You’re not alone if you want to hire a marketer for your business but need help figuring out how to do it. Finding the right person for this position can be challenging, especially since the role is so broad.
What exactly do marketers do anyway? And what separates one from the other? Should you hire someone with experience in your industry, or can you find someone with general marketing skills?
There are many different types of marketers, but some roles may suit particular industries better than others. Here are five tips to help you hire an effective marketer for your business.
Where to find them
Suppose you’re considering looking for a marketing expert to help you with your business. In that case, knowing what you expect them to do is essential. Marketing is a vast umbrella term; it can mean everything from advertising to social media, writing press releases, or even making personal appearances on your company’s behalf. If you need clarification about what you want or need someone to do for your business, how will you know if they’re the right person? It would help if you were clear about what you want the marketer to achieve and how they’ll do it.
The best way to ensure that the person hired gets what you need is by setting goals. There are many types of goal-setting systems: SMART goals, OKRs (Objectives and Key Results), and so on. But your plans can be simple. In fact, as a general rule, the simpler, the better. Once you’ve defined what success in this area will look like, it should be possible for anyone—even yourself—to identify whether or not those goals have been met at any given time during their tenure with your company.
Experience
With so many marketing agencies competing for your business, it’s critical to understand the value of a professional marketing portfolio. A portfolio is a collection of past work your marketing professional has done. It is almost as important as their resume in hiring a marketing agency. While they can’t talk about confidential projects they’ve worked on, they should be able to show you examples of their best work: campaigns that have been well-received by their clients’ customers and even won awards for creativity or effectiveness. Suppose a potential agency only talks about how nice or personable they are and doesn’t mention any of their previous work. In that case, you should question whether they’ve ever done professional marketing.
Communication
A good marketer will be skilled in communication and likely be able to convey their ideas and knowledge. A good interview with a marketing expert will give you a good idea of how they communicate, how they think, and what they know. Of course, only some marketers will agree to an interview unless the client is serious about hiring their services.
If you’re looking for a marketing expert, hiring one that can drive your business forward is essential. You can ask many questions during the discovery call with an expert like this about the marketing process and what can be achieved by using them. The ideal scenario would be that this person understands that business owners don’t have time for all the different elements of running a company. They could also help you find ways to work smarter and not more complicated when marketing your firm online or otherwise.
Price
When it comes to marketing, the more expensive, the better; while this is not necessarily true, it’s easy to get caught up in a service that seems as though it’s worth every penny. This is especially true when wanting to expand a business quickly or just trying to get noticed.
When choosing a marketing agency, it is vital to have a budget in mind. The quote you receive will vary depending on the person or company you choose. Many marketing agencies will offer free consultations to discuss what you are looking for and how they can help your small business succeed.
Availability
A common problem is hiring a marketer focused on too many projects simultaneously. They may tell you they have time to help out, but the reality is that they are stretched thin and cannot devote enough time to your project. If your business demands a fast turnaround time on marketing materials, using someone with many commitments might mean you don’t get your materials in a timely fashion. Likewise, suppose you need to respond faster to or answer the marketer’s questions. In that case, this can delay the project even further as they wait for a response from you.
When hiring your marketer, ensure both of your timelines are clear, and their workload is manageable within those constraints. At the same time, it might seem like an added expense initially, but getting someone who can work quickly and on schedule is worth the investment for most businesses.
Hire a marketer you like
While there certainly aren’t any hard and fast rules when it comes to hiring a marketing professional for your business, there are some basic guidelines that you can follow. By learning what you need to know before beginning the search, you will be able to find the right marketer for you confidently. Contact us immediately!
