How to hire the right Marketing Manager as a small business

31 Aug 2021

Struggling to find the perfect marketer for your growing business? At Stopgap, we have an abundance of knowledge when it comes to hiring Marketing Managers at any level.

 

Marketing is an invaluable element of a business, so it’s important to know what to look for when recruiting for a Marketing Manager. Here are a few things to consider when expanding your team:

 

Think about experience 

 

A Marketing Manager for a small company needs to be a good all-rounder…someone with a wide skillset! It’s common for a start-up to want someone with a much more ‘senior’ title, but it’s important to remember that they may only be a whizz in one area of marketing. Hiring someone with broader experience means they may not have in-depth knowledge of SEO but have a better perspective of general marketing trends. It’s a good idea to open your options up to mid-level candidates. They are enthusiastic and eager to learn on the job, grow with the company, and can bring new ideas. 

 

Priorities & Expectations 

 

A small business needs to have a sense of which primary areas they want to focus on when they hire a Marketing Manager. For example, if you’re in the Sales/Lead generation sector the chances are you’ll be better off with a Marketing Manager who has good performance marketing experience, and knowledge in SEO, PPC etc. Whereas, if you’re a clothing start-up, someone with brand experience and a creative eye would be more suited. 

 

It’s very rare that you’ll find someone who excels at everything they do, so it’s worth choosing a Marketing Manager with broad experience, but a specialist focus in one area. It could also be worth outsourcing certain areas, to allow your Marketing Manager to excel in their skillset and stop them being overworked! Juggling too much work can lead to an exhausted marketer. 

 

Budgeting 

 

It’s always useful for a Marketing Manager to know the budgets they’re working with. This can help with understanding which software/s to use, or to create a strategy that puts a focus on certain channels. Depending on your business, some types of marketing will come at a bigger cost than others. If you’re in a competitive industry for example, it’s more likely your budget will be allocated to varying forms of paid advertisement, so it’s important that your Marketing Manager knows which areas you are most interested in focusing on. 

 

As mentioned in prioritising your ‘type’ of marketing manager, it could also be worth outsourcing certain areas, depending on your budget, and even if only on a project-by-project basis. This could be more cost-efficient in the long run and allow your Marketing Manager to focus on other areas of the business. 

 

If you’re looking to expand your team and hire a Marketing Manager, get in touch and brief us!

 

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