How Do You Build an Awesome Marketing Team?

Your marketing team is the source of some of the most important work products in helping your business grow and your clients learn about your company in an ongoing marketing strategy. Chances are that without an all-star team of marketing experts, your business is missing out. But in the ongoing war for talent, how do you make sure you’re hiring the best of the best?

Here are 4 key strategies for building your marketing dream team:

Let Go of Perfection

There is no such thing as a perfect applicant. Having an open mind when you are reviewing resumes is the first step toward finding the unique and specialized individuals who will make a difference for your company. So, stop trying to staff the perfect team. In many cases, hiring managers don’t even know what real marketing perfection looks like. It’s an unrealistic goal. Let it go. Instead, focus on hiring for your current goals. If you need help finding customers and growing your client base, hire for that. Consider recruiting performance or inbound marketers who will drive more traffic to your channels and help you connect with your target market. If you are looking to rebrand your business, invest in hiring professionals with experience in marketing communications, design, and PR. Whatever your business goals are, hire the individuals who can help you get from where you are to where you want to be.

Hire for Cultural Fit

Often the most successful recruits are the ones who can turn a job into a passion. The ones who are the best fit for the team are the ones who will help your business achieve greatness. Teamwork is critical. Personality and emotional intelligence are key. While you might be tempted to invest in the seasoned “expert” with a bad attitude, the cost far outweighs the benefits of such a hire. Your team has a direct influence on the culture, the reputation, and the brand you are building. If you wouldn’t want your customers to associate your company with a cocky marketer, why would you hire them? No candidate is worth losing your culture over, and no marketing team can hit their stride if there’s a mismatch of personalities or culture.

Seek Out Strategic Minds

Marketing strategy is all about thinking ahead. Your marketers need to be able to think about what the customer needs, what messaging will land, and how certain campaigns are going to be received by the public. To build an excellent marketing team, you want to find the individuals who will be able to balance the strategic thinkers and the logistical minds. A great marketing team needs both styles to work effectively, the first to think about the future and the later to get their hands dirty. But finding those individuals who can think both ways depending on the current needs is an ideal hire.