There are a number of steps to hiring a marketing team that can help you grow your business and brand quickly and effectively. Here are some suggestions.
1. Set Your Marketing Goals
Your marketing goals will usually include:
* More subscribers
* More customers/sales
* More social media engagement
* Brand recognition
There should be a clear match between your goals and what you want your new hire to do. You can only find the right candidates once you’ve set these goals. Try to make the goals measurable as well, so you can determine their level of success in meeting them. An example might be to set up your new email marketing program on AWeber.com and get 100 new subscribers in the first month.
2. Review Resumes Thoroughly
Make a list of keywords that are essential skills your ideal candidate needs to have. Facebook, Twitter and Google+ might be a few to use if you were looking for a social media expert to help grow your network.
3. Interview Carefully
Base all your questions on your goals, and what a typical day would look like for the right candidate. Ask hypothetical questions that can show they know what they are talking about. Also evaluate their people skills as well as their experience. You want to hire someone who will be a good fit for your company and work well with others.
4. Test Them
Tell them a short test will be included as part of the interview process. Set a task they can do within a certain amount of time and evaluate how well they do it.
5. Consider Giving Them a Trial Run
Any hiring decision, even related to a freelancer, will have a significant impact on your business and what you will be spending on this new person. If you have doubts, or really only have short-term projects rather than full-time work, ask if they would be willing to work for you on a trial basis. A really motivated worker will be eager for a chance to impress. They will often make suggestions for growth and come up with an action plan they will then be able to execute.
6. Check All References Carefully
The truth is that most resumes are padded. Your interview questions and test can help identify the genuinely skilled workers from the frauds. Checking their references can also help. Ask for five people and contact them at random. Make notes as you speak with them and consider any red flags that might appear.
If you are hiring them from a freelancing site such as Fiverr.com or Upwork.com, read all their reviews and check out their portfolio of work.
7. Check In with People You Trust
Sometimes it can be overwhelming to wade through hundreds of resumes or search freelance marketplace sites. One way to avoid this is to get some word-of-mouth recommendations. Ask friends and family if they have hired any marketing help recently, and what their experience has been. Chances are they might have a good person they can recommend. Then you can follow up with an interview, tests and so on.
8. Try Your Local Chamber of Commerce
Your local Chamber of Commerce will often host events like public talks and other places where people can mingle and determine whether or not they can do business together. One of the local marketers might be giving a talk about marketing for small businesses. Or, you can ask members who they are using for their marketing. Chances are you could find an ideal candidate right in your area who can help you meet all your goals.
