Is Your New Marketing Employee Truly Adding Value or Just Creating a Job?

So, how do you differentiate a truly effective marketer from one who’s simply creating work to look indispensable? Let’s take a closer look at the signals, the types of statements they might make, and the motivations behind these behaviors.

Red Flags: Statements That Suggest “Value” Over Substance

New hires often feel the need to prove themselves quickly, and this can lead to them suggesting initiatives or making statements that seem proactive but may lack depth. Here are a few common examples:

1. “Our brand identity is stale. We should completely rebrand.”

   - Translation: The new hire wants to make a mark by transforming the look and feel of the brand.

   - Red Flag: Rebranding is a massive, resource-intensive project that should be rooted in deep insights about market perception, customer feedback, and long-term vision. If a new employee proposes this without detailed research or evidence that customers are disengaged due to the brand identity, it could be a sign that they’re looking to take on a visible, high-profile project to demonstrate “impact” rather than addressing real business needs.

2. “I’ve reviewed our entire email marketing strategy, and I think we should scrap it and start fresh.”

   - Translation: The new employee is suggesting that the team’s previous work isn’t valuable, with an implication that only a new approach could drive results.

   - Red Flag: While a fresh perspective is important, dismissing a long-standing strategy without considering its history or previous successes might indicate a lack of respect for the team’s collective efforts and insights. Suggesting to “start fresh” can be a way to justify large amounts of time spent on research, planning, and implementation—when a few well-thought-out tweaks might be all that’s necessary.

3. “We should create more reports to track our metrics better.”

   - Translation: More data will help the team make better decisions.

   - Red Flag: Overcomplicating reporting structures can lead to “reporting for reporting’s sake.” If the new hire spends more time creating reports than analyzing them for insights or actionable steps, the reporting becomes a chore rather than a useful tool. Often, this strategy leads to what’s known as “analysis paralysis,” where teams spend more time looking at metrics than making actual marketing moves.

4. “Our social media needs to be more on-trend. Let’s add [insert trendy platform].”

   - Translation: They want to make the brand look current and appealing to younger audiences.

   - Red Flag: Jumping on every social media trend can fragment your focus and lead to diluted brand messaging. Unless the suggested platform aligns with your target audience and goals, it’s a time sink without a measurable impact. Sometimes, a new hire feels they need to propose trendy ideas to show they’re in touch with the latest developments in social media, but “staying relevant” without strategy just increases the marketing workload.

When Change Is Necessary vs. Change for Change’s Sake

To determine whether a new marketing employee is advocating for valuable changes, evaluate whether their suggestions align with your company’s long-term goals and address specific business challenges. Here are some questions to consider:

- Is the suggestion backed by data or research?

  - A new hire who’s genuinely adding value will bring data, industry insights, or case studies to support their ideas. For example, they might say, “Our competitor saw a 15% lift in engagement after adding a new social media channel because they proved it aligned with their target audience.” This kind of evidence-based suggestion shows they’re prioritizing business outcomes over trends.

- Does their proposal involve incremental adjustments, or is it a drastic overhaul?

  - While new ideas can be a good thing, a savvy marketer knows that incremental adjustments often yield better results with less risk. For example, rather than saying, “Let’s scrap the entire website,” they might suggest, “Let’s A/B test a few new landing page designs to improve conversion rates.” This measured approach shows that they’re focused on optimizing rather than overhauling.

- Are they interested in learning from the team’s history?

  - A team-oriented marketer will seek to understand the context of past campaigns and strategies before suggesting changes. They might say, “I noticed our last three email campaigns had a lower open rate. Can we dig into why that is?” This shows curiosity and respect for the team’s past work, indicating a collaborative rather than disruptive approach.

Real Value-Add Statements vs. Value Creation Theater

Let’s look at some real-world examples of statements that suggest genuine value addition versus statements that might just be part of “value creation theater.”

1. Genuine Value: “I noticed that our paid search budget is getting spent faster than anticipated in Q3. If we reallocate some of that spend toward retargeting, we might get a better ROI without increasing our budget.”

   - Analysis: Here, the new hire is demonstrating awareness of budget constraints and an understanding of how reallocating resources can yield better outcomes.

2. Value Creation Theater: “Our paid search strategy isn’t working. We should completely shift focus to organic.”

   - Analysis: This statement lacks specificity and doesn’t consider that organic and paid strategies often work together. Without data to back up this radical shift, it could be a costly experiment rather than a thoughtful improvement.

3. Genuine Value: “Let’s build a ‘content refresh’ calendar for top-performing blog posts to keep driving traffic without doubling our content production costs.”

   - Analysis: This approach is budget-conscious and recognizes the value of past efforts. It enhances existing assets rather than advocating for an entirely new content strategy.

4. Value Creation Theater: “I think we need a major PR push to increase our visibility.”

   - Analysis: While PR might help with visibility, a blanket suggestion without a detailed strategy to target specific audiences or leverage PR for measurable outcomes can lead to unfocused spending and lower ROI.

Building a Culture of True Value Creation

To discourage “busywork” and encourage genuine value creation, foster an environment where:

- Data and outcomes are prioritized. Emphasize the importance of measurable goals and how they align with the company’s strategic objectives.

- Team collaboration is rewarded. Encourage your team to discuss new ideas and give feedback based on shared experience, allowing new hires to understand the company culture and past successes.

- Changes are incremental. Big changes often require big budgets and big risks. Promote a culture where small, data-driven adjustments are celebrated, as these can lead to sustainable improvements without unnecessary disruption.

Recognizing the Long-Term Impact of True Value

A new marketing hire who’s truly adding value doesn’t need to show it through flashy initiatives or sweeping changes. Instead, they’ll build incremental improvements, foster collaboration, and ground their work in data and strategic alignment with company goals. Distinguishing between someone who’s creating a job and someone who’s truly adding value isn’t always easy, but by staying focused on long-term, data-backed improvements, your team can avoid the traps of value creation theater and foster genuine growth and success.

In the end, a truly valuable marketer will focus on what benefits the business, not just on projects that make their presence known.