How to hire a director of digital marketing

How to hire a director of digital marketing, step by step

Here's a step-by-step director of digital marketing hiring guide:

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

What does a director of digital marketing do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The director of digital marketing hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A director of digital marketing's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, directors of digital marketing 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.

   This list presents director of digital marketing salaries for various positions.

   Type of Director Of Digital Marketing	Description	Hourly rate
   Director Of Digital Marketing	Advertising, promotions, and marketing managers plan programs to generate interest in products or services. They work with art directors, sales agents, and financial staff members.	$35-81
   Marketing Vice President	Marketing vice presidents (VPs) are responsible for a company's overall marketing efforts and strategies. They plan and develop marketing strategies to bolster their company's market positioning and attain business goals... Show more	$58-124
   Marketing Supervisor	Marketing Supervisors oversee the performance of employees in the marketing department. They ensure that the employees in the department adhere to company standards, policies, and guidelines... Show more	$21-43

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Digital Marketing
   • KPIs
   • Marketing Campaigns
   • Google Analytics
   • CRM
   • Email Marketing
   • Digital Channels
   • User Experience
   • ROI
   • Digital Strategy
   • Web Analytics
   • Digital Campaigns
   • Channel Marketing
   • Lead Generation

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Hone list of contacts including prospects, leads, and customers within Salesforce.
   • Manage multiple affiliate network relationships, negotiating CPA deals to drive increase, high quality traffic.
   • Manage all functions of marketing campaign creation and execution including copy, design, HTML coding, scheduling and analysis.
   • Manage PPC and SEO agency relationship and act as a liaison between the CEO, web designer and the agency.
   • Produce YouTube videos including editing and managing YouTube page.
   • Manage CRM strategy to maximize prospect acquisition and customer conversions.

   More director of digital marketing duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your director of digital marketing job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A director of digital marketing salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, directors of digital marketing' average salary in alaska is 45% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level directors of digital marketing earn 56% less than senior-level directors of digital marketing.
   • Certifications. A director of digital marketing with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a director of digital marketing's salary.

   Average director of digital marketing salary

   $112,413yearly

   $54.04 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level director of digital marketing salary

   $74,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average director of digital marketing salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$139,228	$67
   2	New York	$127,818	$61
   3	New Jersey	$124,363	$60
   4	Arizona	$120,246	$58
   5	Missouri	$118,222	$57
   6	Illinois	$114,664	$55
   7	Massachusetts	$113,234	$54
   8	Delaware	$112,876	$54
   9	Virginia	$111,309	$54
   10	Maryland	$108,845	$52
   11	North Carolina	$106,514	$51
   12	Georgia	$105,585	$51
   13	Michigan	$103,927	$50
   14	Nevada	$103,010	$50
   15	Indiana	$102,456	$49
   16	Ohio	$102,290	$49
   17	District of Columbia	$102,104	$49
   18	Wisconsin	$101,351	$49
   19	Pennsylvania	$98,570	$47
   20	Minnesota	$94,715	$46

   Average director of digital marketing salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Roku	$202,760	$97.48	11
   2	Netflix	$169,784	$81.63	10
   3	Hearst	$165,258	$79.45	27
   4	ViacomCBS	$162,387	$78.07
   5	AlixPartners	$158,470	$76.19	2
   6	Acadia Pharmaceuticals	$158,100	$76.01	13
   7	Walgreens	$156,676	$75.33	11
   8	Discovery	$154,543	$74.30
   9	Essex Property Trust	$154,329	$74.20
   10	ESET	$153,576	$73.83
   11	Burberry	$152,714	$73.42
   12	Walmart	$152,151	$73.15	148
   13	Edwards Lifesciences	$151,494	$72.83	24
   14	Drizly	$151,104	$72.65
   15	Imply	$150,478	$72.35
   16	ServiceNow	$150,421	$72.32	14
   17	Starz	$150,040	$72.13	4
   18	AstraZeneca	$149,778	$72.01	40
   19	Natera	$149,336	$71.80	6
   20	Veeva Systems	$145,272	$69.84	70

4. Writing a director of digital marketing job description

   A job description for a director of digital marketing role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a director of digital marketing job description:

   Director of digital marketing job description example

   
   

   At Delaware North, we care about our associates. We are committed to invest in our people's personal and professional journeys, without you, there is no us. These are just some of the benefits we offer: health, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k) with company match, performance bonuses, paid vacation days and holidays, and generous friends-and-family discounts at many of our hotels and resorts. Click here to learn more.

   Responsibilities

   • Manage marketing budget, reporting, and reinvestment strategy.
   • Optimize deployment of marketing resources to maximize growth and profitability of online gaming revenues.
   • Maximize performance in all online and internet gaming venues including adding to or increasing customer database.
   • Own the relationship with our joint venture partners to ensure that gaming properties receive the support and service required to maintain and continuously improve our igaming product and service offerings.
   • Work with external vendors, consultants and internal peer group to develop marketing communications, advertising, promotional and public relations programs to enhance revenue.
   • Create innovative online and Internet marketing plans based on analysis and knowledge of gaming products such as table games, casino games, and sports betting for acquisition as well as retention.

   Qualifications

   • Bachelor's degree in marketing or business; Master's degree preferred.
   • Minimum of five years of experience in igaming.
   • Minimum of three years of professional experience in online marketing.
   • Solid knowledge and experience working with key casino and technology supplier vendors.
   • Knowledge of marketing automation systems.
   • Understanding of Customer Service and VIP programs for igaming in multiple gaming market locations.
   • Ability to travel up to 30 percent of the time.

   Who We Are

   At Delaware North, you'll love where you work, who you work with, and how your day unfolds. Whether it's in sporting venues, casinos, airports, national parks, iconic hotels, or premier restaurants, there's no telling where your career can ultimately take you. We empower you to do great work in a company with 100 years of success, stability and growth. If you have drive and enjoy the thrill of making things happen - share our vision and grow with us.

   Delaware North Companies, Incorporated and its subsidiaries consider applicants for all positions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status. Delaware North is an equal opportunity employer.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find directors of digital marketing for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any directors of digital marketing they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level directors of digital marketing with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your director of digital marketing job on Zippia to find and recruit director of digital marketing candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting directors of digital marketing 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.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates 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 director of digital marketing

   Once you have selected a candidate for the director of digital marketing position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   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.

   To prepare for the new director of digital marketing first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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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How much does it cost to hire a director of digital marketing?