How to hire a direct marketing specialist

How to hire a direct marketing specialist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step direct marketing specialist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a direct marketing specialist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new direct marketing specialist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the direct marketing specialist you need to hire. Certain direct marketing specialist roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A direct marketing specialist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, direct marketing specialists from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of direct marketing specialists and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Direct Marketing Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Direct Marketing Specialist	Market research analysts study market conditions to examine potential sales of a product or service. They help companies understand what products people want, who will buy them, and at what price.	$21-38
   Marketing Manager/Project Manager	A marketing manager/project manager oversees a company's marketing programs and projects, aiming to attract more customers and increase the brand value of a business, product, or service. They primarily perform market research and assessments to identify marketing trends and opportunities, gather and analyze data to generate business leads, study the consumer and competitors in the industry, and identify the weaknesses and strengths of existing marketing projects, utilizing information to enhance operations... Show more	$26-52
   Sales/Marketing	Among the responsibilities of working in sales and marketing is to reach out to clients to achieve sales targets and secure customer satisfaction. It is also essential to come up and develop strategies to obtain sales and find new opportunities that will strengthen the client base and improve the company's brand and image... Show more	$11-33

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Marketing Campaigns
   • Customer Service
   • Data Entry
   • Email Marketing
   • Print Production
   • Email Campaigns
   • HTML
   • ROI
   • Direct Sales
   • Outbound Calls
   • SEO
   • Door Sales
   • Customer Acquisition
   • Creative Development

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Execute worldwide eMarketing strategies to drive leads and revenue for assign products.
   • Manage relationships with print, mail, e-mail, creative and copywriting vendors.
   • Manage B2C direct marketing tactics including e-mail and direct mail to drive revenue for the remarketing efforts.
   • Manage the creation and deployment of mobile-optimize e-blast HTML templates to use for company's online marketing efforts.
   • Develop, manage and implement special events for MWR programs and facilities with to focus on the customer.
   • Manage all benefits and payroll administration, including analyzing plans and making recommendations for plan design changes.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your direct marketing specialist job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A direct marketing specialist can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, direct marketing specialists' average salary in mississippi is 46% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level direct marketing specialists 45% less than senior-level direct marketing specialists.
   • Certifications. A direct marketing specialist with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a direct marketing specialist's salary.

   Average direct marketing specialist salary

   $59,907yearly

   $28.80 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level direct marketing specialist salary

   $44,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

4. Writing a direct marketing specialist job description

   A good direct marketing specialist job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a direct marketing specialist job description:

   Direct marketing specialist job description example

   Specialist, Direct Marketing
   
   Location: Atlanta, GA
   
   Minimum Qualifications
   
   Minimum Education Required -
   
   ☒ BA/BS
   
   Some college plus related experience will be accepted in lieu of a Bachelor's degree
   
   Minimum Experience/Skills/Competencies Required ☒ 2-3 years
   
   2 years' experience in direct marketing operations or related area. Experience coordinating the work of agency or vendor partners. Highly motivated to create strong organizational relationships and demonstrated effective collaboration to achieve results. Highly organized with ability to manage projects simultaneously. Strong understanding of revenue generating campaigns Strong attention to detail.
   
   Technical/Other
   
   2 years direct experience leveraging customer database systems and constituent information to support marketing campaigns preferred Analytic and problem solving ability. Experience leveraging customer database systems and constituent information to support marketing programs preferred Strong understanding of data flows across platforms
   
   Responsibility for Managing Resources
   
   Responsible for ensuring vendor contracts are adhered to and are financially viable. Position will work closely with vendor account team (s) to track issues for timely donor resolution and follow up.
   
   COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:
   
   Estimated compensation range for this role is $42,000 -$50,400 annually. Final offers will be based on candidate geographic location, consider career experience and may vary from this range due to these factors.
   
   You will have the opportunity for a highly competitive, comprehensive benefit package that the Society provides to employees. Your benefits include a considerable Paid Time Off Plan; Paid Holidays; 401k Retirement Savings Plan with Society match; Educational Reimbursement Plan; Professional Development Assistance; Commuter Benefit Plan; Comprehensive Health & Welfare benefits including Medical, Dental, Vision, Flex Spending Accounts, Life Insurance, Disability Coverage, Life Assistance Plan as well as additional voluntary benefit offerings. We value continuous learning and support your professional development through a Professional Development Assistance plan. You will join an incredible mission focused team of people!
   
   Other Information:
   
   The National MS Society is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We strive to create a workforce that reflects the communities we serve and where everyone feels empowered to bring their authentic selves to work. We need you and your unique talents and perspectives to help us write the last chapter on MS.
   
   During this unprecedented pandemic and the contagious nature of the Delta variant, the Society has a responsibility to ensure that our workplaces are safe for all employees, especially those affected by MS. Accordingly, the Society requires all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (with a COVID-19 FDA-approved vaccine or a COVID-19 vaccine granted Emergency Use Authorization) as a condition of employment, unless they meet the requirements for an accommodation or exception, under applicable law.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right direct marketing specialist for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with direct marketing specialists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit direct marketing specialists who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   To find direct marketing specialist candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as swipe files, exit five, marketinghire, american marketing association.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting direct marketing specialists requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new direct marketing specialist

   Once you've found the direct marketing specialist candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new direct marketing specialist. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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