The Collaborative Roles of Marketing

As a proud member of The Collaborative Entrepreneurship Incubator , I was recently explosed to the idea of Collaborative Roles and dove into exploring which ones I identify with most. It was an AMAZING exercise, and it also showed me a LOT about why (and when) different resources are needed in marketing.

And how most job descriptions AREN'T attracting the resources that are actually needed.

So, I thought I would share a quick run through of the roles and why (and when) they fill certain gaps in marketing. Ready? Let's go!

(in no particular order)

The Roles:

Below is a list of the roles and a VERY SIMPLE pressure test on each; see which one you resonate with the most...OR, my preferred test is to see "if you took one away, would you fail to be YOU?":

Visionary: You bring the spark. You see what doesn’t yet exist and inspire others to build it with you. Top Strengths: Innovation, long-term thinking, charismatic clarity.

Missionary: You rally people around a shared cause. You’re values-first and community-driven. Shared leadership is your game. Top Strengths: Alignment, purpose, storytelling.

Producer: You make ideas real. You organize, strategize, and hold the container. Top Strengths: Project management, prioritization, accountability.

Expert: You plug in and do your thing. You don’t need to lead or be part of the building; you just want to deliver deeply. Top Strengths: Mastery, execution, depth.

Builder: You co-create from the ground up. You love the messy middle and thrive in experimentation. You don’t want to lead the vision, but you’re passionate and all in to help build it. Top Strengths: Flexibility, action, creativity.

Optimizer: You guide, refine, and enhance. You see what’s broken and know how to fix it. Top Strengths: Systems, efficiency, discernment.

Amplifier: You spread the word and advocate for things you believe in. You show up with energy, belief, and your network. Top Strengths: Visibility, connection, enthusiasm.

AN IMPORTANT NOTE: Most people will identify in more than one of these groups. And that is normal, especially for multi-dimensional humans. However, you probably ALSO have ones that you know you AREN'T. So, keep what you want and let do of what you don't :)

AND...some people crave deep focus in one of these, and some people crave the variety. That's all good too. Just remember, when you're looking to fill a gap (either in a collaboration or in a marketing team), knowing yourself AND knowing what you want is a critical component.

The Gaps

Ok, so now, let's look at some of the most common GAPS that exist in marketing departments and where certain roles can best come to contribute. Here we go.

The Direction + Differentiation Gap

Where is your Marketing Team going? Not as in, what they are going to DO tomorrow. But in a long-range marketing direction kind of way. In creating a compelling "future story" of the brand (some might call it Vision).

Oh, and how emotionally CONNECTED is your team to that narrative (if it exists)?

Many companies, especially B2B Tech companies DO NOT have this. And super often, a junior marketer is brought on to "fill the gap" to create a strategy and story around something they don't even feel themselves.

If THIS is your gap, what you really need is a Visionary.

Because a Visionary is naturally good at: 1) creating a North Star, 2) giving meaning to messaging through purpose, 3) creating long-term vision that can uinfy scattered efforts, and 4) making the market CARE through strong storytelling.

Even the best Builders and Producers CAN'T create towards a non-existent vision.

The Purpose + Resonance Gap

Ever experienced marketing that feels hollow and transactional? Ever CREATED it? Most marketers HAVE, and that's not useful for anyone. It leads to a lack of both internal and external engagement, and the more the messaging and values become misaligned, the LESS emotional resonance gets created with audiences.

This is where a Missionary comes in.

Because a Missionary brings the purposeful skills of: 1) GROUNDING marketing in a shared belief system (they are also pretty good at FINDING what that is, if you aren't sure right now), 2) creating belonging and igniting community that turn into MOVEMENTS, and 3) making marketing feel GOOD (and honest, which is what builds TRUST).

An Expert just can't do that; unless their expertise is IN that, and then they might just be a secret Missionary ;)

The Execution + Structure Gap

Hands up if you have lots of great ideas and no plan to get them done? How about missed deadlines and scattered marketing efforts? I've seen it at LEAST once...or maybe closer to hundreds of times 🤣

What also tends to happen in these scenarios is that any work that DOES get done, gets done in frantic BURSTS that end up burning out the team. Not ideal for long term success.

But with a Producer, you can eliminate that gap.

Because a Producer doesn't just SIT on ideas. They'll give you: 1) timelines, checklists and workflows, 2) containers for everyone to contribute inside, 3) and maybe most importantly, momentum and accountability for marketing to actually WORK.

After all, trying to amplify something that has no brand? Useless.

The Skill + Depth Gap

Honestly, this gap is probably the BEST served of all the gaps on this list, because marketing has been freelanced for so long, but it's still worth exploring. Because all too often, we're looking at marketing material that lacks quality (a 3 out of 10, anyone?), technical gaps that generalists can't fill (will people please stop asking me to do graphic design?), and a lack of marketing performance (because no one refined the plan).

Bring in the Expert!

Experts provide a higher level of expertise than anyone else in the roles list. And yes, while that might be a very NARROW expertise, if that's the gap you have, then that's the gap you can be confident you're filling. Mastery-level execution. Instant quality improvement. New depth others could never provide. Plus add the fact that your brand benefits by their credibility from a trust building POV.

DIY is only going to take you so far. And while a Builder can build a lot of things, sometimes it takes an Expert to get you to excellence 💞

The Prototype + Momentum Gap

Oh, I've seen so many people go around and around in planning and NEVER get to building anything. After all, if we stay in the idea stage, we can't be proven wrong, right?

But businesses operate on the daily in the Messy Middle. It's by definition MESSY. Which means, we can NEVER plan to perfection. Which also means, we need to start somewhere.

And Builders are the ones to get us started.

A Builder is golden at "the first go"; at creating something that everything else can be layered on top of. But it's actually pretty difficult to create from scratch. And Builders are the ones who not only LIKE doing that, but can create things FAST—and with ENERGY—so you can "just start".

After all, what could an Optimizer even optimize if there's nothing to start from?

The Systems + Efficiency Gap

Every experienced a "leaky" part of your funnel? Or a total blockage in that same funnel? How about a complicated workflow that works...just not really well?

The thing about things that aren't efficient is that they feel harder than they should. And that difficulty almost always leads to you LOSING people (in the case of a funnel, LEADS) between the steps. If you can't keep leosing people that way, who do you turn to?

Optimizers, that's who!

Optimizers, by nature, are simplifiers. They tighten loose workflows. They upgrade systems to work more efficiently. They improve customer journeys. They patch holes in systems that drain both energy AND money from the orgnization. And, they measure what's meaningful along the way so things can CONTINUE to be improved.

Can you imagine a Visionary coming in to fix that kind of problem? Lets just not ;)

The Visibility + Reach Gap

Ever feel like you're putting out "marketing" that no one sees? I feel like this is where a lot of entrepreneurs end up...in a marketing world with no audience, no community growth, and great offers that never gain any momentum.

What that calls for is an Amplifier.

Because Amplifiers are the BEST at: 1) bringing energy, excitement and attention to things, 2) inviting their network to the table to spread the good word, 3) creating buzz that turns into referrals and 4) giving OXYGEN to your fire.

These Peeps? They LIVE to spread your message. And they are great at creating community WHILE they do that. And a Builder...just can't do it the same way.

You Don't Need ALL The Things

Every Marketing situation is unique. Which means, each one calls for something different. Which also means, there is ROOM for everyone to bring their natural contribution; without having to be ALL the things.

Because no one NEEDS all the things.

And when you can be honest about what YOU need from a Marketing perspective, you can find the help that you need.

Assuming of course, marketing resources have the self-awareness to know WHO they are, and which gaps they fill.

And have enough of an abundance mindset to believe they don't have to be ALL THINGS to all people to get a contract. Which, honestly, not all of them are.

But I'll tell you this. When YOU have the clarity of what you need, you can ask the questions that help you identify if that person can fill your gap in a meaningful way; after all, this is YOUR business💡

P.S. If you think you might need an Optimizer that has a deep connection to Authenticity, let's chat 🎉 I might just be the one to fill YOUR gap ;)