Finding the modern marketer

There are lots of great articles about how to be a "modern" marketer and even more about how to hire one.  The challenge is that everyone looking for a great job thinks they fit the bill and are eager to spout off catch phrases like Inbound Marketing, Demand Generation, and Content Marketing to impress the uninitiated.

While lots of executives at companies of all sizes understand that the marketing landscape is changing, many of them don’t know exactly what they need or what they are looking for.

So, how do you know if you or your interviewee fit the bill?

  

1.    The modern marketer looks at the whole funnel, not just the top of it.  They know the numbers and see acquisition, conversion and retention as their job (note the eMarketer data showing a focus on lead generation).  They think about lead quality not jut lead volume.  And they see working cross-functionally as a blessing, not a hassle.

2.    The modern marketer loves to learn and create things.  They seek out keys to creation software like a three year old seeks out candy – from Photoshop and InDesign to Unbounce and Aviary.  They have an active social presence and see continuous improvement as part of their core value proposition.  They can mention the people and blogs they listen to and have an opinion about the ones they don’t.

3.    The modern marketer is proud to be one.  They'll namedrop Hubspot or Marketing Pilgrim in a story.  They have a technology and analytic bent, and understand that real time channels can easily become all the time channels.  They'll list ebooks and community management on their accomplishments.  And they'll talk about leads and revenue as their goals before brand building.