Onboarding new employees is crucial for setting them up for success in their new roles. This is especially true for marketing positions, where employees need to quickly get up to speed on company branding, messaging, campaigns, and more. Use the following tips to effectively onboard new marketing staff.
Table of Contents
Conduct Thorough Training on Marketing Systems and Tools
Your marketing team utilizes various software, platforms, and systems daily. Don’t assume new hires will intuitively know how to use them. Set aside ample time for hands-on training for each marketing system and tool they will use. Show them how your CRM, email service, social media management tools, analytic platforms, etc. function, and have them walk through hands-on exercises to get comfortable. Provide user guides, cheat sheets, and video tutorials as references.
Explain Brand Messaging and Style Guidelines
Get new marketing employees up to speed on your current brand messaging and voice. Share your brand style guides and current campaign messaging so they can start immersing themselves in how you communicate your brand. Explain what tones and types of messaging resonate best with your audience. The more they understand the core brand and messaging, the quicker they can produce on-brand content.
Introduce Internal Teams and Key Players
Marketing must collaborate cross-functionally with many departments. Use an org chart to help employees see the bigger picture – use org chart templates and add company branding. Introduce new hires to key players and teams they will work with like sales, product development, creative, PR, customer service, and more. Outline each team’s role and how marketing partners with them. Foster relationships early so the new hire can get comfortable engaging across the organization.
Review Current Strategies, Campaigns and Projects
Don’t wait to bring new hires up to speed on what current campaigns or large projects your team is executing. Provide an overview of each major initiative underway, the strategies behind them, and how the new employee will contribute. Give access to project plans and creative assets developed so far and timelines for what’s ahead.
Define Early Responsibilities and Assignments
The first week or two can be overwhelming for new employees as they are learning the ropes. Prevent frustration by clearly outlining their immediate responsibilities and priorities early on. Develop a 30-60-90 day plan highlighting what they will achieve in their ramp up period. Define specific assignments appropriate for their skill level so they can start contributing without getting mired down.
Encourage Questions
No matter how thorough your onboarding, new marketing hires will have questions. Encourage them to ask questions freely and often instead of spinning their wheels. Check in regularly to find out what they are unclear on. Designate mentors on the team whom new employees can go to and make yourself available to field questions. Developing new skills and initiatives takes guided practice.
Setting new marketing hires up for success starts with a structured onboarding plan. Provide comprehensive training, brand education, team introductions, project overviews, and clear directions. Maintain open dialogue and access to key players to facilitate their ramp up process. Invest time early on for a quicker path to productivity.
