How to Hire a Marketing Manager: A Step-by-Step Guide

Hiring a marketing manager isn’t just another task on your list. It’s one of the most important decisions you’ll make if you want your company to grow. The right hire can unlock real traction.

The wrong one can waste your time, budget, and momentum.

In a perfect world, hiring would be easy: post a job, get piles of qualified applications, pick the best one, and move on. In reality, it’s more complicated, but much less painful if you approach it with clarity and preparation.

This guide will walk you through the key steps, from defining what you need to verifying candidates’ skills, so you can make a smart, confident hire.

Not sure if you need a Marketing Manager or something else entirely? Check out our guide to building a marketing team, which breaks down the most common roles—from Marketing Manager to Head of Marketing to agency support—and helps you decide who to hire first.

Key Takeaways

• Define the role clearly before you post a job. Know exactly what you need your marketing manager to achieve in the next 12–18 months.
• Prioritize judgment and leadership over buzzwords. Skills can be taught. Strategic thinking and initiative cannot.
• Use specific interview questions and real-world tests. Resumes and interviews only go so far—small projects reveal true ability.
• Offer a competitive, realistic compensation package. A great marketing manager is an investment, not an expense.
• Move quickly but thoughtfully when you find the right person. Top candidates won’t stay available for long.

Challenges in Hiring a Marketing Manager

Before you even post a job description, step back and get clear on what you need. “Marketing manager” is a broad title. Are you looking for someone to generate leads? Strengthen your brand? Build and manage a team? Oversee agencies?

If you’re not specific, you hire someone who looks good on paper instead of the person who’s truly right for the role.

Two major challenges make hiring a marketing manager tricky.

1. Marketing demands a wide range of skills.
Creativity, social media, data analysis, Google and Facebook ads, SEO, content marketing, etc.

Finding one person who excels at everything is rare (and expensive). You’ll need to prioritize which skills matter most for your goals right now.

2. Management skills are harder to evaluate.
Beyond technical know-how, a good marketing manager must lead people, manage projects, and make smart judgment calls. Soft skills like leadership, adaptability, and initiative are harder to measure on a resume.

Be honest about your priorities. What does your company need most in the next 12–18 months?

Focus your search there.

Defining the Marketing Manager Role

A common mistake companies make is rushing into hiring without a clear definition of the role. They write vague job descriptions, get flooded with the wrong candidates, and waste time trying to figure it out during interviews.

Avoid that by first answering a few critical questions:

• What are your marketing goals for the next 12–18 months?
  Lead generation? Brand awareness? Expanding into new markets?
• What problems do you expect this person to solve?
  Is your current challenge content quality? Paid ads performance? CRM integration?
• What kind of role do you need?
  Do you need a full-time hire, a part-time contractor, or would a marketing agency better suit your needs?

Once you have a clear picture, you can create a focused job description. More importantly, you’ll know what to look for during interviews.

The better you define the role, the better your chances of finding someone who can actually do the work you need done.

How to Screen and Evaluate Candidates

Once applications start rolling in, your job is to separate strong candidates from those who simply look good on paper.

Relying on resumes alone isn’t enough. Here’s how to dig deeper:

1. Ask specific, story-driven interview questions.
Good candidates should be able to back up their achievements with clear examples. Ask:

• “Tell me about a campaign you owned from start to finish. What worked? What didn’t?”
• “Describe a marketing idea you believed would succeed but didn’t. What did you learn?”
• “Have you ever disagreed with leadership on a marketing strategy? What happened?”

Look for humility, ownership, and critical thinking, not just polished talking points.

2. Verify achievements.
If a candidate claims they “grew social media followers by 300%,” find out how. Ask:

• What strategy did they use?
• Were they leading the project or just part of a team?
• What metrics mattered most?

Digging into specifics helps separate real contributors from resume embellishers.

3. Test, don’t just talk.
Resumes are marketing documents. Interviews are performances. To see how a candidate actually thinks and works, assign a small, paid project.

For example: “Here’s our homepage and a basic persona. Draft a 3-email drip campaign to follow up with demo signups.”

You’ll learn far more from seeing their work than from hearing about it.

Key Skills and Qualities to Look For

When evaluating candidates, it’s easy to get dazzled by big job titles or flashy brands on a resume. Instead, stay focused on the traits that actually drive success in a marketing manager.

Look for a mix of hard and soft skills:

Strategic and Analytical Thinking

• Can they break down a problem, find insights, and prioritize actions?
• Do they measure results and adjust based on data?

Creativity and Initiative

• Can they generate fresh ideas or just copy what’s already out there?
• Do they show the ability to start and drive projects without hand-holding?

Communication and Storytelling

• Are they clear and persuasive, both in writing and in conversation?
• Can they explain complex ideas simply and connect with your target audience?

Leadership and Team Management

• Have they hired, trained, or led teams or contractors before?
• Can they give examples of motivating others or resolving conflicts?

Technical Fluency

• Are they comfortable with key tools like analytics platforms, CRM systems, ad managers, and automation software?
• Bonus if they have solid math skills. They’ll need them for budget management and reporting.

You don’t need a “unicorn” who’s perfect at everything. Focus on the two or three qualities most critical to your business goals right now.

Setting a Competitive Marketing Manager Salary

Before you start making offers, know what a competitive salary looks like for the role you’re hiring.

A few factors to consider:

• Role and Responsibilities. A marketing manager who’s also expected to run ads, manage agencies, and write content will command a higher salary than one focused on a narrower task.
• Experience and Skill Level: Candidates with broader experience (especially those with leadership or technical expertise) will expect higher pay.
• Location and Remote Flexibility. Salaries vary widely by region. If you’re open to remote candidates, you might find strong talent in lower-cost areas. If not, expect to match your local market rates.
• Industry Benchmarks. Use tools like PayScale, Glassdoor, and Salary.com to research. As a rough reference, the median U.S. salary for a marketing manager is around $105,000, but it swings higher or lower depending on industry and location.

And remember: salary isn’t the only lever. Equity, bonuses, flexible work, career growth opportunities, and meaningful projects can also help you attract top candidates.

The key is to be realistic and upfront. Underpaying won’t save you money. It’ll cost you time, momentum, and potentially a second hiring process six months later. (Oh, and money. It’ll cost you money too.)

Making the Offer

Once you’ve found your ideal candidate, move quickly. Good marketers don’t stay on the market for long.

Here’s how to handle the offer stage:

• Put Everything in Writing. Summarize salary, benefits, work expectations, and any bonuses or perks clearly. If you have an HR team, have them review the offer letter before sending it.
• Stay Flexible. Your first offer might not be your final one. Be prepared for a reasonable negotiation, especially if you really want the candidate.
• Don’t Close Doors Too Soon. Keep your second- and third-choice candidates warm until your top choice has officially accepted. Things can fall apart at the last minute.
• Move Fast, but Don’t Pressure Candidates. Give candidates a reasonable time frame—typically 48 to 72 hours—to consider the offer.

Be transparent, fair, and responsive, and you’ll greatly improve your odds of securing the right person.

Set Yourself Up for Success

Hiring a marketing manager isn’t about finding the flashiest resume. It’s about finding someone who can help your company grow, solve real problems, and build momentum.

Focus on:

• Determining exactly what you need.
• Screening for real skills and judgment.
• Verifying what candidates tell you.
• Moving quickly but thoughtfully.

Do that, and you’ll set yourself up for real progress.

About Roy Harmon

Roy Harmon is a marketing leader who helps SaaS businesses grow. He has worked with multiple startups to drive revenue to seven figures, secure eight-figure funding rounds, and position them for acquisition.

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