Prioritize New Hires

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For many entrepreneurs and small business owners, one of the greatest joys that comes from running your own business is being able to hire new employees. It just feels good to be a job creator, to give others an opportunity they might not have otherwise had.

May we all be so lucky to be able to hire new people. But just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. Or at least you shouldn’t rush into it.

Because the big question remains, who should you hire?

The keys to prioritizing new hires:

  1. Fill a gap – hire someone who can do something you urgently need and can’t do yourself
  2. Free up your time – hire someone to take on tasks you’re doing that are keeping you from more important chores, like growing the business
  3. Open new doors – hire someone who knows how to do something you don’t, preferably someone who can lead new growth, ie. Product development, marketing, business development, sales

For a small business, your first hires are incredibly important. As the team grows, those first hires will help you lead and grow, helping to establish a culture and define strategy. So make sure you are hiring the right people, for the right positions.

Marketing Trends – Part 7

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Welcome to the latest installment of our weekly blog series, Marketing Trends. Each week, we will identify a key trend in the world of marketing. We’ll discuss the trend, why it’s important, and suggest ways that you can take advantage of this trend in your company.

Last week’s trend was Marketing Partnerships.

Today’s Trend = Marketing Specialists

The jack of all trades is dying out in many companies. The best way to get what you need from your marketing team, according to recent hiring trends, is to find someone who specializes in exactly what you want to do.

If you want to start advertising on search engines, bring in a search engine marketer. If you want to improve the conversion rate of your website, bring in a conversion optimization guru. If you want to create a more active social media following, bring in a community manager.

The marketing generalist, the person you rely on the manage all of your marketing, is more a manager than a marketer these days. He or she should be sure to put the right specialists in the places they are most needed.

That does not mean you have to expand your marketing team by ten extra people. It means prioritizing and working smarter. What activities will you do this year that will have the greatest impact? Once you determine those, you can figure out how to get the right people in place to execute on your vision.

You might hire people. You might bring on someone part time. You might use a consultant or agency to fill in the gaps. Or you might train someone already on staff so that they become more specialized.

There are a number of options you have at your disposal as a manager. But the important thing to remember is that whatever you want to do, there are experts out there who can help you do it right.

What marketing trend should we cover next? Now accepting submissions for marketing trends that we will cover in an upcoming installment of this series. Submit your ideas via our contact page or in the comments section below.