Today’s world has shifted to a digital realm, and to keep up, businesses and companies have adapted to this new technology. It’s become increasingly important that companies learn the ins and outs of this online market to benefit from it. And with great power comes great responsibility — or so they say. Today’s industries adapt quickly to stay relevant, affecting how businesses operate. Marketing is no exception. The marketing industry is shifting to hybrid teams, and companies are starting to see the benefits of this new way of working.
What is a hybrid team?
A hybrid team comprises both in-house and remote employees working in the physical and digital worlds. This may be composed of employees working in different locations or working together in one area but using technology to communicate.
In the past, businesses would have had separate in-house and outsourced teams. The in-house team would be responsible for developing and executing the marketing plan. In contrast, the outsourced team would be responsible for website development and maintenance, search engine optimization (SEO), and other online marketing tasks.
Nowadays, businesses are starting to see the benefits of working remotely and having a hybrid team. A hybrid team has in-house and outsourced employees, but both work closely together to create a cohesive plan.
For example, an employee in the marketing department may work in-house and develop a print campaign. On the other hand, another employee in the same department may work remotely and create a digital campaign.
What are the advantages of a hybrid team?
There are several advantages of having a hybrid team.
1. Increased Productivity
First, employees with the option to work in their own environment are more productive. They work at their own set pace and take breaks when needed. This also leads to a more effective team overall.
2. Increased Creativity
Aside from increased productivity, when employees are given the option to work remotely in their preferred environment, they’re more likely to be creative. When people are in an environment where they’re most comfortable, they tend to be happier, increasing creativity. New ideas come when the mind is most relaxed. That’s when employees start to think outside of the box, helping them develop creative marketing solutions that will appeal to customers.
3. Increased Employee Morale
Another advantage of a hybrid team is that it can increase employee morale. When employees can work in an environment where they’re comfortable, they tend to be happier overall.
Hybrid teams also work to be more collaborative compared to traditional ones. Employees who work together in the same space tend to be competitive, but employees who work remotely enjoy sharing their ideas and collaborating on campaigns, leading to a more positive work environment and increased employee morale.
4. Increased Efficiency
Because employees in a hybrid team can work in an environment they prefer, they’re more efficient. They can take the time they need to complete tasks and aren’t constantly interrupted by their co-workers, leading to a more efficient team overall.
As a whole, hybrid teams are more efficient. They have employees who are skilled in both in-house and outsourced tasks. It eliminates the need for companies to hire separate employees, saving money.
5. Shorter Turnaround Time
Another advantage of having a hybrid team is that it leads to a shorter turnaround time. A hybrid team means that employees work in-house and remotely on different projects simultaneously. Still, their hours overlap, eliminating the need for companies to wait for a project to be completed before starting another project, which saves time.
6. Better Work-Life Balance
Lastly, hybrid teams offer employees a better work-life balance. When employees can work in a comfortable setup, they can easily balance their work and personal life. They aren’t stuck inside an office all day. They can take time off when they need it.
In a traditional team, employees don’t have this flexibility and typically work full-time without taking breaks during the day, increasing stress and decreasing productivity.
Specifically, the digital marketing industry is shifting towards using these hybrid teams because they offer several advantages over traditional work setups.
Why is the digital marketing industry shifting to hybrid teams?
Aside from the benefits mentioned above, there are many other reasons that the digital marketing industry is shifting to hybrid teams.
Businesses are starting to see the benefits of having a digital marketing team that operates as one cohesive unit. This new work structure allows companies to market their products and services online more efficiently. It’s making digital marketing from any location more accessible to businesses in all types of industries.
Another factor driving the shift towards hybrid teams is that technology makes it possible for employees to work remotely. Employees can collaborate more effectively and efficiently than ever before through email, phone calls, and video conferencing, making it easier for small companies to manage a hybrid team without the need to hire additional employees.
Lastly, the increasing use of social media makes it necessary for businesses to have a hybrid team. Companies need skilled employees who are experts in both in-house and outsourced tasks to market their products and services on social media effectively.
What’s in the future of digital marketing?
As the digital marketing industry shifts towards hybrid teams, companies realize that they can’t afford to have a digital marketing team in place today. Many companies used to separate employees for in-house and outsourced tasks in the past. It led to expensive overhead costs because companies needed to have two teams simultaneously working on the same project.
With hybrid teams, this is no longer an issue. A single hybrid team can work on simultaneous projects, resulting in efficiency and more affordable costs.
Also, life seems to have shifted to working remotely in the post-pandemic world. And since technology has allowed us to collaborate globally in real-time, it will only fuel this trend.
Marketers need to think not in the traditional way but in a newly-shifting paradigm. Teamwork is becoming more global. People aren’t siloed into department or division organizations. Instead, they’re working within the context of their own professional lives. The thin line creating a boundary between work and life is starting to blur to give people better work-life integration.
The behavior of the market is changing, so the strategies must also change. Businesses need to be open to such changes and understand that the future of digital marketing isn’t just about the next new tool but about how teams work and collaborate. They need to think globally. Don’t confine your teams to cubicles.
Conclusion
After what the world has been through with COVID-19, it’s evident that the future of work is changing. Businesses realize that they need to be open to change and operate globally. The use of hybrid teams is one-way companies can do this.
People have realized that life’s too short. The cubicle farms of the past are dead. Technology crossed out the impossibility to work from anywhere, anytime.
Businesses need to boldly go where no marketer has gone before and meet the challenges head-on. The future of digital marketing lies in teams that can work collaboratively and be open to change.
