How to hire a content marketer for b2b saas?

Hiring a content marketer for a B2B SaaS company requires a blend of evaluating their skills, mindset, and cultural fit to ensure they are capable of contributing meaningfully to your brand's content strategy.

Here’s a structured approach to hire a content content marketer for b2b saas

1. Initial Application Screening

• Short Write-Up: Request a brief essay on why the applicant believes they are a strong fit for the role. This helps gauge their alignment with your company’s goals, their understanding of B2B SaaS content, and their ability to communicate effectively. Highlight their past achievements, especially metrics-driven results (e.g., increases in organic traffic, conversion rates, etc.), to demonstrate their impact.
• Selective Filtering: Only 5-10% of applicants move forward. These individuals are chosen based on the relevance and depth of their experiences.

2. Interview Criteria

During interviews, focus on key competencies and attitudes that are crucial for a B2B SaaS content marketer:

a. Strong Opinions and Original Thinking

• Look for candidates with well-formed opinions and ideas. You want someone who’s not just following the checklist but can challenge conventional approaches.
• Ask them to share examples of content strategies they implemented and how they iterated on them based on results. Ideally, they should draw on lessons from previous trials and demonstrate a willingness to think differently.

b. Receptiveness to Feedback

• Gauge how they handle critique. Content creation involves constant iteration. Ask about a time when they received tough feedback. Did they adjust and learn, or did they resist?
• Make it clear that some content might be rewritten and see how they respond to that notion.

c. Growth Mindset

• You want someone hungry to learn and grow—someone who follows industry trends, experiments with new content formats, and seeks knowledge beyond the immediate task.
• Inquire about their go-to sources for industry news and how they stay current with best practices. Are they following leaders in content marketing, SaaS growth, and inbound strategies?

d. Writing Process

• Understanding their process is critical. Do they dive into understanding the audience’s pain points before drafting? Content marketing in B2B SaaS is all about resonating with a targeted audience—understanding the journey from awareness to decision-making.
• Ask them to outline their steps for planning and drafting content. Look for an approach that begins with audience understanding and content goals.

e. Defining "Good Content"

• Ask them to share what they believe is their best work and why. Explain that you’re interested in what they are most proud of, beyond the numbers.
• This reveals their values as a content marketer—do they prioritize creativity, problem-solving, storytelling, or something else?

f. Real-Time Editing Task (Unconventional Approach)

• Provide a badly written social media post during the interview and ask them to edit it live.
• This exercise helps assess their thought process, adaptability, and ability to handle the unexpected. It shows their proficiency in making content concise, clear, and on-brand.

3. Assignment Phase for Senior Roles

• For more senior positions, give a detailed, paid assignment that mirrors the types of challenges they'd face in the role. This could involve developing a content strategy, creating a piece of pillar content, or building a topic cluster.
• This step might be time-intensive, but it helps validate their skills in a real-world context, ensuring they're worth the investment.

4. Cultural Fit and Alignment

• Since B2B SaaS content requires close collaboration with product teams, sales, and customer support, you’ll need someone who thrives in a team environment. Assess their interpersonal skills—are they communicative, collaborative, and comfortable working cross-functionally?

Your Hiring Process Matters

This approach offers a multi-layered evaluation to find the right fit, focusing not only on technical skills but also on the mindset and cultural alignment crucial for long-term success. What you’re looking for is a content marketer who’s strategic, audience-focused, adaptable, and excited to contribute to your company’s growth story.