Perfect Organic Marketing Hiring - What to Ask for?
Being a small business owner means that you will be in charge of everything, from selling the product to managing the finances.
One of the most important components of a business is marketing; get it right and a whole series of new doors will open, providing new and exciting opportunities.
Of course, that means actually getting it right. With this in mind, you may be considering hiring a marketer who can solely focus on this side of the business.
However, it can be difficult to know which skill sets need to be added first and which can be added sometime in the future.
Here are 5 things to ask when looking to hire the perfect marketer to help your business grow.
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Do I really need a marketer right now?
This is arguably the most important part of the entire hiring process. After all, as a small business owner’ you’re probably not rolling around in a bath full of cash right now.
However, if you are thinking that it’s best to go solo in the marketing journey, you’re not heading in the right direction. You must be thinking about what your skills are and they are best served in the business.
Unless your business is a marketing agency, marketing probably isn’t something that you will be naturally good at. It takes a lot more than you think to create and run a good marketing campaign.
There are back-end issues to consider, technical search engine optimization services and issues, what content works best in certain niche; the list goes on.
If you really do know how to tackle these issues, then go ahead and continue as the marketing manager. If not, then you should be spending more time on the aspects of the business that will make you the most money.
The question then becomes whether you should be looking to hire someone to do it in-house or employing an external agency.
Should I hire in-house or outsource?
There are benefits to both options:
In-house marketers:
- Dedicate all their time your business
- Have no restrictions when creating innovative campaigns
- Are not consigned to the service you’ve paid for
External marketers:
- Are experts in their field
- Help you learn and gain the necessary skills
- Let you know how often you need their services based on their output
However, there are a lot more things to take care of when hiring in-house. There is also the employment factor to consider. When you hire in-house, they will become an employee of the business, thus making you an employer.
Employers must ensure that employees are paid salaries, of which they need to figure out and deduct the tax due in terms of NI or social security, as well as compulsory pension contributions.
Employers must also be aware of the legal of implications of taking on an employee, which may require paying out for legal advice and drawing up contracts of employment etc.
Finally, hiring someone to do it in-house is going to be a lot more expensive than contracting an experienced agency to do it for you.
If you haven’t got the time or money to handle an employee, hiring an agency or freelancer is probably the best option.
Whatever route you choose, the most important thing is that they are the right fit for the business.
How do I know they are the right fit for my business?
No marketer is the same. When it comes to creating a marketing campaign, they will all have different visions of what direction your business needs to travel.
You need to be hiring someone that shares the same vision as you.
From your side, you must be totally clear to the marketer about what you want. If they can’t get on board, you know they’re not the right choice. Set expectations that are realistic and demonstrate results throughout the process.
What do I need to ask them?
One business’ bad fit may be the perfect solution for another. The only way you can tell if they’ll be right for you is by asking them questions. The perfect marketers will listen to what you, the business owner, wants rather than forcing their own ideas.
First and foremost, you need to be asking them questions that test their knowledge of your industry. If they don’t have a clue but offer up a series of solutions anyway, tell them ‘thanks but no thanks’.
Ask them further questions such as:
- What do you know about my business specifically, rather than the business sector?
- How do you like to communicate and how often?
- How long have you been a marketer for in this field?
The more you get to know about them upfront, the more confident you’ll be with your selection.
You’ll also need to know about the specific skillsets a marketer has.
What skillsets are most important?
The most valuable skills a marketer will possess are:
- Design
- Database management
- Website development
- Advanced link-building techniques
- Content creation
These are mandatory to help promote your product or service in the marketplace.
However, content creation is going to be the most important of them all. This is because high quality content that provides value to a customer increases organic rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs) which, in turn, generates more leads.
Good content creators spend a significant amount of their time creating premium content for the organization, such as eBooks, how to guides and customer case studies. Once this content is developed, it can be used to grow your opt-in list of prospects effectively.
The best creators also have a good knack for social media. They will know the types of content that are best shared on a particular platform and be active in growing a network. Additionally, they should be capable in consistently moving casual visitors from social networks to company sponsored websites and landing pages.
The marketing position is very important to how your business will grow over the coming months and years.
Follow these 5 steps and you’ll find hiring the perfect marketer for your business easy and manageable.