There’s no sugar-coating it. Marketing leaders are being squeezed from every direction.

Budgets are flatlining, headcount is under pressure, and the remit just keeps growing. From brand to performance, digital to CX, internal comms to employer branding, if it touches a customer or drives value, marketing’s name is on it.

And yet, the resources to deliver on all of that? Often static. Or worse, shrinking.

Marketing Week’s 2025 Career & Salary Survey reveals the reality: 54.9% of marketers are now being asked to do more with less, a steep climb from 40.1% the year before. It's not just happening in startups or scaleups; it’s playing out across global teams, heritage brands, and everything in between.

And senior marketers? You're on the hook not just to deliver, but to protect team morale, prove ROI, and lead the charge on innovation.

So, what does “doing more with less” really look like? Here’s what we’re seeing from the most effective marketing leaders right now, and how you can apply it too.

1. Prioritise with purpose, not panic

When resources are tight, the temptation is to stretch everything thinner. But spreading your team across too many priorities is a fast track to burnout and underperformance.

Instead, shift the mindset from “how can we do it all?” to “what actually moves the needle?” That means getting ruthless with your marketing priorities. What drives revenue? What supports strategic business goals? What could you stop doing altogether?

Fewer things, done better, almost always outperforms trying to be everywhere at once.

2. Rethink your team’s effectiveness, not just efficiency

Efficiency is about output. Effectiveness is about impact.

Too many teams chase speed - more campaigns, more assets, more emails. But in this environment, effectiveness is about slowing down just enough to get it right.

That might mean:

  • Creating clear, shared campaign objectives across functions
  • Getting your team closer to commercial metrics
  • Giving people the autonomy and clarity to make decisions without constant approvals

Doing more with less isn’t about working harder...it’s about working smarter, together.

3. Upskill to unlock hidden potential

Here’s a hard truth: when budgets shrink, training is often the first thing cut. But in reality, upskilling is one of the most cost-effective ways to unlock growth.

Your team already has talent. But are they confident in using it? Do they have the leadership skills, strategic thinking, or commercial acumen to step up?

Investing in focused development doesn’t just lift capability...it drives accountability, ownership, and momentum. You don’t need more people. You need to get more from the brilliant people you’ve already got.

Want to lead your team through the ‘more with less’ era?

If you’re feeling the pressure, you’re not alone. But there is a smarter way to lead your team through it.

We’ve captured the strategies that are working in businesses like yours in our eBook: Elevate Your Marketing Team’s Effectiveness: Three Key Strategies for Success

This free guide will show you how to:

  • Focus on the priorities that drive results
  • Make collaboration more seamless and strategic
  • Equip your team with the skills to do more, without burning out

Download the eBook now and find practical ways to increase impact without increasing workload.

You might not have the luxury of bigger budgets or bigger teams right now. But you do have the power to lead with clarity, build smarter systems, and unlock more from what you already have.

That’s what great marketing leaders do. Especially when times get tough.