Finding the ideal candidate for a VP of Marketing role is an ongoing challenge for B2B executive leaders. With an average tenure of lasting 1-2 years in this position, it becomes even more crucial to navigate the complexities of the hiring process to find the right fit for your organization. Marketing is a rapidly evolving field, necessitating a candidate who has a unique blend of skills and leadership qualities to thrive in today’s competitive digital landscape.
To simplify the hiring process, we interviewed Shawna Boyce, our Executive Director, to outline the skills and characteristics that a VP of Marketing job description should include. During her 15-year tenure with Launch Marketing, Shawna has served as a Virtual VP of Marketing for B2B technology companies in Austin and beyond. The five questions below will delve into the findings discovered from our chat and help B2B executives attract the right VP of Marketing candidate for their organization.
What key elements should a VP of Marketing job description contain to attract top-tier candidates?
Every VP of Marketing job description contains a few common threads including:
General Duties – A VP of Marketing will work closely with the CMO or C-Suite leadership to establish or refine brand messaging, define an integrated marketing plan that aligns with the company’s vision and strategic goals, oversee or be involved with product development, work closely with sales and/or channel to support pipeline development as applicable, develop and manage a marketing budget, analyze marketing data and deliver recommendations for optimization, lead and mentor a team of marketers, manage vendor or consultant relationships, and other duties depending on the size of the organization and industry needs.
Previous Experience – Former experience and general knowledge of all facets of marketing is essential. It’s critical that a VP of Marketing understands both traditional and digital marketing methods and the trends driving the evolution of both approaches.
Interdepartmental Relations – In addition to technical knowledge and leadership experience, a VP of Marketing must also have an intimate understanding of marketing’s role across an organization. The VP of Marketing must collaborate and communicate well with executives in product development, sales, operations and customer success. Without insight from these leaders, the marketing team will lack the fundamental knowledge needed to drive demand.
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2. The Rise of Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence has become a highly utilized tool by organizations in all industries, especially marketing. These tools have a vast number of capabilities that are making huge differences. For B2B startups that want to utilize AI, there are several opportunities including:
- Managing large chunks of data to understand what your audience preferences are and how to target them
- List segmentation, which allows you to create smaller groups based on specific characteristics for your B2B audience that can be targeted for advertising or emails
- Drafting email copy based on specific topics, trends or ideas saves your team time
- Crafting engaging subject lines to boost open and engagement rates
What’s the benefit of outsourcing a VP of Marketing role to an agency?
One of Launch Marketing’s core service offerings is to serve as a Virtual VP of Marketing for organizations in a growth, transition or interim phase. While a VP of Marketing is an excellent investment for a B2B company, an internal hire may not be the best fit, especially in cases where the role isn’t needed yet full time.
Outsourcing the VP of Marketing role to an agency has several advantages:
External expertise: Stemming from their collaboration with clients across diverse industries, agency leaders offer a distinct perspective and exposure to various approaches for marketing endeavors, mediums and campaigns. This unique standpoint provides their clients with a valuable “third-party” outlook that drives impactful outcomes.
Seasoned knowledge and diverse skill sets: One internal hire cannot specialize in every marketing tactic. Our B2B marketing experts have previously served in VP or Marketing Director roles across many clients and bring a unique blend of skill sets and specialty knowledge.
The ability to scale marketing efforts faster: After hiring internally, it will take time for a VP of Marketing to get acclimated. An agency has a larger team of resources that can devote time to crafting a strategy and plan, establishing a budget, conducting market research, and driving execution. Using an agency as a primary or even secondary resource is a savvy way to ensure marketing efforts can keep up with lead generation, new product launches and cyclical sales cycles.
Are there any industry-specific or emerging skills that a VP of Marketing job description should emphasize?
A VP of Marketing doesn’t need to be an expert in all marketing practices. However, they should be familiar with managing team members across marketing disciplines. They need to know general best practices, how to measure success, and how to speak the same language as their technical experts.
Here are a few of the most sought-after skills among marketing leaders today:
- Leadership skills
- Strategy
- Collaboration
- Strong verbal and written communication skills
- Problem solving
- Marketing planning and budgeting
- Project management expertise
- Accountability
- Emotional intelligence
- Marketing knowledge
- Digital marketing
- Social media
- Email marketing
- Automation
- Marketing AI
- Digital advertising
- Web Marketing
- Web maintenance
- Content marketing
- UI (User interface) and UX design
- Accessibility
- Search engine optimization (SEO)
- Organic search
- Paid search
- Technical SEO
- Public relations
- Press Release writing and distribution
- Crisis communication planning and execution
- Event marketing
- Pre-and-post event marketing plan development and execution
- Event project management in collaboration with internal stakeholders
- Event marketing collateral design and development
- Marketing research
- Competitive research
- Crafting buyer personas
- Customer journey mapping
- Print marketing
- Print media design specs
- Print media design best practices
- Print media inventory management and production
- Broadcast marketing
- Media buying
- Broadcast media best practices
What characteristics or core values should every marketing leader embody?
Outside of the standard skills, experience and education requirements, every marketing leader should embody a series of personal characteristics to bring success to an organization. The following adjectives should be noted in a VP of Marketing job description:
- Accountable: Accountability is arguably the most important quality of any great leader, but it’s vital in a marketing role because of the commitment to multiple deadlines. Marketing campaigns must be timely to drive results. The VP of Marketing must remove any potential roadblocks that prevent project delivery. In addition to deadline commitments, the VP must be accountable for return on investment. If tactics or budget come recommended, executive leadership will expect a follow-through from their marketing leader.
- Responsive: The execution of marketing campaigns involves numerous moving parts and individuals, each playing a vital role. It is not a job that can be accomplished by a lone wolf. Consequently, a marketing leader must be responsive to the needs of their team members, executive leadership, customers and internal stakeholders (staff). Effective communication is paramount to ensure all parties feel heard, supported and prepared to act. By fostering open lines of communication, the marketing leader can create a cohesive environment that leads to successful campaign implementation.
- Adaptable: Marketing is in a state of constant evolution. There’s a stream of new technology emerging, new platforms to test and algorithm updates that impact best practices. A marketing leader must be willing to adapt. Outside of industry trends, markets are never stagnant, and customers’ expectations continue to fluctuate. It’s important to approach marketing leadership as a life-long learner with a natural sense of curiosity.
- Patient: Most marketing strategies do not take off overnight. A VP of Marketing must be patient and willing to test, optimize, and retest a variety of creative tactics and methods to see what the audience receives best. Modern marketing is an equal part art and science. It takes a patient person to understand how those two worlds blend effectively.
- Resilient: Marketing is an arena of intense competition, known for its fast pace and occasional transience. What works today may falter tomorrow, demanding an exceptional VP of Marketing who views failure as an opportunity to uncover the best path forward. They must be well-equipped to learn from constructive criticism, recognizing that both customers and staff hold valuable opinions on how the brand should resonate with the outside world. By welcoming diverse perspectives, the marketing leader can foster a culture conducive to innovation.
- Empathic: Empathy is a character trait that’s quintessential with marketing leadership. Understanding a customer’s pain points and solving those needs is critical to success. A top-notch marketing executive will also have empathy for all stakeholders. It takes a village to market a product or service well. Without empathy, a marketing leader may miss opportunities to connect with the people making a product or service profitable and lose sight of the value their team brings to the end consumer.
Are there common pitfalls or mistakes organizations make when hiring a marketing leader?
There are a few common mistakes that B2B organizations make when they are head hunting for a VP of Marketing role:
Not considering the skill-level needed to complete the primary goal
A VP of Marketing may not be the right fit if you need someone to manage your social media accounts. Think about the business needs and the skill level you need to complete the job before investing in a VP of Marketing.
Hiring without understanding the type of marketing background needed
There are different specialties in marketing. Some VPs are well-versed in demand generation, while others are brand marketers. Before selecting a candidate, short- and long-term sales goals should be clear to choose the candidate with a background that aligns with business objectives.
Prioritizing marketing experience over leadership skills
A candidate with extensive knowledge and technical skills may not be an effective leader. Ideally a VP of Marketing will not be a subject matter expert in SEO, but they will have hands-on experience in managing an SEO specialist with a proven track record of success.
It’s vital this person has the character traits mentioned earlier in addition to an impressive resume. Without patience, empathy, strong project management skills and sound judgement, your marketing team will not realize their full potential.
What else should I consider before hiring for a VP-level marketing role?
The three points above are just the beginning of considerations when hiring a Vice President of Marketing. If you want to dig deeper, we recommend, “So You Think You’re Ready to Hire a Marketer? Read This First,” for detailed insight.
Fill the VP of Marketing role with ease: Here’s how.
Securing an impactful B2B executive leader is an endeavor of significant importance. Every company must invest the necessary time and resources to ensure they make the right hire from the outset. This is precisely where an agency like Launch Marketing proves invaluable.
With Launch Marketing’s Virtual Vice President of Marketing service, executive teams no longer face the dilemma of choosing between hiring the best candidate and scaling their operations. Instead, they can proceed with confidence, knowing they are making a choice that will benefit the organization in the long run. This service enables businesses to act decisively, without compromising on the quality of leadership.
Are you ready to hire your VP and drive B2B marketing efforts to new heights? Get started today by contacting our team of B2B marketing experts at Launch Marketing. We can act as your virtual VP of marketing or interim marketing director to guide your organization to success.
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