How to Hire a Brand Manager?: Steps & Red Flags to Avoid

Are you thinking of hiring a brand manager? According to Adobe, 89% of the buyers stay loyal to brands that share their values and stories. This is exactly what brand managers do and why you need them for your company’s growth. 

A brand manager helps create a positive image of your brand by effectively sharing your values, mission, and vision with your audience. In this blog, we have covered a detailed roadmap on how to hire a brand manager. We will also cover some red flags to look out for while hiring them.

Hiring a Brand Manager: An Overview

Brand managers are an essential part of an organization. They are in charge of creating a positive image for your organization by conveying your brand values, aim, mission, and story. They are also responsible for analyzing your target audience, their perception of your brand, and how to make your brand stand out from the crowd.

When and Why Should You Hire a Brand Manager?

When planning to expand your client base, make your brand more visible, or alter your brand image, it is best to hire a brand manager and let them do their magic.  A brand manager will analyze the potential target audience for expansion, build strategies to capture them, and help increase your brand visibility.

Cost of a Brand Manager  

On average, a brand manager’s salary is ₹15 LPA. An entry-level brand manager earns around ₹6 LPA. This can go up to ₹20 LPA, depending on the years of experience they have.

How to Hire a Brand Manager?

Let’s look at the roadmap for how to hire a brand manager, guiding you through the process of hiring a talented brand manager for your brand. 

Step 1: List Down Your Brand Goals, Objectives, and Requirements

• The first step to hiring a brand manager is understanding what are your requirements, objectives, and goals. 
• Are you hiring a brand manager strictly for a specific project or a longer duration? What is your budget? Ask yourself these questions before hiring a brand manager.
• It will determine how experienced should the candidate be or whether you need a freelancer or a full-time resource. 

Step 2: Create a Detailed Job Description

• A job description plays a key role in attracting potential candidates. 
• This is the place where you can convince candidates that you offer professional growth. You can mention some additional perks as well, such as work-from-home availability, flexible hours, informal dress code, and more. 
• In the job description, you can mention some additional perks as well, such as work-from-home availability, flexible hours, an informal dress code, and more.

Also, check out this guide on how to write a job description to write an impressive job description.

Step 3: Look for Platforms to Find Potential Candidates

• Choosing the right platform to post your job requirements is also important. It impacts the kind of applications you will get. 
• Make sure you research well and find platforms where you can get the best talent in the market. 
• One such platform is Internshala, where you can hire freshers and industry experts easily. 
• You can also check out this blog on the best job portals in India to find exceptional candidates for your organization.

Step 4: Skills to Look For in a Brand Manager 

The next step is analyzing resumes and shortlisting candidates that match your requirements. Here are some skills you can look for in a brand manager:

• Analytical and problem-solving skills
• Leadership skills
• Thorough understanding of marketing concepts
• Understanding of your brand, its goals, objectives, and values
• Ability to make result-oriented strategies
• Ability to come up with creative and effective campaign ideas

Step 5: Assess Resumes and Assign Tasks

• Shortlist candidates who match your preferences and give them a task or assignment testing their technical skills. 
• For instance, you can give them a situation and ask them to build strategies and discuss its outcome. 
• You can even ask them to create a list of ideas for your brand to better assess their skills and knowledge.

Step 6: Shortlist The Candidates and Interview Them 

• The next thing to do is shortlist candidates by assessing their assignments and scheduling an interview. 

Here are some questions that you can ask in an interview while hiring a brand manager:

1. What vision do you have for our brand?
2. Do you have any strategies that will help us grow our brand?
3. How do you plan on managing a team of 30 people?
4. Can you share any marketing strategies or campaigns that you have created in the past and their results?

Also, check out our guide on how to conduct an interview for tips to conduct a successful interview. 

Step 7: Take the Final Call

• After you are done with the interview round, now is the time to decide. 
• Select the best candidate and send an offer letter. 
• Welcome them onboard and begin your branding journey right away!

Red Flags To Look Out For in a Brand Manager 

While understanding how to hire a brand manager, it’s important to look out for some red flags; some of these include:

1. They Follow Trends Over Fundamental Strategies: A candidate who believes that strategies used by other companies will work out for your company as well is a big no! A good brand manager understands that every company has different objectives; therefore, one has to create strategies according to the company’s tailored goals and objectives.
2. They Do Not Have a Good Understanding of Your Brand: To effectively convey your brand story, your brand manager needs to understand your brand. They need to have a clear understanding of all the ABCs of your brand. 
3. They Have Unrealistic Goals For Your Brand: Being aspirational is good, but to have unrealistic goals is a major red flag. If your brand manager sets unrealistic goals, it will be challenging to achieve them and will ultimately put pressure on the team. This might cause dissatisfaction among your other team members. 
4. They Follow Instincts Over Facts: A good brand manager prioritizes facts and figures over their instincts. They believe that strategies based on facts, experience, and knowledge work the best.

Conclusion

A brand manager helps you expand your client base and create brand awareness by strategizing marketing campaigns. They also help you attract potential customers and build a positive brand image, making it vital for you to hire one. So, what are you waiting for? Follow this roadmap on how to hire a brand manager and hire the best one for your organization! 

Do you think we missed out on any crucial steps that you would have followed during your hiring process? If yes, do let us know in the comments below. Also, don’t forget to check out our blog on the top 10 recruitment strategies to help you build a strong hiring strategy.

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