My First 90 Days as a Marketing Team Manager
Every team is different, so I start by listening. Here is the framework I follow.
DAYS 1-30
Listen
-
Hold a 1:1 with every team member
to learn their strengths, goals, and what slows them down -
Meet Sales, Product, Finance,
and agency partners to learn
how marketing is measured
and what they need -
Audit channels, budget, tools,
and the last four quarters of results -
Sit in on campaign reviews
and reporting to see how
decisions get made -
Pick two or three quick wins
and flag risks early
KPIs I TRACK
Conversion rate, cost per lead, CAC, ROAS, budget variance, on-time campaign delivery, team engagement pulse
I use AI to speed up the audit, such
as summarizing past reports and spotting patterns in 1:1 feedback
and performance data. It saves
time, but it is never required.
AI NOTE
DAYS 31-60
Build
-
Set team goals tied to business
goals, with a clear owner for each KPI -
Establish the team rhythm: weekly team meeting, regular 1:1s, and a monthly performance review
-
Document playbooks, briefs,
and templates for recurring work -
Fix the biggest friction points
from month one: handoffs,
approvals, and reporting -
Build a development plan for
each person on the team
KPIs I TRACK
Leads and pipeline sourced by marketing, cost per lead, conversion rate by channel, campaign calendar adherence, reporting turnaround time
I pilot AI on repetitive work like first-draft copy, reporting summaries, and variant testing so the team gets time back. The team decides what sticks.
AI NOTE
DAYS 61-90
Scale
-
Present findings and a plan to leadership, with 6-month and
12-month targets -
Roll out the playbooks,
templates, and training -
Shift budget toward the
channels earning their spend -
Launch cross-team habits like
a Sales feedback loop and a
shared launch calendar -
Give team members stretch assignments that prepare
them for their next role
KPIs I TRACK
CAC and ROAS trend against baseline, revenue or pipeline contribution, budget pacing, campaign cycle time, goal attainment, team engagement
I turn what worked in the pilot into a team standard, with training and a prompt library. At Providence, an AI workflow for email and SMS saved approximately $250K and lifted
open rates 12.75% year over year.
AI NOTE