Defining The Role of Marketing Automation Specialist (Part 2 of 2)

So, you need to hire a Marketing Automation Specialist and you’re wondering what you should be looking for in a candidate’s background. You begin by seeking out some LinkedIn profiles. You see lots of various automation platform experience, tools candidates have worked with, and a wide range of skills – not to mention a series of different titles! How do you know what type of marketer to hire?

In our previous post, we discussed some basic Marketing Automation and Inbound Marketing concepts, clarified the purpose of the inbound strategy approach, and shared a few commonly used terms and tools. In this post, we’ve partnered up with Alise Riedel to further define the role of the Marketing Automation Specialist by discussing experience levels, various skills, common misconceptions, and questions to ask about your business before hiring. Plus, we’ll cover what traits every candidate in this type of position should possess.

Variations of Skills Within Marketing Automation Positions

You may come across potential candidates who have skills in writing, email, design, video, social, and more. And while specialized skills in things such as content creation and social media are important, Alise points out that you may also want to examine your program further to find out whether your biggest need is to hire someone in a role that is mostly:

• Tactical
• Client-Facing
• Strategic

Two Common Marketing Automation Misconceptions

False: A great Marketing Automation tool solves all of your time management problems – fast!

Truth: Implementing Marketing Automation is no easy task – it takes a lot of time, work, and specialized skills to see the maximum benefit from any platform or tool.

False: The goal of Marketing Automation is to get as much content and information out to your customers as possible – whether they want it or not.

Truth: Alise makes something very clear: Marketing Automation should not be used to cast a “wide net.”  The goal is to utilize your understanding your audience to cast a narrow net at the right time. This represents a shift from a traditional marketing approach to an inbound marketing approach.

Questions to Ask About Your Business Needs Before Hiring

Thinking about your current marketing automation process and your future marketing goals, you’ll also want to ensure you hire someone with the appropriate experience level for your program. Consider these questions:

1. Do you understand your audience and the problem at hand?
2. Do you have content that surrounds the problem?
3. Do you understand the buyer’s journey?
4. Do you have tools in place to set-up automation?
5. How much manpower do you need?
6. Are you planning to partner with an outside agency?
7. Do you know which specialized skills your program needs?
8. Do you know your end-goal?
9. Do you understand why you need marketing automation?

Top Traits to Look for in Any Marketing Automation Specialist

Once you’ve found the right type of Marketing Automation Specialist to help you attain your goals, there are few additional things you should look for in your candidate:

• • Curiosity
  • Life-long learner
  • Drive
  • Keeps up on changes to the market landscape
  • Ability to listen & sell it
  • Understanding of how the platform channels work together
  • Team-oriented (ability to discuss problems with others and work together to find a solution)