Everyone’s looking for a good marketer. But few people can explain what ‘good’ actually means.
In the end, people hire by resume, famous brand names in the portfolio, and a confident pitch. Six months later it turns out the budget is gone and sales haven’t grown. The marketer gets replaced — and everything starts over.
The word ‘marketer’ now means too many different things. One person makes content, another runs social media ads, a third owns the brand, a fourth writes the strategy.
Companies want a marketing director who understands all of this. But they often don’t know what result they need right now: more customers, more awareness, or order in the department. So they pick whoever sold themselves best.
The problem isn’t that there are no good marketers — it’s that often the company itself doesn’t know who it needs.
Who your business needs
To understand what kind of marketer you need, first look at where sales come from in the business. Different types of business work differently — which means they need different marketers.
FMCG
food, drinks, household chemicals
Where sales come from
The customer sees the product on the shelf and picks the familiar brand
Who you need
A brand manager — so the brand is recognized and chosen. A trade marketer — so the product is in every store and in a visible spot
Retail and chains
stores, electronics, pharmacies
Where sales come from
The customer picks the store near home, compares prices and promos, and returns if it’s convenient
Who you need
A retail marketer — plans promos and seasonal campaigns, keeps the stores’ look consistent. A CRM marketer — runs the loyalty program and brings customers back for another purchase
Online services and e-commerce
apps, marketplaces, fintech
Where sales come from
The customer finds the service through advertising, search, or a marketplace, installs the app, and buys
Who you need
A performance marketer — runs ads in Google, Meta and Telegram and owns the cost per customer. A CRM marketer — moves installers to purchase through push and email and brings them back
Services
clinics, education, restaurants, salons
Where sales come from
The customer searches on social, in search, or on maps, reads reviews, and books. Often comes by word of mouth
Who you need
A performance marketer — brings in leads from advertising, search, and maps. An SMM specialist — runs social, collects reviews, and manages reputation
Development
residential complexes, commercial real estate
Where sales come from
The customer spends months comparing complexes, visits the sales office, and the whole family makes the decision
Who you need
A project brand manager — explains why this complex is better than the neighbors and makes sure people talk about it. A performance marketer — brings in viewing requests and tracks with sales how many become deals
B2B
manufacturing, wholesale, business solutions
Where sales come from
The customer takes a long time to compare offers, meets with managers, and several people make the decision together
Who you need
A B2B marketer — prepares presentations, case studies, and content for the sales team. An events manager — runs exhibitions, conferences, and client meetings
Business size matters too. A small company usually doesn’t need a marketing director: there’s nothing yet to manage, and one specialist or agency can handle the tasks. When several directions and contractors appear, you need a marketing lead who pulls it all into a system. A large business needs a marketing director with a team.
How to hire without a mistake
Once you know who you need, you just have to find and vet them. The ‘Who’ method by Geoff Smart and Randy Street — the one many big companies worldwide use — helps here.
Describe the result
Before you start searching, write down what the marketer must achieve in a year, in numbers. For example: ‘200 leads per month’ or ‘brand awareness from 20% to 30%’. That’s the main selection criterion.
Look through referrals
The best candidates rarely respond to job posts. Ask partners, contractors, and acquaintances who they’ve worked with and been happy with.
Check by results, not words
In the interview, don’t ask ‘what can you do’, ask ‘what did you achieve at your last job, in numbers, and exactly how’. Good marketers remember their results.
Convince the strong candidate
Good marketers pick the company just like you pick them. Tell them what their task, freedom, and budget will be.
No time to search?
Turnkey marketing from Lokals Marketing: instead of searching for one marketer, you get a ready team tailored to your business. Strategy, brand, advertising, and content in one place — with clear results in numbers.
