“A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.”
You may have heard this quote floating around the internet in think pieces about the roles of generalists and specialists in the gig economy.
So I’ll weigh in—is a “jack of all trades, master of none” actually better than a master of one?
In a word, no. Specialization is paramount to marketing performance.
If you’re building an internal execution team, you might be tempted to hire marketing generalists who can do a little bit of everything. But your team’s depth of expertise is often the differentiating factor between an effective campaign and a lackluster one.
Following is a deeper dive into the three main pitfalls of generalists in such a specialized world:
The Depth Versus Breadth Dilemma
A generalist, by definition, has a broad range of knowledge. They know a little about a lot. This breadth can be an advantage in roles that require multitasking across various disciplines such as operations leaders, project managers, account managers, and human resources leaders.
However, marketing in today’s digital age demands depth. Platforms like Google and Facebook, with their intricate and ever-changing algorithms, require a depth of understanding that only a specialist can offer. A generalist might know how to run a Google Ads campaign, but a specialist would know how to optimize it for maximum MROI.
Likewise, when a marketing campaign isn’t performing as expected, a generalist might provide a surface-level solution, while a specialist can dig deep, understand the intricacies, and offer a more effective, targeted remedy.
Lack of Precision in Execution, Creating Inefficiencies and Waste
Imagine needing a delicate surgery and being operated on by a general practitioner instead of a surgeon specialized in that procedure. The analogy holds in marketing.
A generalist might be able to draft content, design graphics, or even run an ad campaign, but the precision and finesse that come with specialization make a significant difference in outcomes.
In marketing, inefficiencies are costly. If a generalist uses the wrong keywords, targets the wrong audience, or even misallocates a budget across platforms, the financial implications can be significant. A specialist ensures that every dollar spent is optimized for maximum return.
Lack of Continuous Learning in Any One Specialty
Marketing is not a static field; it’s wildly dynamic, with trends, tools, and tactics changing daily. A generalist, already spread thin across multiple disciplines, may find it challenging to keep up with continuous learning in every needed specialty. In contrast, a specialist, with their focused approach, will find it easier to stay up to date within their domain, ensuring they always employ the best practices, anticipating shifts and preparing strategies to be leveraged in real time.
So, while generalists bring value to a great many situations, the intricate world of marketing demands specialized expertise. In marketing, you need more than just the proverbial hammer to which everything looks like a nail. You need the entire toolbox, with each tool focused on its specific purpose.
In marketing, you need more than just the proverbial hammer to which everything looks like a nail.
If you have marketing generalists on board who have grit, courage, and deep critical-thinking skills—three essential and challenging-to find traits in your results-guaranteed marketing team—but they lack specialized skills, either invest in their continuous development along one specific specialty or pair them with an agency partner that carries complementary skills.
To achieve predictable marketing outcomes, always look for the masters of one over the masters of none.
By Lori Turner-Wilson, RedRover CEO/Founder, Internationally Best-Selling Author of The B2B Marketing RevolutionTM: A Battle Plan for Guaranteed Outcomes
Taking Action
Paying for performance is one of hundreds of best practices found in The B2B Marketing RevolutionTM: A Battle Plan for Guaranteed Outcomes — the playbook that middle-market B2B CEOs and marketing leaders lean on to scale. Backed by a groundbreaking research study, this book offers time-tested best practices, indispensable KPIs for benchmarking, insights on where your dollars are best spent, and, above all, the proven 12 BattlesTM Framework for generating guaranteed marketing outcomes. The B2B Marketing RevolutionTM is a battle-hardened approach to becoming an outcomes-first leader who’s ready to shake up the status quo, invest in high-payoff market research and optimization, and — yes — even torch what’s not serving your endgame. Download more than 50 templates, scripts and tools from the book on the Battle Reader Hub.
If you’d like to talk about how to build a marketing engine that delivers predictable results — whether you want to build it yourself or tag in our team to lead the way — we’d be delighted to help you get started. Just book a call with Jee Vahn Knight, our VP of Strategy.
