Christine Pilkington is the CEO and founder of Crisp, a fractional CMO and contract marketing services firm based in Vancouver, Canada. In a recent article, Christine highlights the importance of hiring the right candidate for a marketing role, as the wrong hire can cost a business time and money, affecting employee trust, morale, and productivity.
One common mistake Christine sees is business owners hiring junior candidates for marketing roles in an attempt to save money and offload tasks like social media posting and newsletter updates. However, she shares a story of a client who struggled with ineffective marketing efforts despite having an active marketing team. The lack of an experienced leader to oversee the marketing strategy resulted in poor performance, low morale, and a potential mutiny among the team.
Hiring the wrong candidate for a marketing role can lead to a variety of negative outcomes beyond just financial losses. It can impact morale and buy-in from the team, diminish the quality of work and reputation, and create a reluctance around marketing efforts. The temptation to hire junior candidates often comes from a lack of understanding of marketing expertise and the noise of the marketing industry, which can make it difficult to evaluate true expertise.
Christine advises business leaders to carefully consider the level of expertise needed for a marketing role and not to cut corners when it comes to hiring a senior-level candidate. Consulting with a marketing expert, ensuring the candidate has relevant experience, and defining clear expectations for the role can help avoid hiring mistakes and lead to better long-term outcomes for the business.
Ultimately, making a thoughtful hiring decision with the future of the business in mind can result in increased productivity, scalability, and growth in the long run. By investing in the right candidate for a marketing role, businesses can avoid costly mistakes, improve team morale, and achieve better results in their marketing efforts.
