in 2025
- Sacha G
- Apr 4
- 3 min read
In the fast-changing world of digital marketing, the need for adaptability, innovation, and high-functioning teams has never been more critical. Having built and led teams at L’Oréal, Urban Decay, and Meta, I’ve seen firsthand how a well-structured digital team can transform business outcomes — from driving growth to deepening brand equity.
In this article, I’ll walk through the key roles shaping digital teams in 2025, the critical skills to prioritize, and the goal-setting frameworks that help teams align and scale — including a free downloadable tool to bring this to life.
Why Structure Matters in Digital Marketing Teams
A clear structure is more than organization charts and titles — it’s the backbone of accountability and performance. It provides clarity of roles, reduces duplication, and enables faster decision-making.
At Meta, we introduced a streamlined team structure that clarified ownership and connected daily execution to bigger-picture goals. The result? An increase in morale and engagement, and far more agility in launching high-impact campaigns, plus a +90% EEI score (learn more here).
When every team member knows why their work matters and how it connects to the business, collaboration improves — and so does the work.
Key Roles for a High-Performing Digital Team in 2025
The marketing organization of the future is built for speed, experimentation, and cross-functional collaboration. These roles will be foundational:
Digital Strategy Officer: Orchestrates strategy, connecting data, creative, and business goals.
Customer Experience Specialist: Focuses on journey mapping and personalization across touchpoints.
Data Analyst: Turns complex data into insights that drive smarter decisions.
Content Experience Creator: Develops integrated, performance-driven content experiences.
Collaboration Manager: Bridges departments, tools, and timelines for faster execution.
Skills to Prioritize When Hiring
Hard Skills:
Data Analytics & SEO: Critical for attribution, optimization, and content visibility.
Platform Proficiency: Mastery of tools like GA4, Klaviyo, Asana, and Meta Ads Manager.
Channel Strategy: Understanding the full funnel across paid, owned, and earned media.
Soft Skills:
Adaptability: The only constant is change — hire for mindset, not just experience.
Emotional Intelligence: Critical for managing up, down, and across.
Creative Thinking: Data leads the way, but fresh ideas are what differentiate.
At Meta, we made sure to spread these skills across different roles, building teams that were not only efficient but also resilient and creative. This approach helped us smash our performance goals.
The Importance of a Structured Goal-Setting Framework
This is where alignment meets execution.
When teams operate without clear goals, progress becomes reactive and fragmented. But when goals cascade from the company’s mission down to individual contributors, you build a high-trust, high-output environment.
We used two core approaches:
OKRs (Objectives and Key Results)
Simple, flexible, and easy to adopt. At L’Oréal, we used quarterly OKRs to align brand, digital, and channel teams. The impact? A boost in cross-functional collaboration.
Why-What-How Framework
Inspired by my time at Meta, I developed a framework that connects goals to purpose — and integrates core work, strategic initiatives, and personal growth.
👉 Download the Goal Setting Framework
This tool will help you:
Tie individual work to company objectives
Balance short-term execution with long-term strategy
Build personal growth plans into business workflows
Best Practices for Leadership, Onboarding & Collaboration
Leadership
Lead with clarity and empathy.
Use consistent 1:1s to check in on performance and energy.
Show your team how their work fits into the mission.
Onboarding
Move beyond technical setup — immerse new hires in your team’s rituals and purpose.
At L'Oreal USA, we implemented mentorship pairings, which helped new hires ramp up 2x faster.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Create rituals (e.g., monthly cross-team standups or OKR reviews).
Encourage co-planning across functions, not just co-execution.
Share dashboards, not just deliverables.
Final Thoughts
Building a high-performing digital marketing team isn’t about finding unicorns. It’s about designing for clarity, creativity, and connectedness.
Whether you’re scaling a startup or leading a global brand, the principles are the same:
Invest in the right roles.
Hire for both skill and mindset.
Establish frameworks that tie work to purpose.
And above all, lead with intention.
Because when people understand what they’re working on — and why it matters — everything changes.
Want a Plug-and-Play Goal Framework?
🎯 Download the free “Why-What-How Goal Setting Framework” PDF
Use it to align your team’s goals from CMO to coordinator:
