By Stephanie Faris - April 2nd, 2015

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Agile marketing involves hiring teams that can launch campaigns, test for results, and quickly adjust based on those results

Change is constant in our digital world. Well, change is even more of a constant in our digital world. For marketing professionals, constant changes have brought constant challenges. Our priorities shift from one minute to the next. To remain competitive, businesses must look for marketers who can easily adapt. Recently, businesses have realized the importance of building marketing teams that can respond to these changes gracefully. Agile marketing involves hiring teams that can launch campaigns, test for results, and quickly adjust based on those results. We talked to marketers to find out their strategy for making great hires. Here are three important ways to position your marketing team for success.

Build a Culture of Agility

The process of building an agile marketing team begins long before you hire a candidate. Take a look around at your existing culture and make sure you’re building an environment that encourages adaptability and innovation. “Brands should be concerned about having these assets in place because online marketing is a moving target,” says Michael Bergen, content marketing manager for Riverbed Marketing. “Being adaptable to the actions, behaviors, and habits of your consumers is critical, so that you meet your intended audience abroad. To stand still, is to be left behind in the dust.”

Look for a Willingness to Learn

Too often employers hone in on a candidate’s work experience, causing them to miss out on a candidate with great potential. Austin Paley, corporate media communications manager for Blue Fountain Media, believes curiosity is an ideal trait in a marketing team member. But it’s also important that each employee brings his own unique expertise to the team. “When you're building out an agile marketing team, employees that are curious and looking to learn are going to be key assets to your team, and crucial to your overall growth,” Paley says. “Employees who have their own expertise but also have a vast wealth of knowledge in other sectors of the digital marketing industry are going to be beneficial as changes occur over time, because they understand the core of most of the specialties and have the background to enhance their knowledge."

Ask the Right Questions

Through the use of behavioral interview questions, you can reveal important information on how a candidate reacts to change. Ask questions that will show how an employee handled a sudden shift in marketing strategy. These sample interview questions may be helpful in finding a candidate that is the right fit for your team. “Have a balance of specialists and generalists,” says Jake Athey, marketing director of Widen Enterprises. “Cultivate utility players. Build a culture that embraces change. Get the culture right first and then the strategy” As businesses grow, they begin to realize the importance of ensuring each new team member brings something unique to the team. When building a marketing staff, agility is especially important, since the field of marketing is always changing. When an employee easily adapts to change, that employee can quickly embrace the latest trends and put them to use with each project. For more insight into building an agile organization, check out the upcoming Incite Summit: West, May 18th and 19th in downtown San Francisco.

The Incite Summit East 2015

November 2015, The Marriott Brooklyn Bridge

The USA's best brand-focused marketing conference. Featuring CMOs, SVPs and marketing leaders from Dell, Citi, Chobani, Activision, HSBC, Mondelez and many more.

Brochure Programme
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