7 Reasons to Hire a VP of Marketing at an Early Stage B2B Startup

Happy New Year, and welcome to a new installment of the CMO Blueprint Newsletter! In this week's edition, we discuss a topic that sometimes confuses founders: when to hire a VP of Marketing at an early-stage start-up. Knowing the right time and reasons for this critical hire can transform your startup’s growth.

And don’t miss our Hack of the Week, where we share how to save time by using generative AI to create surveys—a small but impactful way to boost your productivity.

Let’s dive in!

A Common Mistake: Hiring Too Junior

Many founders mistakenly believe that hiring a junior “digital marketer” is sufficient to kickstart their marketing efforts. While junior marketers may have technical expertise in one or two areas, marketing is a broad field. Early-stage startups require someone who understands the bigger picture—and that’s where junior hires often fall short.

The gap between a founder’s vision and a junior marketer’s capabilities can lead to significant misalignment. Founders might expect a well-rounded marketing strategy but find their junior hire equipped only with limited tactical knowledge. This disconnect can hinder growth and waste valuable time.

Enter the VP of Marketing

Although hiring a senior marketer early on might seem like overkill, bringing in the right VP of Marketing can be transformative. As Jason Lemkin highlights in his SaaStr blog, this hire can quickly pay for itself by setting your startup on the right path.

Why a VP of Marketing?

1. Strategic Oversight: A seasoned VP of Marketing brings experience across various disciplines. While they may not personally design creatives or configure KPIs, they understand what’s needed and at what level of detail.

2. Prioritization: They know how to prioritize effectively. For instance, do you need a fully-fledged website at the outset, or is a simple one-page site sufficient to test and iterate? A good VP can make these calls confidently.

3. Infrastructure Setup: Proper CRM setup and marketing infrastructure are foundational. A VP ensures these are done right from the start, avoiding costly inefficiencies and enabling seamless scaling.

4. Metrics and KPIs: Beyond vanity metrics, a strong VP will establish meaningful KPIs aligned with your business goals. They’ll create scorecards to monitor performance and set clear targets for future hires.

5. Lead Generation Expertise: Founders often dive into ads prematurely, leading to wasted budgets and zero conversions. A VP of Marketing understands the nuances of campaign strategy—when and how to use channels like Google Ads, LinkedIn, and more for maximum impact.

6. Comprehensive Strategy: Whether it’s product marketing, content, field marketing, or email strategy, an experienced VP knows how and when to implement each function. They bring clarity to a complex landscape.

7. Team Building: Your VP of Marketing will guide you on who to hire, what seniority level is required, and when to expand the team. This foresight saves time and money.

When Should You Hire?

Lemkin recommends hiring a VP of Marketing before you have “two scaled sales reps,” and I agree. In the early days, the CEO should handle initial sales, leveraging their network to test messaging and close deals. Once you’ve achieved some proof of product-market fit (PMF), it’s time to involve a VP of Marketing.

Here’s a pragmatic approach:

• Start by working with a potential VP on a project basis. This could involve creating basic sales materials, defining messaging, or building a foundational marketing plan.

• Once the fit is clear and early traction is visible, bring them in-house full-time to lead your marketing efforts.

The Right VP: Strategic and Hands-On

While strategic vision is essential, your VP of Marketing must also be willing to roll up their sleeves. Early-stage startups need doers—someone who can dive into the details at least 50% of the time. Ensure your candidate is comfortable with this balance to avoid mismatches in expectations.

Final Thoughts

Hiring a VP of Marketing is a pivotal decision that can set your startup on a path to scalable growth. Be patient, ensure you’re ready, and don’t let enthusiasm rush your decision. Look for someone who brings strategic expertise, practical execution skills, and a collaborative mindset.

As mentioned earlier, Jason Lemkin’s blog provides great insights on this topic. However, practical advice on hiring senior marketers is surprisingly scarce. I hope this post helps fill that gap and gives you actionable insights to move forward confidently.

If you need help deciding when or who to hire, don’t hesitate to reach out. Happy hiring!

Hack of the Week: Creating Surveys with Gen AI

Leveraging AI to create surveys is a fantastic way to save time, especially if you create them regularly. Over time, those minutes saved can add up to an hour or more each month! Here’s how you can make the most of generative AI for surveys:

1. For Quick Surveys: Google Forms offers an AI feature where you can write a simple prompt, and it generates the survey for you. While the results may not be the most creative, the upside is that your survey is ready to publish instantly.

2. For More Elaborate Surveys: ChatGPT can generate more thoughtful and engaging questions. Use the same prompt you would in Google Forms, but take advantage of the richer output. Once you’ve curated the best questions, copy them—including their multiple-choice answers—into Google Forms. Instead of creating each question manually, simply paste them into the AI-powered section of Google Forms, and it will automatically format the survey for you.

By combining these tools, you can streamline your survey creation process while maintaining quality and creativity. Give it a try and reclaim some extra time in your day!