How to hire an online marketing manager

How to hire an online marketing manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step online marketing manager hiring guide:

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

What does an online marketing manager do?

Post an online marketing manager job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the online marketing manager you need to hire. Certain online marketing manager 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them an online marketing manager to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire an online marketing manager that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of online marketing manager salaries for various roles:

   Type of Online Marketing Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Online Marketing Manager	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.	$33-63
   Web Manager	Web Managers are responsible for managing websites for organizations. Their duties include managing website upgrades, testing for website performance, implement a strategy to increase web traffic and subscribers, troubleshooting website issues, and responding to security breaches... Show more	$25-60
   Head Of Marketing	The head of marketing primarily oversees all marketing departments and operations, ensuring to convey the message of the brand. Their responsibilities revolve around devising strategies and business plans, preparing and allocating the budget for all departments, identifying new opportunities and assets, and analyzing consumers' needs... Show more	$44-97

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Web Traffic
   • Digital Marketing
   • Marketing Campaigns
   • Search Engine Optimization
   • Google Analytics
   • Email Campaigns
   • Email Marketing
   • Paid Search
   • Content Strategy
   • A/B
   • Google Adwords
   • Facebook
   • ROI
   • B Testing

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage all aspects of e-mail campaigns including creating the direct e-mailings (text and HTML).
   • Implement and manage various PPC campaigns and other paid online advertisements including Facebook ads to increase search traffic.
   • Manage Facebook strategies to increase brand awareness and monitoring of social media activities.
   • Recommend and manage external partners for e-commerce and marketing initiatives; negotiate media buys across multiple channels.
   • Lead program to continuous profitability by reviewing capital allocation and performing P/L management, promotional modeling, and ROI analysis.
   • Budget and report on the performance of each customer acquisition channel, ensuring marketing KPIs perform at optimal levels.

   More online marketing manager duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, online marketing managers' average salary in hawaii is 51% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level online marketing managers 48% less than senior-level online marketing managers.
   • Certifications. An online marketing manager 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 an online marketing manager's salary.

   Average online marketing manager salary

   $96,212yearly

   $46.26 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level online marketing manager salary

   $69,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 19, 2026

   Average online marketing manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$127,455	$61
   2	Washington	$118,508	$57
   3	New Jersey	$114,727	$55
   4	Nevada	$102,413	$49
   5	Pennsylvania	$102,142	$49
   6	New York	$91,987	$44
   7	Illinois	$88,755	$43
   8	Massachusetts	$88,202	$42
   9	Virginia	$87,807	$42
   10	Texas	$87,753	$42
   11	Utah	$87,271	$42
   12	North Carolina	$83,092	$40
   13	Florida	$76,631	$37

   Average online marketing manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$139,558	$67.10	489
   2	Replacements	$131,368	$63.16
   3	Walmart	$112,889	$54.27	174
   4	Sears Holdings	$109,480	$52.63	16
   5	Neustar	$107,527	$51.70
   6	Artemis Health	$98,247	$47.23
   7	Rightside	$92,508	$44.48	8
   8	PNMAC Holdings, Inc.	$92,166	$44.31
   9	SeraCare Life Sciences	$88,967	$42.77
   10	Discover	$88,698	$42.64
   11	Ancestry US Holdings Inc	$88,485	$42.54	2
   12	*n/a*	$88,445	$42.52	2
   13	Flex Marketing Group	$88,122	$42.37
   14	West Virginia Farm Bureau	$84,535	$40.64	1
   15	IQPC	$82,460	$39.64
   16	Publishers Clearing House	$57,275	$27.54

4. Writing an online marketing manager job description

   An online marketing manager job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of an online marketing manager job description:

   Online marketing manager job description example

   Every day, Global Payments makes it possible for millions of people to move money between buyers and sellers using our payments solutions for credit, debit, prepaid and merchant services. Our worldwide team helps over 3 million companies, more than 1,300 financial institutions and over 600 million cardholders grow with confidence and achieve amazing results. We are driven by our passion for success and we are proud to deliver best-in-class payment technology and software solutions. Join our dynamic team and make your mark on the payments technology landscape of tomorrow.
   
   NetSpend Corporation is a leading provider of prepaid debit cards in the U.S. Prepaid debit cards are experiencing dramatic growth in consumer adoption. The company's prepaid cards enable anyone to make purchases, pay bills, secure reservations, and shop online without needing a traditional bank account, a credit history or access to a credit card.
   
   NetSpend Direct is an entrepreneurial business unit within NetSpend, with responsibility for growing the company's online and direct-to-consumer business line including all facets of customer acquisition and retention, servicing customers through web and mobile platforms, and strategic partnerships.
   
   We are looking for a digital marketing star to lead & grow our DRTV and Video channel with a focus on performance and profitability. You will be responsible for the company's DRTV/Video vision, strategy and execution, while also helping develop NetSpend's digital marketing stack through industry thought leadership.
   What You'll Do
   DRTV and Video Management - Responsible for strategy, creation, execution and measurement of DRTV and Video campaigns for NetSpend and partner branded programs. Review daily, weekly, monthly performance trends and direct optimization activities. Oversee DRTV and Video budget pacing and media efficiency ensuring volume goals are met.Full Funnel Management - Own the strategy and execution for the full marketing lifecycle from campaign ideation, creative execution, media acquisition, landing page optimization, call center optimization and product order flow optimization Testing - We have a bank of campaigns with proven results, but we always want to strive to improve performance through rigorous testing. This can be through testing scripts, video content, call center scripts, landing pages, new channels, formats, audiences or other tactics. Optimization -Success in this role will require leveraging self-service management tools, analyzing campaign performance by integrating front and back end metrics, and identifying areas of opportunity and risk. The successful candidate will need to be able to translate these analyses into actionable tactics.Budgeting and forecasting - Live, breathe and own your numbers. Work with the Digital Team and Account Managers to provide DRTV and Video budgeting guidance along with forecasted KPIs including CPA and Order targets. Manage weekly updates to internal performance reporting documents and monthly updates to the marketing forecast. Strategic Roadmap - Aid in the research and discovery of new marketing technologies and tools that will help us scale our digital marketing programs.Competitive Analysis - Leverage enterprise class web tools to provide regular updates on the competitive landscape Executive Presentations - Develop and present channel summaries for leadership, identifying key areas of opportunity and risk. When appropriate develop and present investment business cases for areas of growth and innovation.
   
   What's Great About It
   
   You'll own your channel's marketing experiences across acquisition, remarketing, and marketing analytics You'll get to focus on your passion for digital video, TV and internet technologies, segmentation and 1.1 user journeys that marry with creative that performs.And of course, you will be joining an industry leader with a solid growth record and expansion opportunities.
   
   Experience We're Looking For
   
   Bachelor's Degree5 + years' relevant professional DRTV/Video marketing experience with significant B2C marketing experience. Deep expertise in managing large complex DRTV/Video programs preferred.Proficiency using media buying with Agencies and directly with GoogleQuantitative wizard -Be a thought leader in gathering and identifying hypothesis for analysis, blending front end DRTV/Video data with business performance. Evaluate and understand operational results, activities and variances. Must be very proficient with Excel and able to analyze campaign performance with the support of the data analytics team Performance marketing oriented with proven results in driving new account/customer growth Creative eye and sensibility - while the quantitative skills are critical, so is the ability to know what kind of messaging and creative will delivery response and results Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic team environment, where resourcefulness and initiative are highly rewarded Love the craft of performance marketing, and wears that passion on your sleeve Knowledge of relevant online analytics tools and DRTV/Video service providers/solutions Detail focused with proven ability to execute and implement acquisition programs
   
   Global Payments Inc. is an equal opportunity employer.
   Global Payments provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status, genetic information or any other basis protected by law. Those applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application and/or interview process should notify a representative of the Human Resources Department.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right online marketing manager for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your online marketing manager job on Zippia to find and attract quality online marketing manager candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as swipe files, exit five, marketinghire, american marketing association.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting online marketing managers 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.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 online marketing manager

   Once you've decided on a perfect online marketing manager candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire an online marketing manager?