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Hiring a Marketer from Within? Look for These Key Attributes
Marketing is tough, especially when you lack the confidence to do it right. But do you know that the very skills you require to promote your organization today may already reside within your company? It's true.
Kendra Lee
November 30, 2015
3 Min Read
In my last post, I wrote about the dynamics and trends that have led more VARs to consider adding a marketing coordinator to their staffs. Sometimes candidates for this role come from external recruitment. Other times, they come from within, especially when you can identify someone with the requisite skills and energy to manage and grow into the position.
For instance, one of my clients filled the role with a CFO consultant who was already on staff. While it’s not the background you’d expect to step into a marketing role, the consultant stepped in and pushed herself to learn how to write. Since then, she’s created templates that she uses to structure her content creation and has taken over writing company emails and event content. Another client’s marketing coordinator is actually a billable project manager from the software development team. Again, it’s not a typical marketing hire, but her expertise is ideal for managing lists, coordinating subject matter experts, and executing campaigns for the content we create for them.
Notice a pattern?
These people don’t have a marketing background; some don’t even have marketing aptitude. But they are able to apply their natural talents to a marketing coordinator role and grow into it. If you think this approach makes sense for your company, then you’ll want to consider the strengths of the person you move into the marketing coordinator’s role and leverage them.
Here’s a list of skills to consider as you evaluate who on your staff might fit this role:
Interest in marketing trends. This person will need to continuously learn and grow in a constantly evolving field. Even if you outsource marketing, this person is likely to be the liaison and needs to have an understanding of key trends and an eagerness to grow into the role.
Organizational skills and basic project management. For internal hires, project management is often this person’s primary marketing role.
A technical aptitude for using systems and software to send email campaigns, handle website content additions, manage lists, upload content to CRM systems and monitor analytics.
Strong writing and grammar, especially if they will produce content. Many internal marketing hires evolve to writing email campaigns. One client’s bookkeeper now writes all the email campaigns for the blog posts we create.
An understanding of your customers’ needs and issues. They will identify events to attend and content to create. If they’re writing, they’ll also need this knowledge to create compelling content.
Confidence and respect within the organization so they’re able to pull in the right subject matter experts, and make recommendations to managers and executives.
Creativity. While this isn’t normally an attribute you’d find in a bookkeeper or project manager, many people have untapped creativity hiding just below the surface because their current role doesn’t require it. In the marketing coordinator’s role, you’ll want them to use it.
A sense of adventure and open-mindedness. They’re expanding their career in a new discipline. There will be training and coaching, and that will feel uncomfortable at times.
This internal hiring approach is often preferred by VARs that are making their first foray into marketing. In these cases, VARs may not be ready to devote the cost of a full-time headcount to the marketing coordinator position. Or, they may already be outsourcing marketing and lead generation execution to a company like mine.
In those circumstances, the marketing role can be filled by almost anyone, provided their strengths, skills, and energy level translate to the position.
Kendra Lee is a top IT Seller, Prospect Attraction Expert, author of the award winning books “The Sales Magnet” and “Selling Against the Goal” and president of KLA Group. Specializing in the IT industry, KLA Group works with companies to break in and exceed revenue objectives in the Small and Midmarket Business (SMB) se
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