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6 Traits To Look For When Hiring A Marketer

6 TRAITS TO LOOK FOR WHEN HIRING A MARKETER
 November 21, 2023 |  Business Tips, Marketing, Franchise |  hiring, training, small business, business growth

By Kimberly Stevens, NPI, Inc.'s Marketing & Business Coach

Entrepreneurs tend to start off their business solo, or if they’re lucky, they can tap into spouses or family members for help. Eventually, as business picks up and they begin to struggle to keep up with the demand, marketing efforts tend to be some of the first activities that begin to fall off. This situation isn’t all bad, of course! But once a business pulls back on marketing, that inevitably means that they’ll end up missing out on opportunities for further growth - leaving work either on the table for the competition, or leaving would-be clients’ needs unmet.

Of course, business owners aren’t simply doomed to fall into this trap! They have options: first, to allow software to take marketing efforts off their hands, such as through scheduled social media posting, recurring email campaigns, or automated review gathering. Once these routes have been explored, though, it’s time to face the facts. It’s time for some extra help.

Inviting a new voice into a small business can be incredibly exciting, and somewhat terrifying at the same time. After all, a bad hire could result in a time, effort, and money investment loss that’s much more difficult to recover from in comparison to when a larger company makes a similar mistake. On the other hand, hiring a great employee can have an astonishing impact, helping the company reach goals that were unimaginable in the past.

A great first person to hire is a marketer - someone to take marketing efforts off of the owner’s plate, and to launch new, ambitious campaigns. While hiring can be tough, there are a few traits owners can look for in a marketer that should set them up for success!

They Are A “People Person”
Marketers are outgoing, conversational, and totally comfortable approaching a wide variety of people with confidence. While most jobs demand some “people skills,” marketers shine when they love meeting new people and being an advocate for the business. Between attending networking events, or even organizing their own, great marketing employees should have a high tolerance for interacting with people and building relationships.

Often, a marketing employee can become the “face” of the company, so it’s important to find someone who can easily keep up a conversation and capture your attention. These skills are also important if this is the person answering the phone or scheduling future meetings. The best marketers are curious and interested in people.

They Are A Good Conversationalist
Building upon this first point, business owners may be drawn to hire the first candidate who knows how to start and control a conversation, but while becoming energized through social interaction is important, knowing how to talk does not mean a person is a great conversationalist. When working in an industry where relationship growth is key, a good conversationalist is someone who knows about the give and take of discussions.

Even though a candidate might be capable of continuing a conversation all by themselves, marketers should know when to take a step back, invite someone else to take control, and take their turn to become an active listener. When people feel that they made a contribution and were included in an interaction, they are much more likely to walk away feeling positive about the experience and, in the context of running a business, these skills lead to more referrals, more positive reviews, and more opportunities for collaborations in the future.

Note: Sometimes it can be tough to determine a potential employee’s communication style and personality type through a single interview. In these situations, it can be valuable to have candidates take a personality or behavioral test such as a DISC assessment. For example, a marketer with both an ‘I’ and ‘S’ behavioral type might find more success than someone with only an ‘I’ type.

They Are An Engaging Storyteller
Social people tend to also be great storytellers, but this is not always the case! In the field of marketing, storytelling goes beyond simply capturing another person’s attention. Effective storytelling in marketing means being able to communicate complex, industry-specific topics or detailed services to their audience in a way that is not only easily understood, but also shows how their product or service fits a need.

On a full marketing team, this ability to tell stories is divided into different mediums from copywriting, to graphic design, to photography, and maybe even over to videography. Together, marketers are able to create an easily digestible piece of advertising that proves the business’ value, drives attention, and moves clients to schedule an appointment or make a purchase. On a smaller team, a marketer that has a bit of experience in copywriting, graphic design, or another creative field can certainly come in handy and may be a sign that you’ve found a storyteller.

They Are An Innovator
The best marketers are bold and unafraid to try new things. The truth is that in marketing for small businesses, the options can often seem endless. Some can drown in all of these options, and others can find themselves getting too comfortable with one or two marketing outlets that seem successful enough. Keeping costs down is important, of course, but an unwillingness to explore new campaigns or exciting opportunities guarantees that you’ll miss out on that next new breakthrough, or that new strategy that could take the business to the next stage.

The one caveat that should be specified with this character trait in mind, though, is that honesty is so important! Sometimes, marketers can get excited about a new advertisement or a new campaign concept, only to find out that it isn’t effective or it doesn’t lead to enough conversions to be worthwhile. Though it may be painful, sometimes marketers may have to say goodbye to a project that they worked hard on. Good marketers are willing to innovate. Great marketers know when to redirect their efforts.

They Are Organized
Marketers have to juggle a lot of projects and responsibilities all at once, and this is especially true when working in a small business setting. Because of this, finding candidates with great organizational skills is highly recommended. Marketers have the digital side to worry about (posting to social media, organizing email campaigns, and managing Google ads) while also managing relationships with agents and clients (including keeping track of family members, birthdays/anniversaries, or just names of regular referral sources).

Though some people compartmentalize their organizational skills, people that are great about showing up on time or people that keep an orderly desk space will probably also have the capability to manage many different projects at once. Of note: some employees may have a tendency to take on too much and risk burn-out! Owners should be sensitive to all of their team members’ workloads, and recognize when it’s time to step in and remove some responsibilities.

They Are Independent
Lastly, one trait that comes in handy in pretty much every role in a small business, but is particularly crucial for marketers, is independence. With fewer employees in a small business, each team member’s ability to operate on their own with little oversight becomes increasingly impactful. Obviously, hiring a new employee isn’t worthwhile if the business owner has to hold their hand through every action and decision, but marketers are also expected to make judgment decisions based on their specialties. The ideal marketing employee should be able to add knowledge and experience beyond what the owner has themselves.

A few things to look for in a capable, independent team member is maturity, responsibility, and a willingness to hold themselves accountable. Sometimes, this might mean allowing an employee to grow into this role as trust is built between them and the business owner, but eventually, gaining the ability to operate on their own will become essential in running a successful small business.

Being ready to expand your team is so exciting! But, did you know that NPI’s corporate marketing team can help you with many marketing tasks before you make that hire? Contact your NPI marketing team today to collaborate on setting up your next marketing campaign! Want to learn more about the benefits of franchising with National Property Inspections? Click here.

About the Author
Kimberly Stevens, Marketing & Business Coach
The baby of eight children, Kimberly learned quickly to master the art of communication in order to be heard. She has been with NPI for more than 15 years and is passionate about getting to know our franchisees. Kimberly is a certified marketing and business coach, trainer and speaker, leading training seminars, one-to-one coaching and more. She's a high-energy, fiery red head and an eternal optimist. Her greatest joy is celebrating our franchisees’ victories!