11 Essential Skills and Qualities of a Marketing Professional and What to Look for When Hiring a Marketer

In the quest to uncover the most sought-after skills and qualities of a marketing professional, we’ve gathered insights from a diverse range of industry leaders, including CEOs and Digital Marketing Managers. From prioritizing data-driven decision-making to emphasizing adaptability in an ever-changing field, explore the eleven key traits these experts recommend when hiring a marketer.

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Prioritize Data-Driven Decision-Making is one of the Qualities of a Marketing Professional.

I prioritize a specific skill and qualities of a marketing professional when hiring a marketer: the candidate should have data-driven decision-making ability. Data is king in today’s marketing landscape. 

Prioritize a marketer who can leverage analytics to track campaigns, measure performance, and optimize insight-based strategies. Look for experience with relevant analytics tools, the ability to interpret data clearly, and a data-driven approach to problem-solving.

Fahad Khan, Digital Marketing Manager, Ubuy India

Seek Creativity and Digital Proficiency

One of the essential qualities of a marketing professional is creativity. Marketing often requires out-of-the-box thinking to develop interesting campaigns that resonate with the target audience and differentiate the brand in a crowded market.

Digital proficiency is increasingly important. Qualities of a marketing professional should be adept with various digital marketing tools and platforms, including social media, search engine optimization (SEO), and data analytics. This skill ensures they can effectively leverage digital channels to reach and engage customers.

Finally, a strong marketer should exhibit great teamwork and collaboration skills. Marketing efforts often involve coordinating with different departments and external partners, requiring the ability to work effectively in diverse teams and manage cross-functional projects is one of the qualities of a marketing professional.

Kimberley Tyler-Smith, VP of Strategy and Growth, Resume Worded

Value Efficient Research Skills

While it is a top priority for the qualities of a marketing professional to be both innovative and creative, I have gathered from my experience that their ability to productively replicate these skills hinges on how efficient a researcher they are.

When hiring marketers, I prioritize candidates who understand the techniques of conducting both qualitative and quantitative marketing research. With marketing, whether digitally or traditionally, creativity always plays a supporting role in efficient research. 

The fact is, without efficient research, or the lack thereof, it would be highly unlikely that a marketer could come up with marketing content that encourages customers to take the desired action. 

Also, when a marketer is deficient as a researcher, it would be difficult for them to adequately segment and personalize marketing content, and this is crucial for success, especially in today’s highly digitized market.

Grace Chisom, Marketing Manager, Check CPS

Look for Inquisitive Marketers

Inquisitiveness is up there among my key traits when hiring a marketer. Something that I’ve seen more than once is a marketing team that hits on a method of success and then does their best to continue to ride that wave without taking the time to fully break down why they achieved that success. 

Usually, this means they have another win or two before slowly losing it, without quite knowing why it might be happening. Always staying on the lookout and being willing to look deeper is extremely important for marketers I’d want to work with.

Kate Kandefer, CEO, SEOwind

Appreciate Self-Started Marketing Experience

I like hiring marketers who have done something on their own, be it selling on eBay or Amazon, starting a YouTube channel, or even starting a blog. This displays a lot of things I’m looking for in a new hire. 

First, it shows you’re a self-starter; it shows you’re capable of doing something without me having to hold your hand. For example, if you’re able to figure out how to set up a YouTube channel, how to make thumbnails, and how to make and edit videos, there are three to four valuable skill sets right there that you’ve shown you have at least some skill level at. 

I don’t even really care how large or successful the channel or account is, just the fact that you’ve done it. When people come out of school with a marketing degree, they know some marketing theory, but very few have any actual skills. I normally have to show people what Canva is and how to use it, how to set up an email for an email marketing campaign, and so on. 

Someone who’s done affiliate marketing or opened a Shopify store not only has some of these skills already, but I also know they can start learning and picking up some of this stuff on their own without hand-holding.

John Frigo, E-commerce Manager, Best Price Nutrition

Focus on Brand Management Expertise

With hiring a marketer, brand management is a critical skill I look for because it plays a central role in shaping how a company is perceived by its target audience and the broader market. A well-managed brand is easily recognizable, helping consumers identify and remember the brand in a crowded marketplace.

A well-defined brand also helps to provide a framework for employees, guiding their behavior and decision-making. Brand management helps ensure employees understand and embody the brand values, contributing to a cohesive organizational culture.

During an interview, I examine the marketer’s portfolio to see examples of their previous work, including branding campaigns, marketing collateral, and materials. You want to look for consistency in brand messaging, visual elements, and the ability to convey a cohesive brand identity. 

A strong brand manager adheres to established brand guidelines, so don’t be afraid to ask the marketer about their experience working within brand guidelines and their approach to maintaining consistency.

Melissa Ng, Business Development and Operations Manager, AppSalon

Emphasize Analytical and Communication Skills

A marketer with strong data-analysis skills can decipher consumer behavior, spot patterns, and formulate data-driven choices that inform marketing tactics. This ability enables ROI measurement, optimized marketing strategies, and targeted advertising.

Adaptability, along with innovation, is another crucial trait I look for. A marketer who can come up with creative concepts and change course in response to changing consumer demands and market conditions gives campaigns new insights. Their adaptability allows them to quickly change course in a competitive environment and effectively engage a variety of audiences through creative means.

It is crucial to have excellent written and verbal communication abilities. A marketer who can successfully communicate concepts, create messages that grab attention, and work well with cross-functional teams can ensure a consistent brand presence across a variety of media. 

Proficiency in communication enables one to effectively communicate the core values and marketing goals of a business to its intended audience, hence cultivating brand loyalty and engagement.

It is important to remember that in a constantly changing sector, the success and efficacy of marketing campaigns are heavily influenced by hiring marketers who possess a combination of strong communication skills, creative flexibility, and analytical aptitude.

Matt Little, Owner, Festoon House

Ensure Integrity in Marketing Practices

When hiring a marketer, one of the qualities of a marketing professional I look for is integrity. It’s essential that our team not only attract customers but also build trust. This means never over-promising or under-delivering. 

A marketer with integrity ensures that our brand is synonymous with honesty and reliability, creating long-term relationships with our customers.

Justin Silverman, Founder and CEO, Merchynt

Understand Customer Psychology for Engagement

We prioritize the qualities of a marketing professional who has a strong understanding of customer psychology. They must be able to understand the motivations behind our customers’ actions and tailor their marketing campaigns to speak directly to those motivations. This is an essential skill for a marketer because it allows them to create highly effective campaigns that can engage and convert customers.

By understanding customer psychology, marketers can identify the pain points, desires, and aspirations of their target audience. This knowledge can then craft compelling marketing messages that resonate with customers on a deeper level.

For example, marketers who understand that customers are looking for solutions to their problems can create campaigns that focus on the benefits of the product or service. If they understand customers are seeking status or belonging, they can create campaigns that emphasize the social aspects of using the product or service.

Luciano Colos, Founder and CEO, PitchGrade

Find Analytical Curiosity for Tech Marketing

One of the essential qualities of a marketing professional I look for when hiring a marketer for our burgeoning tech company is “Analytical Curiosity.” In a data-driven world, our marketer must possess the ability to understand and extrapolate valuable insights from data and have the curiosity to dig deeper. 

A skilled marketer must ask the right questions, identify trends, and envisage opportunities in a dataset that others might overlook. As they say, curiosity keeps leading us down new paths, and in our case, to innovative marketing strategies.

Abid Salahi, Co-Founder and CEO, FinlyWealth

Seek Adaptability in an Ever-Changing Field

One of the qualities of a marketing professional that I always look for when hiring a marketer is adaptability. In marketing, it is an ever-changing field. So many people cannot realize that every single day can bring not only a new way to market but also new challenges and new techniques. 

With this, it’s very important to look for candidates who can show the qualities of a marketing professional that can adapt if needed. The world is changing, and the ways to market are changing, so you need a candidate who is also willing to change at relatively short notice.

Saneem Ahearn, VP of Marketing, Colorescience

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