The rise of the “Do-It-All” marketer — and why it’s hurting more than helping
If you’ve spent any time on LinkedIn recently, you’ve probably seen it: marketing job descriptions asking for everything under the sun. A “Marketing Executive” role that, in reality, requires a full digital team’s worth of skills. Companies are advertising for a single person to manage social media channels, run an SEO audit and deliver PPC campaigns, devise digital strategy, produce content, deliver monthly reports and analyse the performance data, update the website, and use insights to optimise future activity — often with the expectation they’ll also handle design, copywriting, and more.
It’s not just an unrealistic ask. It’s a recipe for burnout — and ultimately, ineffective marketing.
The multitasking myth
Let’s start here: multitasking is a myth.
While it might feel productive to bounce between tasks, studies consistently show that multitasking actually reduces efficiency and quality. The brain simply isn’t wired to switch gears rapidly and retain high performance across a wide range of complex skills.
Yet, many businesses still expect marketers to do exactly that — to wear 5, 6, even 10 different hats and switch between them at lightning speed.
“We just need someone hands-on who can hit the ground running and do a bit of everything.”
Sound familiar?
This mindset might stem from budget constraints, or a desire for agility. But in practice, it almost always leads to underperformance, burnout, and high turnover.
A day in the life of the “One-Person Marketing Team”
To illustrate the issue, let’s imagine the day-to-day of a typical “Do-It-All” marketing role:
- Morning: Review website analytics and prepare last month’s performance report.
- Mid-morning: Optimise ad spend in Google Ads and update SEO meta tags across core landing pages.
- Lunch: Jump into a strategy meeting to present campaign recommendations based on recent data.
- Afternoon: Draft a social post, film a quick video, and implement homepage updates.
- Late afternoon: Schedule paid and organic content across social platforms and document next steps.
Now ask yourself: Is any of that work being done well?
The reality is, even the most talented marketers have their strengths — no one excels at everything. And expecting them to do so doesn’t just reduce output — it risks compromising brand consistency, strategic clarity, and team morale.
Why this keeps happening
So why do so many companies still write “unicorn” job descriptions? (In marketing, a “unicorn” job description is a light-hearted term for a role so packed with expectations, it may as well require magic. It asks for one person to be a strategist, a content creator, an analyst, a designer, a PPC expert, an SEO guru, and more. It’s like asking someone to make a gourmet meal, redesign the kitchen, and invent the recipe — all at once, and by tomorrow. These job posts are often written with good intentions, but they assume that a single person can do the work of a full team. Spoiler alert: they can’t.)
- Budget limitations — Many growing businesses feel they can’t afford to hire multiple roles.
- Misunderstanding of marketing disciplines — Business leaders may not realise that copywriting, design, video production, and digital strategy are distinct, specialist skills.
- Speed over structure — When the pressure is on, the quickest solution seems to be finding one person to do it all.
But here’s the hard truth:
If your structure is broken, no amount of individual talent will fix it.
Hiring a generalist to do the work of an entire team isn’t a long-term solution. It’s a gamble.
What’s the alternative? Smarter, scalable marketing support
At Team Marketing, we were built to solve exactly this problem.
We work with ambitious businesses that know they need marketing to drive growth — but don’t have the resources, time, or internal bandwidth to build a full in-house team. Our outsourced model gives you access to a team of specialists — from strategists and content creators to digital marketers, designers, and more — all working in sync.
This isn’t about “outsourcing for the sake of it.” It’s about outsourcing with intent.
When you work with Team Marketing, you get:
- Strategic leadership without the cost of a CMO
- Creative execution that feels on-brand and on-message
- Access to specialists (copywriters, social pros, strategists)
- A flexible model that scales with your business
No more juggling everything internally. No more burning out your in-house talent. No more sacrificing quality for speed.
How to spot a broken marketing role (Before it breaks you)
For businesses and candidates alike, here are a few red flags to watch for in a job description:
🚩 The role includes 6+ core functions that would typically span multiple departments
🚩 Phrases like “must be a self-starter who thrives with minimal support” (i.e. “we don’t have a team”)
🚩 Salary that doesn’t reflect the scope of the responsibilities
🚩 Vague expectations, but highly specific deliverables
If you’re a company, writing this kind of role might feel efficient — but it won’t attract the right talent. If you’re a job seeker, taking on a role like this might feel like a challenge — but it won’t lead to long-term growth or job satisfaction.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth many companies don’t want to admit:
Most of our clients don’t actually know what they want from marketing. They come to us after trying to do everything themselves—or hiring a “unicorn” marketer—and end up overspending on the wrong things. They pour budget into shiny tools, trendy tactics, or random campaigns that don’t generate real business, and then get stuck with bloated overheads and no clear ROI.
This scattergun approach isn’t just inefficient—it’s expensive and exhausting. Your marketing spend should be strategic, focused, and aligned with clear business goals. If you don’t know what you need, you risk wasting precious budget on activities that sound good but don’t move the needle.
That’s why we developed our Marketing Support Needs Checklist. It’s designed to help you cut through the noise, identify what your business truly requires, and avoid the costly trap of overspending on irrelevant services.
Build a team, not a trap
Marketing is not one job — it’s a collection of complementary disciplines. Trying to squeeze them into one role is like asking your accountant to code your website or your HR manager to run sales. Each of these tasks — from paid search to social media to technical SEO — requires dedicated focus and expertise.
The best-performing brands understand this. They invest in structure. They think long-term. They build teams that complement each other’s skills — whether in-house, outsourced, or blended.
Final thoughts: The power of the right model
The “Do-It-All” role isn’t just unfair — it’s ineffective.
But the answer isn’t over-hiring. It’s right-hiring. Building a marketing function that’s flexible, focused, and built around your goals.
If you’re looking for one person to handle everything from PPC to content creation to analytics, the problem isn’t with the candidates — it’s with the structure. You don’t need a unicorn. You need a team that can flex around your needs.
If you’re feeling the pressure to deliver more with less — or if you’re struggling to find that mythical “one person who can do everything” — there’s a better way.
Let’s talk about how Team Marketing can support your growth with a smarter, scalable approach.
Visit teammarketing.co.uk to learn more about our outsourced services.
You don’t need a unicorn.
You need a Team.
Consider us your new integrated marketing team. Whether you need full outsourced solutions, targeted content creation, SEO audits, or strategic sessions, we’re here to build marketing that works.
Team Marketing brings you experienced Marketing Consultants offering a wide range of digital and traditional marketing services, including outsourced delivery, training, mentoring, and workshops. We offer flexible charging—hourly, contract, retained, or project-by-project—to ensure our services are affordable for any business size and budget.
We take a hands-on approach, helping businesses audit, plan, implement, and track their marketing activity. By simplifying terminology and processes, we make the often-daunting world of marketing easier to understand, manage, and deliver, effectively becoming your internal marketing department without the overhead.
