5 Tips For Integrating Your Development and Marketing Teams

• By Natalie Wilson
• 09-11-2021
• Digital Marketing

There has long been a dynamic between web development and marketing teams, with the perception that the two just don’t integrate successfully. The dynamic between the two can often be tense, whether it’s due to a lack of respect for one another, disagreements in regards to deadlines or just plain miscommunications, the relationship between marketing teams and web developers can become complicated.

When it comes to your business, marketing teams and web developers are very much like the polar opposites, however, both are needed in order to get your site to the place where it needs to be to optimally perform.

Most marketing teams aren’t too interested in codebases, whereas you will probably find that web development teams aren’t interested in ranking figures. However, both teams will agree that one another is vital to the success of the business. If you’re managing both a marketing and web development team, it’s hard to get the two to integrate successfully with one another.

But, there are ways in which this can be done so that you can get the job done and there is no fraught tension. With that in mind, here are 5 tips for integrating your development and marketing teams.

Create Clear Objectives
Simply put, if the two teams are working towards the same objectives, there is little room for miscommunication. When there is one common goal in mind, this can greatly improve working relations and get the task at hand completed in as little time as possible, By creating clear and common objectives for the two teams, you ensure that everyone is on the same page, even if the processes between the teams are vastly different.

Make sure that both teams are involved in all steps of the process and ensure regular communication is had. Plan things altogether, so that both teams have their input and can air any concerns at the time, rather than later down the line where issues may arise.

Simplify Requests
Take a look at how the two teams currently converse and connect with one another. It may be that the current method is creating an air of confusion, which then leads to frustration from either team. Whether it’s by email, text or over apps such as Trello, it might be worth looking into a new method to use instead. For example, when one team needs something from the other, how is that request put across? The current approach could be overcomplicating things, whereas a quick and friendly phone call could get things done in half the time and maintain relationships!

Ensure There Is Respect For One Another
When it comes to marketing and web development teams working together, having respect for one another’s processes is absolutely essential. It’s easy for marketing teams to assume that developers just follow the same processes, no matter the site they are working on, and that developer teams think that marketers are just focused on one single goal. However, this is not the case and each team has their own working method which allows them to achieve consistent results and succeed. After all, if they didn’t they wouldn’t be working together!

Misunderstanding can create friction, so before the project is well underway, why not get the teams together so that they can each explain their processes and how they work. Education on the different topics can help in building relationships between the two and often, what is obvious to one team might not be so obvious to the other. By building relationships, there is likely to be much more respect for one another’s processes, leading to better collaboration.

Make Launches A Team Event
When the two teams have poured their heart and energy into a project for months, it can often be disheartening to see that just one of them is involved in the launch of the new site, or website process. Project launches are often stressful times for all involved and, when one party gets to see it go live or gets all the credit, this can only add to the tension between the two parties. Instead, get the teams together for the time of the launch so that any issues can be addressed and ironed out quickly and, once all is well, the two can celebrate their successes together.

Education Is Key
You might not have asked before, or perhaps the teams have just never mentioned it, but it is highly likely that members of the web development team are interested in certain aspects of marketing and vice versa. Why not set time aside and get the two teams together to talk through areas of each other’s specialism that the other might be interested in.

For example, if your social media agency is actively engaging with your businesses’ audience, this could be an area of interest for the web development team who want to learn more about how social media works, especially in terms of the tech involved. SEO is now an area of marketing that involves a lot of coding and AI, so a member of the marketing team could be interested in learning more about basic coding. You’ll never know unless you ask!

Conclusion
There is no denying that there are huge differences between marketing and web development. They each have their own skillsets and knowledge, but why not use this as an advantage for your business rather than a disadvantage! Both teams are essential to the success of your business, so ensuring that the two teams work together only benefits you.