Hiring the right marketing talent is a critical challenge for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). A recent report from Constant Contact states that 33% of business owners find challenging to determine what is working & to measure the performance of marketing actions.
Many understand that marketing is essential, yet frustration arises when results seem intangible or when ROI is unclear. This often leads to the misconception that marketing is a “necessary evil.”
In my experience working with a variety of SMBs, one recurring issue stands out: a lack of consistent, clear reporting on marketing activities and results. I recently consulted with a business owner who had in-house marketing—SEO, social media, email campaigns—but was frustrated. When I asked for their monthly marketing reports, they admitted they didn’t have any formal system in place to track their efforts, their competition, or any results.
By focusing on specific hard skills and measurable KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), SMBs can ensure they hire marketers who deliver clear, data-backed results.
So here’s a breakdown of some essential marketing tasks, the hard skills needed, and the KPIs that business owners or hiring managers can track to ensure their marketing investments pay off.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO is the backbone of organic traffic. When done right, it drives long-term visibility, reduces reliance on paid advertising, and builds brand authority. For SMBs, an effective SEO strategy means being found by potential customers without constantly paying for online advertising.
KPIs to Track:
- Organic Traffic Growth: Track how your website traffic improves over time from search engines. A steady rise indicates successful optimization.
- Keyword Rankings: Monitor your position for target keywords. Higher rankings for relevant terms mean better visibility and more traffic potential.
- Click-Through Rate (CTR): This measures how often people click on your site after seeing it in search results. A high CTR indicates compelling meta titles and descriptions.
How to Evaluate Teams / Individuals /Candidates:
When hiring an SEO specialist, ask for case studies or examples of how they’ve increased organic traffic and improved keyword rankings. Look for their ability to explain complex strategies like content strategy, competition content tracking / competitive analytics, google analytics & search console reporting in practical terms.
Content Marketing
Content marketing is key to building trust, educating your audience, acquiring & nurturing leads.
A strong content strategy also amplifies SEO efforts by providing valuable, relevant information that attracts and retains visitors.
KPIs to Track:
- Website Traffic from Content: Measure how much of your site traffic comes from blog posts, articles, or other content pieces. This indicates whether your content is driving interest.
- Engagement Rates: Analyze time spent on pages and social shares. High engagement means the content is resonating with your audience.
- Conversion Rates: Track how often visitors take desired actions (e.g., signing up for a newsletter or making a purchase) after interacting with your content. This shows how effective your content is at turning readers into leads or customers.
How to Evaluate Teams / Individuals /Candidates:
Look for marketers who can demonstrate success in driving traffic and conversions through well-researched, engaging content. Strong candidates will know how to align content with your sales funnel, create diverse content formats (e.g., blogs, videos), and optimize content for search engines.
Email Marketing
Email marketing remains one of the most cost-effective ways to nurture leads, drive sales, and retain customers. Personalized and automated email campaigns ensure consistent communication with your audience.
KPIs to Track:
- Subscriber Growth: Track the increase in your email list size over time. A growing list shows your content and lead magnets are appealing.
- Open Rates: This measures how many recipients open your emails. A higher open rate indicates effective subject lines and proper audience segmentation.
- Click-Through Rates (CTR): Track how often recipients click links within emails. This shows whether your email content is engaging and relevant.
- Conversion Rates: Measure how often email campaigns lead to a desired action, such as purchases or sign-ups, reflecting their impact on business goals.
How to Evaluate Candidates:
An ideal email marketer will have expertise in crafting segmented campaigns and setting up automated sequences for newsletters, promotions, and re-engagement campaigns. They will know their numbers achieved from campaigns they executed before.
Social Media Marketing (yes, in B2B as well)
For SMBs, social media is a powerful tool to engage directly with customers and build brand awareness cost-effectively. However, success goes beyond nice videos or follower counts—it’s about creating meaningful interactions and driving business outcomes.
KPIs to Track:
- Engagement Rates: Likes, comments, shares, and saves indicate how well your content resonates with your audience. Engagement is a key indicator of interest.
- Video Views: Video is a dominant form of content, and tracking views helps assess reach and audience retention.
- Website Traffic from Social Media: Monitor how much traffic social platforms send to your website. This helps determine if your social content is effectively leading users to your site.
- Competitor Analysis Reports: Evaluate your social performance against competitors in areas like engagement, content formats, and best-performing posts.
How to Evaluate Teams / Individuals / Candidates:
Your social media manager should demonstrate strategic use of platforms. Look for skills in campaign management, hashtag strategy, audience segmentation, and retargeting. They should also be proficient in analyzing and reporting on campaign performance and ROI, especially in B2B environments where conversions may take longer.
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising
PPC can deliver immediate results, driving traffic and conversions. However, poor management can result in wasted budgets and disappointing returns.
KPIs to Track:
- Cost-Per-Click (CPC): This tracks the cost you pay per click. Lowering CPC without sacrificing traffic is a sign of optimization.
- Conversion Rate: Monitor how often clicks turn into leads or sales or whatever goal you set up as a conversion goal. Your team / candidtae should be familiar with creating different and measurable conversion actions.
- Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): ROAS measures how much revenue you earn for every dollar spent on ads. A high ROAS indicates efficient budget use.
- Impression Share and Top-of-Page Percentage: These metrics show how visible your ads are compared to competitors and how often they appear at the top of search results.
How to Evaluate Teams / Individuals / Candidates:
Ask candidates to explain their PPC optimization strategies, including bid adjustments, and audience targeting. Evaluate their knowledge of remarketing techniques, particularly for B2B where custom audience building is crucial for sales funnel building.
Final thoughs
By focusing on hard skills and tracking specific KPIs, business owners can ensure their marketing team drives real, data-backed growth—turning marketing from an expense into a powerful investment.
In many cases, SMBs don’t need to hire full-time, in-house teams. Outsourcing specific marketing tasks—such as SEO, content creation, social media management, or PPC campaigns—to freelancers or specialized agencies can be a cost-effective solution. This approach allows businesses to access high-level expertise without the overhead costs of a full-time team. By blending in-house staff with outsourced talent, SMBs can remain agile, control costs, and focus on driving measurable result
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