When I worked in-house for a veterinary manufacturing company, I was part of a marketing communications department that included a creative director, copywriters, graphic designers, web programmers, account managers, production managers, and administrative support.
We worked together in various forms of “campaign teams” to develop marketing materials for our in-house clients: the product managers for different business units within the company.
Picture how this worked. A product manager would initiate a new campaign with one of our department’s account managers. Then, our creative director would assign the new campaign to a team including a writer, designer, and web programmer. Plus, the production manager would set up and track our project through a system we used to follow all active jobs.
So let’s say the project was a five-part series of online case studies focusing on a specific product line.
Considering the scenario I described above, I count seven people involved in this project: the product manager, account manager, creative director, copywriter, designer, programmer, and production manager.
That’s the core group. Occasionally, we’d also add outside vendors to help us with these campaigns, depending on what was needed. For instance, we’d hire a photographer for our Annual Report … or a video production company to help produce employee-training videos. Once in a while, we’d hire a freelance copywriter (who I’d bring in to help us).
I’m telling you this because it’s important to consider the team dynamic of B2B clients. You’ll often be part of a professional group, all working toward the same goal.
You’ll be counted on to be an excellent communicator, to work within the team’s structure and deadlines, and to provide your copywriting in a way that works best for them.
If this is all new to you — don’t worry. I’ve created a roadmap to working smoothly with this team, so they’ll enjoy working with you and invite you back.