If you are reading this, I assume you either own or operate an online music store (i.e. Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play, Amazon Music, etc.).

In the past, marketing departments at record companies were responsible for coordinating advertising, public relations, and social media tactics. However, in today’s digital age, online marketing and social media agencies are commonplace, and marketing departments have evolved to become digital marketing agencies.

In many cases, a record label’s marketing department will outsource digital marketing strategies to an agency. However, sometimes the record label will want to take the reins and handle the digital marketing themselves. Regardless of the case, hiring a marketing director is a strategic decision that you will have to weigh carefully. To that end, here are some things you should expect when hiring a marketing director for your online music store.

Creative Minds

One of the most important things to consider when hiring a marketing director is the person’s creative mind. Just because you have a good idea for a marketing campaign doesn’t mean that the person executing it has the same creative vision. The fact is, there is a wide variety of creative minds out there, and you need to make sure you are bringing in someone who will complement your own creative vision.

To do this, you will want to look for people with a proven track record of coming up with unique campaigns that stand out. Additionally, you want to make sure you are hiring a team of people with diverse backgrounds so that you can gain as much perspective as possible. After all, if you are running a business, it’s important to have as much information as possible so that you can make well-informed decisions.

Strategic Thinking

Another important thing to consider when hiring a marketing director is the person’s level of strategic thinking. In the past, record companies would simply ask customers to listen to upcoming albums in the hopes that they will buy something. However, in today’s digital age, artists can use algorithmic curation to surface content based on a person’s listening habits. As a result, customers have a larger say in what content gets surfaced to them, and in many cases, customers have higher conversion rates than before because of this empowerment.

To take advantage of this, you will want to look for a marketing director who can create strategies for engaging with customers through content and social media. Additionally, you want to make sure you are hiring a person who can envision the entire process, from initial customer discovery through to follow-up and close.

Results-Oriented

Yet another important thing to consider when hiring a marketing director is the person’s results-oriented attitude. As a business owner or operator of an online music store, you are accustomed to seeing results from your marketing efforts. In many cases, you will either see an increase in traffic or sales, or you will see a decrease in both. As a result, you will want to make sure you are hiring a marketing director who is highly motivated to achieve results and who understands the value of metrics and objective measurement.

To put it bluntly, you can’t judge a book by its cover, and you can’t judge a marketing director by their title. The fact is, there are a lot of good and honest people who work in branding and marketing agencies, and there are a lot of bad apples who will try to take advantage of you. So, it’s important to look at their track record and their personality to determine whether or not you want to work with them.

Proven Track Record

To begin with, you will want to look for a marketing director who has a proven track record. In many cases, an agency or freelancer will be able to list a number of previous clients and projects that they have worked on. In these cases, you can see exactly what previous clients have said about their work. Additionally, you can often find out more about the person’s background via their website or social media sites. In other cases, agencies will be able to provide you with detailed testimonials from previous clients.

In short, you can find out a lot about a prospective marketing director just by doing a quick internet search. Additionally, you can contact the agency or freelancer’s previous clients to get an idea of their work ethic and to see how others evaluated their performance.

Familiar With The Online Music Store Industry

As a business owner or operator of an online music store, you are well acquainted with the fact that the industry is constantly changing and evolving. As a result, it is important to make sure you are hiring a marketing director who is familiar with the industry and who can adapt with it.

However, you don’t need to be an expert, and in many cases, being a client of the agency or freelancer will give you access to experts who can educate you on the current trends within the industry.

Familiar With Online Marketing

Just because you are operating an online music store does not mean that you are familiar with online marketing. To the contrary, you may not even be using online marketing as part of your overall marketing strategy. In many cases, music businesses will outsource their digital marketing to agencies or freelancers who are experts in online marketing and social media. Additionally, because of the wide variety of platforms and the fact that many people utilize multiple devices and multiple accounts, it is important to make sure you are hiring a marketing director who is familiar with the multi-channel, digital landscape.

To that end, it is crucial to find a marketing director who is adaptable and who has the ability to create and implement marketing strategies for various platforms and devices.

Passion For Music

Last but not least, you want to make sure you are hiring a marketing director who has a passion for music. To be absolutely frank, there are a lot of dishonest marketing directors who will try to take advantage of your business. In many cases, they will try to up-sale music to you or will suggest irrelevant or unproductive marketing strategies. In other cases, they may try to up-sale non-related products (e.g. travel or meal packages) through affiliate marketing. In general, these types of marketing directors will try to take advantage of you and your business, and you must be on the lookout for them.

On the other hand, you are looking for someone who has a passion for your business and product, and who will advocate for you and your business without being paid. In many cases, you will be able to tell by their attitude and approach whether or not they are going to be a productive addition to your team.

In conclusion, finding a good marketing director for your business doesn’t have to be hard. Simply follow the guidelines in this article, and you will be able to find someone who will fit perfectly into your team.