Today's post is an excerpt from The MFS Startup Marketing Playbook.
As a B2B marketing leader, one of the most important steps in your journey will be the team-building and hiring stage. For smaller startup companies, it makes sense to focus on hiring generalists who possess broad skill sets and the learn-on-the-job mindset required to contribute in a fast-paced - and often bootstrapped - startup environment. The candidates that will most suit an early-stage B2B startup company are those that have demonstrable self-taught skills and a willingness to apply this mindset to whatever task is required.
ACCESS THE B2B STARTUP MARKETING PLAYBOOK HERE →
Ideally, these early marketing hires would possess the following mix of skills:
- Revenue focus - early marketing hires can’t lose sight of the big picture and will need to link in closely with business development and sales teams to ensure campaigns are not being run in isolation.
- Agile mindset - Undoubtedly the most important trait for an early stage marketing hire. A rapidly growing startup will require a wide range of activities from early hires. Activities will include a variation of content development, sales support, identifying and creating case studies, SEO, reporting, CPC and social media ads, event support, and maybe even event attendance. And, remember, things can change at any moment and team members can be pulled into high priority projects at the drop of a hat.
- Market knowledge - Deep understanding of your industry's technologies, markets, and ecosystems.
- Technical skills - Proficiencies in HTML, CSS, and design tools. Anything beyond that is bonus territory.
- System knowledge - Familiarity with key systems such as CRMs, marketing automation systems, CMS, and Adobe Suite or equivalent.
Talent wins games but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.
- Michael Jordan
B2B Startup Marketing - Team Building
For more mature Marketing teams or startups that have secured funding and are moving to the next phase of growth, there can be a greater focus on specialization. The agile generalist we mentioned earlier still has enormous value both in terms of managing teams and also with the breadth of their company knowledge built up during the growth phase. The key specialists marketing teams should look for as they grow to mid-size company include:
- Demand Generation Manager - This person will own and oversee inbound and outbound lead generation and should be an expert in all the various tools used to generate leads including CRMs, marketing automation tools, PPC management, revenue attribution, and reporting.
- Product Marketing Manager - A key area. This person needs to possess a deep understanding of the product, competitors, and the various tech eco-systems within or adjacent to the space within which your company operates. An ability to articulate the product vision and value proposition is also vital as is competitive analysis. Key tasks will include developing product messaging which will then be used as a basis for the subsequent development of sales collateral, web content, social media ads, and product launch materials.
- Content Marketing Manager - While content is a rapidly evolving area, it is still vital. A content marketing expert can bring huge value and help you create the materials you need to support the next phase of growth. Think in terms of SEO, website content, case studies, company brochures, sales decks, and more - it is vital that all these materials are on-point.
- Marketing Operations Manager - This person might sit somewhere between Sales, Marketing, and Business Development. They should possess expertise in the various systems used across those teams and will help your company build the processes that will power your demand generation efforts.
When it boils down to it, there are a number of key questions to keep in mind as you weigh up your early stage recruitment options.
- Does this person believe in the company’s vision?
- Does this person have the energy and adaptability for the task at hand?
- Will this person help the company execute its vision?
Recruitment is not a box-ticking exercise - it is ultimately about finding people who will go on - and contribute to - the journey ahead.
This post is an excerpt from our recently released B2B Startup Marketing Playbook. If you would like to read more you can access the Playbook in full here. If you have a marketing challenge you are looking for support with, you are welcome to set up a no obligation initial strategy consultation with our team.