10 Common Mistakes When Hiring a Marketer

From e-commerce business owners to seasoned CEOs, ten industry leaders reveal common mistakes when hiring a marketer and the wisdom gained. Spanning from the importance of comprehensive interviews to ensuring industry knowledge, this article unpacks the diverse experiences that shape how businesses approach hiring marketers today. Discover the full spectrum of insights, starting with comprehensive interviews preventing toxic hires and concluding with ensuring industry knowledge in marketing hires.

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Mistakes When Hiring a Marketer: Comprehensive Interviews Preventing Toxic Hires

The biggest mistake was hiring a digital marketing associate solely on the recommendation of a close friend. It was a very short interview because I took this friend’s advice on almost everything. 

He ended up being very toxic to the entire office, always coming into the office in a bad mood, acting very arrogant, and not knowing nearly as much as I was told. After he was let go, reviewing the PC he used in our office revealed that most of the day was spent on car forums and doing his schoolwork. 

My recommendation to anyone hiring a marketer is to make sure you thoroughly interview them and even have other members of your team do it as well.

Jeff Michael, Ecommerce Business Owner, Moriarty’s Gem Art

Incorporating Analytical Skills in the Hiring Process

When hiring an in-house marketer, we initially focused too narrowly on evaluating marketing-related skills. We found a candidate with broad knowledge in the field, supported by numerous certificates from top-level education programs (i.e., Google Analytics, MBA). 

Unfortunately, during the hiring process, we overlooked a thorough evaluation of the candidates’ analytical skills, which is the crucial aspect to assess. This oversight resulted in numerous mistakes in analysis and ineffective budget disbursement, leading to financial losses. To prevent a similar issue in future hires, we recommend incorporating logical and analytical tasks into the hiring process for marketers. 

Additionally, we suggest implementing strict KPIs and closely monitoring their adherence. This approach will help identify and address potential problems at earlier stages.

Daria Erina, Managing Director, Linked Helper

Prioritizing Adaptability Over Industry Experience 

In the past, I failed to choose a suitable marketer because I prioritized industry experience over adaptability. I focused on selecting someone with industrial expertise who could succeed due to their understanding of a busy workplace. While market knowledge is very important, there should also be flexibility and open-mindedness. New technologies constantly develop, creating ever-changing marketing landscapes where different approaches are applied.

A candidate’s capacity to accommodate change, quick learning, and diversified talent employment is central to future success. I now only employ workers who have shown they can adjust and overcome new problems. Such assessment includes checking their problem-solving ability, learning readiness, and experience in successfully managing unfamiliar territory. This way, I aim to develop a marketing group that understands and flourishes in our competitive and evolving industry.

Faizan Khan, Public Relations and Content Marketing Specialist, Ubuy UK

Setting Realistic Expectations for Marketing Managers

Hiring a marketing manager and expecting them to do less is an entrepreneur’s biggest mistake. Put differently, they anticipate them to be a multi-talented individual. Of course, multitasking is the wrong way to approach your work, as entrepreneurs are well aware. It’s so ineffective that it may even impact your mental well-being. 

Nevertheless, many business owners count on their marketing manager to fulfill this duty. They count on them to handle their copywriting, graphic design, SEO, and other needs. This method is typically used when a CEO overestimates their marketing manager’s abilities and underestimates the time required to complete these tasks.

Axel Hernborg, Founder and CEO, Tripplo

Verifying Marketers’ Results Before Hiring

The biggest mistake I ever made when hiring a marketer was that I did not place enough emphasis on the results they were going to create for me. The marketer was an SEO agency that charged a monthly fee to manage and build out our SEO. 

We spent about eight months paying them $750 USD a month without any results to show for it, besides a bleeding bank account. The biggest lesson I learned here was that it’s very important to get the contact info of other clients they work with and to find out those clients’ exact results that the marketer has helped them achieve. 

Further, it’s incredibly important to place a large emphasis on results and find out what results the marketer can guarantee for you; otherwise, there will always be some excuse as to why the marketing company did not deliver.

Sebastian Jania, CEO, Ontario Property Buyers

Balancing Technical Skills with Cultural Fit

The biggest hiring mistake I encountered was focusing too much on a marketer’s technical abilities and not enough on how well they would fit into our company culture. I hired a highly skilled marketer, but their approach to work and interaction with the team didn’t align with our values and work environment. This mismatch affected team harmony and productivity.

This experience taught me the critical importance of considering a candidate’s cultural fit alongside their technical skills. Now, our hiring process includes evaluating how well a candidate’s values and work style align with our team’s ethos. This balanced approach has resulted in more harmonious teams and effective collaborations, highlighting that a good cultural fit is as vital as professional expertise.

Jon James, CEO, Ignited Results

Seeking Consistent Success in Marketing Hires

I remember hiring a contract marketer to work on a Facebook ads project. She could “talk the talk” and showed an example of her results for a client. However, my mistake was not asking to see results from multiple clients. I believe she had some luck with one client and used that to her own marketing advantage, but wasn’t able to replicate the results.

Kelli Anderson, Career Coach, Texas General Insurance

Defining Clear Marketing Goals Before Hiring

One common mistake many encounter when hiring a marketer is not having a clear vision in mind for their marketing goals. Marketing is ever-changing, but it’s important as a business owner to define what you want your marketing to achieve. From new business, brand awareness, and everything in-between, having a clear goal for your marketing is important so you can find the right match for skills and abilities!

Diane Howard, RN and Founder, Esthetic Finesse

Investing in Experience to Avoid Client Churn

The biggest mistake I made in hiring a marketer was prioritizing cost-saving over experience and expertise. Initially, I opted for someone less experienced and more affordable, but this decision proved to be short-sighted. It became clear that clients value exceptional work, which can only be consistently delivered by top-tier talent. 

This experience taught me a crucial lesson: the cost of client churn, resulting from average work, far exceeds the investment in hiring exceptional professionals. It underscored the importance of not compromising on talent, especially in roles directly impacting client satisfaction and business growth.

Justin Silverman, Founder and CEO, Merchynt

Ensuring Industry Knowledge in Marketing Hires

One significant mistake I made when hiring a marketer was rushing the recruitment process due to immediate needs. This led to hiring someone with impressive qualifications but insufficient experience in our industry. I learned the importance of patience and diligence in hiring, ensuring candidates not only possess the required skills but also understand the nuances of our niche. 

Subsequently, I implemented a more thorough vetting process, focusing on industry-specific knowledge alongside qualifications to find candidates who can better adapt and contribute to our marketing strategies effectively.

Simranjeet Singh, CEO, Search My Expert

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