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Hiring a marketer is one of the most important decisions you will make as a business owner – marketing can make or break your business.
The right marketing will develop your brand and establish your presence in the space you’re working in, while also driving sales and revenue for your business.
Using a great marketing agency might seem like the best way to ensure that your marketing is done right, and it often is, but it’s an expensive option.
So, if you’re a start-up or a small business without the budget to hire an agency or staff an in-house team of experts, what do you do?
Today, we’re going to show you how to find and hire great marketers. Marketers who will exceed your expectations, but not your budget – no matter how tight that budget is!
In this guide, we’re covering what to look for in a marketer before you hire them, where to find great freelance marketers, where to find marketers for in-house hiring, and which HR tools can help you recruit great talent.
Let’s jump right in!
If you’re hiring a marketer, you need someone who knows what they’re doing. More than that though, you need someone who knows what to do for your unique business, to meet your unique goals.
Whether you’re looking for in-house talent or looking to hire an external freelancer, your marketer should have the following:
They should have demonstrable skills in various core marketing competencies. This includes, at the very least, strategy development, content marketing, SEO, programming, CRM management, and social media marketing.
The term ‘marketing experience’ is very broad, look for someone who has experience specifically in target segmentation, positioning, value positioning, and brand strategy. If your marketing needs will require a specific skill set, look for someone who has relevant and specific experience in that area.
look for someone who’s worked in your industry and niche, and who has experience in the type of marketing campaign you need. Someone who’s worked for your competitors and driven results for them is a good option. A broad understanding of the industry and the space you’re working in will be beneficial on many levels and reduce the amount of time they will need to spend ‘learning’ the dynamics of the space.
Marketing, especially digital marketing, is a fast-paced and dynamic field. They need to be up to date and able to integrate new trends into their strategy. Social media, content marketing, SEO, omni-channel support, analytics… There are a lot of constantly moving parts that evolve and develop rapidly. They need to be up to speed and ready to learn continually.
In-house marketers often have the advantage of having a better understanding of your business and your unique needs. An external marketer must be willing to go the extra mile to bridge the gap. By the time you interview them, they should be able to demonstrate that they’ve done their research and are prepared to dive into learning everything they can about you, your business, and your niche.
Look for someone who can work on their own and execute without needing a huge amount of your time and energy. This often comes down to finding someone who’s knowledgeable and experienced, while also being a good fit for you and your company.
The best marketer in the world won’t work well for you if they’re not available when you need them. Choose someone who will be available at the times and frequency that work best for you. If they’re only available for 15 minutes a week at 3 am in your time zone, that probably isn’t going to work – no matter how great they are at their job.
Like availability, choose someone who is responsive and communicates well with you. Prompt, open, and transparent communication is essential. Especially if you’re working remotely or with a freelancer.
There’s always an x-factor that sets apart a great hire from a merely competent one. If you’re looking for a great hire, choose someone who shares your values and understands what your company is all about. When there’s an affinity between you, your company and your marketer, the whole experience of working with them will be better, as will your marketing.
Summary: Qualities to Look for in a Marketer
With the above in mind, review your candidates then do your due diligence!
Check out this video by Neil Patel for how to choose the right marketer and what to ask them before you hire them:
Right, now that you know what to look for in a marketer let’s look at where to find them:
Freelance marketplaces are a great place to hire a freelance marketer. When it comes to hiring a marketer, you will have thousands of options and can find someone for just about any function you need to be filled. From beginners to experienced specialists, you can find someone who meets your needs and your budget.
However, not all freelance marketplaces are created equal and some offer a better service than others.
Good freelance marketplaces will offer:
With the above in mind, here are four great places to hire freelance marketers:
Fiverr is a marketplace for freelance gigs of every kind. Here you can find a vast array of freelance marketers, with varying levels of experience, in every marketing niche.
The platform allows you to search for marketers from the homepage, using their search filters. From there, you can see a selection of marketers who meet your search criteria. You can then look at their profiles, portfolios and the gig packages they offer to see what they can do for you and how much it will cost.
Fiverr offers an internal messaging system to contact candidates. They have a system that gives you three days to review and approve a marketer’s work before the payment is released to them. Within that period, you can request revisions or reject the work without losing your money.
Fiverr was originally built for $5 gigs but it is now a place where you can find a huge range of services for as wide a range of prices. That said, it is still a good option for freelancers with affordable rates.
Benefits:
Website: fiverr.com
Upwork is one of the biggest freelance marketplaces and has a huge number of freelancers to choose from. There are several different ways to find and hire marketers on Upwork.
You can find marketers and browse candidates from the homepage, using search filters and an on-screen guide to set your requirements. From there you can assess individual candidates’ profiles, which detail their work experience and rates, ratings and reviews from other employers, and their portfolios.
Upwork allows you to create a project or job offering and post it for suitable freelance talent to submit a bid/proposal for. You can invite specific candidates to bid on your offering. Upwork also allows freelancers to curate packages of services they offer, which you can browse and select too.
You can also message freelancers directly and discuss custom jobs with them within the platform’s internal communication system.
Upwork uses an escrow system where each project or milestone within each project has to be approved for payment to be released to the freelancer. You can request amendments or revisions, or reject work without losing any money. Upwork also offers quite a lot of support and will help you work out disputes if they arise.
The way the Upwork system is set up makes it easy to set up and track recurring projects/milestones for individuals or teams of freelancers if you want to work with them long-term.
Benefits:
Website: upwork.com
Contently is a great platform to find a wide range of freelance marketing professionals who have been verified and vetted.
You will find only high-quality marketers and content creators of all kinds on Contently. To join freelancers must first create a free portfolio on the platform and then apply to the platform, where they are vetted before they’re accepted.
If you’re hiring a marketer, you can find great options on Contently by setting up a ‘content team’ and adding freelancers to it. Once you have your ‘team’ set up, you can invite candidates to submit a pitch or assign work to members.
When you’re selecting candidates, you will be able to see their portfolios and profiles, as well as additional info including editor ratings and delivery times. This gives you a good idea of their abilities, credentials and what working with them will be like for you.
Contently recommends minimum rates for different types of work and thus it can be one of the more expensive options to use. However, they’re committed to connecting you with professionals so the quality of the work you receive is also going to be high. This may well save you money down the line too.
Benefits:
Website: contently.com
ClearVoice is a smaller platform, with around 4000 thoroughly vetted freelancers. You can find high-quality professionals for content marketing and strategy, as well as design, writing, editing, and videography on ClearVoice.
Freelancers on ClearVoice are required to create a portfolio of their work before they can apply to be part of their network.
Once they have been vetted, they’re accepted and are available for you to hire through the platform.
If you’re hiring a marketer through ClearVoice, you need to start by setting your budget and requirements.
They offer guidance on rates and what to pay for what you’re looking for. From there, the system will match you with suitable candidates for you to review.
When you have found freelance marketers that you want to work with, you can add them to a team or make them an offer. ClearVoice has an internal communication system to connect with candidates.
The platform uses an escrow system so that you have time to review and approve work before it is paid for.
ClearVoice also offers the option to manage a team for you, effectively outsourcing your marketing to ClearVoice, which then uses a team from their talent pool to execute and manage your project.
Benefits:
Website: clearvoice.com
When you’re hiring a marketer to work in-house or join your in-house team, marketing job ad sites and job boards are the best places to look for qualified talent.
No matter what level of experience or expertise you’re looking for, these sites will help you find the best candidates for your position:
Marketingjobs.com is a simple job ad site for hiring a marketer to work in-house. Here you will easily find marketing professionals who are looking for in-house positions and prefer working directly for a company rather than an agency.
You can create an ad for the position you want to fill and then the platform will help you find the right person to fill it from their database of over 66 000 job-seeking professionals.
Job seekers can search for jobs filter their results by location, industry, and role/job function, which means that the responses you get will be from suitable candidates.
The platform offers a ‘resume bank’ where you can save and review the resumes you receive. Most candidates or job seekers build their resumes online and submit them here which are then saved in this resume bank.
Pricing:
Basic: $295 – 30 days basic job posting
Enhanced: $425 – 30 days enhanced job posting
Premium Job Flash Package: $550 – 30 days Premium Job Flash Package
Website: marketingjobs.com
LinkedIn Jobs is a great place to find and connect with candidates that meet your exact requirements. Their targeted job promotion places your job ad in front of people who meet your requirements to a T.
With over five million professionals on the platform, it offers advanced filter and search features that make finding the perfect candidates to review much easier.
It also offers a feed of potential candidate recommendations and access to a dashboard where you can track and manage candidates and applicants in one place.
Pricing:
Website: business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/post-jobs
MarketingHire is a career and marketing jobs site that is a leader in the niche. They’re members of the Marketing Career Network (MCN), and partner with various other marketing sites.
These include the American Marketing Association (AMA), Data and Marketing Association (DMA), Business Marketing Association (BMA), and American Advertising Federation (AAF).
These partnerships give MarketingHire access to a comprehensive list of openings and candidates across the industry.
You can post a job on the site and candidates can search for jobs based on the position type, level, education, and location requirements you have determined.
Pricing:
*These are non-member rates – members of any Marketing Career Network (MCN) Partner Association qualify for special member rates.
Website: marketinghire.com
Indeed is one of the largest dedicated job board sites, with more than 50 million visitors every month. As such, advertising on Indeed gives you access to a massive talent pool.
The platform allows post free job ads but it is best to go for sponsored ads, as the free ones are quickly buried by new ads in the search results.
You can create a customized company page to highlight your company culture and the benefits of working for you, message candidates, and conduct virtual interviews all from within the platform.
Indeed partners with Glassdoor and offers some bundled services for businesses that are serious about developing their employer brand to attract, recruit and retain top talent.
They also have a database of 120+ million resumes so that you can search through and reach out to candidates that appeal to you.
Pricing:
Website: indeed.com
If you’re not up for doing all the leg work manually to find someone on a job site or freelance marketplace, the right HR tools can save you a huge amount of time and energy.
These HR tools will help you connect with great talent and streamline the whole recruitment process:
Breezy HR is an HR tool that offers end-to-end recruiting service. It combines all the tools and integrations needed to simplify and streamline the hiring process.
On Breezy HR you can create detailed job adverts that are then automatically posted to over 50 different job boards. The software allows you to connect interact with candidates, sort them and eventually hire them all in one place.
Their automation tools make assessing candidates easier, ensuring you don’t miss out on the best talent from your pipeline of candidates. Breezy HR allows you to post to regional sites, to simplify hiring locally and internationally, without needing to leave the software.
Features:
G2 Rating: 4.5/5 Stars(376 reviews)
Pricing:
Website: breezy.hr
Freshteam by Freshworks Inc. is a cloud-based HR tool that offers recruitment CRM and applicant tracking in one. It allows you to find talented candidates that meet your specific needs, connect with them and then track your applicants through the process from end-to-end.
Freshteam combines various functions and tools to allow you to integrate other tools into one dashboard manage all your communications and hiring functions from one place. The software gives access to a candidate database, which makes sorting, finding, and strong recruitment files easy.
Freshteam is an affordable option that is great for small businesses. They also offer a free forever package for companies with under 50 employees. Each client is given access to 24/7 customer success support, which is useful for companies working across timezones.
Features:
G2 Rating: 4.6/5 Stars (120 reviews)
Pricing:
Website: freshworks.com
BambooHR streamlines the recruitment process from start to finish. Its onboarding tools and applicant tracking system (ATS) simplify the recruitment process. The ATS allows you to track and assess applicants, communicate with them and make collaborative hiring decisions within your company.
Ongoing functions include centralized employee data collection, storage, and management. It also offers management of functions like payroll and benefits administration, time tracking, and performance management.
BambooHR offers is a great full-service option for smaller businesses that are growing and need a scalable option to manage all their HR needs, as they bring on new talent and grow.
Features:
G2 Rating: 4.3/5 Stars (741 reviews)
Pricing:
Website: bamboohr.com
In conclusion, there are numerous software solutions, platforms, marketplaces, and job sites to use then you’re hiring a marketer.
The best option for you is the one that will connect you to a marketer who will exceed your expectations, but not your budget.
Whether that is a freelance marketer, an outsourced marketing team, or a full-time, in-house marketer, you will find them!
In this guide, we have covered what to look for in a marketer, some of the best places to hire freelance marketers, job ad sites to find candidates for in-house marketing positions, and HR tools to help you when you’re hiring a marketer.
Now that you’re all set to find yourself a marketing wizard, where will you start and who will you hire?
The best places to find and hire freelance marketers are Fiverr, Upwork, Contently and ClearVoice. Each of these freelance marketplaces offers a wide range of professionals, with varying levels of experience and expertise, in every aspect of marketing. Check out the full guide to see more on each of these options, what they're best for and the benefits of each site.
The following ad sites and job boards are great options for in-house hiring:
1. MarketingJobs.com
2. LinkedIn Jobs
3. MarketingHire
4. Indeed
Read the full guide for more info on each of these options, including what they offer and their pricing.
BreezyHR, Freshteam HR and BambooHR are all great HR tools that you can use to find and hire great marketing talent. They offer a full suite of services and functions, from recruitment to oboarding. They also offer all the functions you need to manage all your ongoing HR needs, like payroll and benefits administration, data collection, time tracking etc. Check out the full guide for more on each of these HR tools - features, review scores, pricing and more.
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