One of the trends we’ve witnessed increasingly over the past 20 years is Marketing Managers moving from company to company. Sometimes it’s due to an increase in responsibilities, pay or the perception that they will be able to have more latitude and a bigger budget to grow the new organization’s Digital Marketing efforts.
Marketers who work for clients and move on to other companies have generally been a very active source of new business opportunities for MoreVisibility, particularly when they don’t go to a competitor of their former employer. So we’re not necessarily against the trend, but I want to highlight the fact that what seems like a great career move sometimes isn’t.
Often times, companies who are behind where they ought to be Digital Marketing-wise hire individuals from companies they perceive to be further along to propel them forward. While in theory this makes sense and may actually present a wonderful opportunity, the truth may be that the company has never committed the resources necessary to develop a successful online presence, and the new Marketing Manager who was hired with visions of grandeur quickly realizes that their new employer isn’t truly committed.
Most often, the root of the problem is that there are people within the new organization who (still) don’t believe in Online Marketing and aren’t willing to provide the team with the resources they need. Closely related are organizations slowing down the process to the point that nothing meaningful ever gets accomplished.
As a Marketer, try asking these questions when interviewing for a position to avoid winding up in a situation where you can’t accomplish what you anticipated:
- What was the budget for last year, this year and next year?
- Is my position new or has someone previously held this role? If there was someone previously, how long were they there and why didn’t it work out?
- What is the approval process for testing new Digital Marketing initiatives? Can a monthly testing budget be established?
Great Marketers need resources in order to succeed. Before making the switch to another company, dig a bit deeper to understand the backstory / history.
