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How to create a marketing plan for your small business - build a brand, target customers and set prices that will maximise sales.

The internet has transformed business marketing. No matter what you do, the internet is likely to be at the heart of your marketing strategy.

Social media is firmly established as a marketing tool. Having a presence opens up new lines of communication with existing and potential customers.

Good advertising puts the right marketing message in front of the right people at the right time, raising awareness of your business.

Customer care is at the heart of all successful companies. It can help you develop customer loyalty and improve relationships with your customers.

Sales bring in the money that enables your business to survive and grow. Your sales strategy will be driven by your sales objectives.

Market research exists to guide your business decisions by giving you insight into your market, competitors, products, marketing and your customers.

Exhibitions and events are valuable for businesses because they allow face-to-face communication and offer opportunities for networking.

Hiring a marketer - five things you should be looking for

Businesses need effective marketing to build successful, long-lasting connections with their clients. To develop a successful plan, marketers must choose how to use their limited resources most effectively.

Competent marketers should be able to handle several areas of marketing at once and be aware of how those components interact. They can also traverse the subtleties of a constantly evolving sector. It's crucial to consider a candidate's unique soft talents to achieve a successful recruitment process.

Working with freelancers and full-time marketers is crucial for all businesses, and firms must recognise the traits and abilities that set the best marketers apart. During the hiring process, soft skills like knowledge of marketing and technical skills, as well as the intangible traits that set a person apart, can be evaluated.

This article offers advice on how to identify and work with the best marketers. So, keep reading!

Recent developments in the marketing industry

Businesses require a coordinated approach comprising three key areas to survive and grow in today's market:

  • establishing their brand
  • developing successful marketing campaigns
  • developing an excellent workplace culture.

To achieve this, the brand must be positioned, powerful marketing campaigns must be developed, and a great workplace culture must be established.

Due to easier access to user data and changes in customer behaviour, marketing has altered. Customer experience models need a proactive approach since it typically takes ten customer touchpoints for a customer to make a purchase or to employ a business.

Businesses can fulfil their brand promise by mapping every stage of the ideal customer's journey, from the first contact through to the delivery of the goods or service. Customer retention, improved referral rates, positive reviews and comments, and business growth are all influenced by providing excellent customer service.

Qualities to look for in a good marketer

When you're crafting the marketing job descriptions for your organisation, there are a number of things that you need to keep in mind. Here are some of the main skills and qualities you should include in your job descriptions when hiring a marketer:

1. Excellent communication skills

Because communication is at the heart of marketing, any marketer must possess strong communication abilities. Good communication skills usually signify good leadership, too.

Good communication skills facilitate the following:

  • persuading internal stakeholders to back your plans
  • justifying requests for increased budgets
  • explaining marketing performance data
  • controlling the response to missed goals
  • explaining the thinking behind a project's creative or copy
  • giving feedback to a teammate on how to make something better

Examining a candidate's cover letter, speaking with them in person, and analysing their writing samples are crucial to judging a candidate's communication abilities. The cover letter should include a compelling justification of why they are the right candidate for the job, which should be short and to the point.

Evaluate their responses to difficult interview questions. In the situational exercise, ask them to report to the customer about the business in a fictional setting.

2. Social media savvy

Our research shows that social media is still a top competency for content marketers. It is recommended that businesses invest in social media management training for their interns to ensure they have the appropriate abilities.

Understanding how to publish on different platforms is only one aspect of social media.It's crucial that you choose a candidate with industry knowledge. A competent expert is needed since social media is a potent instrument that can create or damage a company's reputation.

Recognising the significance of social media know-how is crucial, and employing talented people for these jobs is an investment. When hiring a marketer, you should look for a candidate that can handle social media and other essentialcontent marketing duties.

3. Emotional intelligence

Product marketers must possess great emotional intelligence and be skilled problem solvers to excel in their position. To develop and market items that resonate with their target audience, marketers should also have a thorough awareness of customers' requirements and preferences.

The goal of emotionally intelligent marketing efforts is to balance providing value whilst connecting with consumers. Understanding their target audience's emotions will help marketers develop marketing strategies that meet their needs and wants and position their business as a reliable partner.

Additionally, marketing campaigns can learn much about what is effective and what needs to be improved by looking at how their audience emotionally reacts to them.

4. Results driven

The most crucial information in this article is that results-driven marketers concentrate their attention on the company's objectives and don't let eye-catching vanity metrics or opinions divert them. When individuals concentrate on results rather than merely the energy or technique utilised to achieve it, they are more likely to make deliberate, strategic judgments.

By asking candidates how they would define success, you can gauge how results-oriented they are. With this question, employers can identify applicants who align their efforts with the company's aims and objectives.

You should also ask candidates to discuss a project they have led and how well it went. This gives candidates the opportunity to exhibit their capacity to produce measurable results and contribute to the organisation's development by concentrating on results.

5. Informed about the latest marketing trends

In order to reach and engage their target audience successfully, marketers must keep up with the latest trends and technology.This is because marketing is continuously changing. This necessitates a readiness to change and test out novel approaches and techniques.

The best marketers strive to get their organisations to where they need to be in 12 or 18 months' time rather than trying to replicate what is working now.

Asking candidates about their preferred knowledge sources and methods for staying up to date with marketing trends can help you determine whether candidates are open to trying new approaches.

This will enable you to evaluate their eagerness to try out novel strategies to beat the competition.

Hiring freelancers for your marketing team

The best place tofind a freelance marketer is on one of the freelance marketplaces. They will have many professional marketers listed with various specialities and skill levels.

Before making a choice, it is crucial to carefully consider each applicant's credentials, experience, and references. Consider doing a test project or activity to evaluate their abilities and fit with your team.

Find a freelance marketplace that offers the following:

  • An extensive talent pool.
  • A range of expertise and specific talents.
  • The ability to check a marketer's portfolio of prior work.
  • Employer and buyer ratings and reviews.
  • Internal communication channels.
  • A system that safeguards your financial interests.

Conclusion

By following the advice above you will be well on your way to finding the best marketers for your organisation who put their skills and experiences to the benefit of your business.

Copyright 2023. Guest Post.

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