How to Hire the Best Creative Strategist to Grow Your Brand

Before you hire a creative strategist, you need to understand what they do and how they can help your brand grow–which can be a bit tricky, because it may vary from agency to agency.?

At Brighter Click, we focus primarily on Facebook, TikTok, and Google Ads, as well as UGC/Influencer sourcing. We also provide Fractional CMO services, where our creative strategist may provide consulting services for brand building and management. Our creative strategist is involved in (but not limited to):

• Audience research and brand strategy?
• Onboarding clients and walking them through strategic goals?
• Monthly campaign planning based on ad performance data
• Briefing new ad ideas for our copywriter and designer to execute?
• Giving strategic feedback on the copy and design?
• Working with the media buyer to test and optimize ads?

They must consider an ad's aesthetic appeal and its entire lifecycle—from conceptualization to execution and optimization.?

What Makes a Great Creative Strategist??

To some, it’s the ability to dream up innovative, creative ideas that will be eye-catching and memorable. But in my experience, it’s so much more than that—especially when each client has unique goals and metrics (not to mention a marketing landscape that seems to change drastically day-to-day!).

It’s one of the most crucial roles to get right when hiring. A creative strategist has to conceptualize and produce creative that aligns with brand goals and captures the audience's attention in a way that can drive conversions. They must also understand how to utilize comprehensive data to drive decisions and lead a team of creatives.

Collaboration and Team Leading

One of the most important roles of a strategist is bringing the entire team together under one united goal and vision for each campaign or brief. Effective creative strategists foster collaboration among team members, including designers, copywriters, and media buyers, to ensure that every piece of content is optimized for its intended purpose.?

I think of our strategist as the glue that holds the creative and analytical pieces of marketing campaigns together, ensuring that every element works harmoniously to meet the campaign’s strategic goals –?whether it’s increasing AOV, improving sales of a specific product or collection, or boosting creative diversity in an account.?

The Advantage of Media Buying Experience

One significant edge in today's market is for creative strategists to have a background in media buying. This experience equips them with a nuanced understanding of how different creatives perform across platforms, which is invaluable.?

For instance, having overseen Meta campaigns with substantial annual spending, our strategist has developed an instinctual feel for what types of creative content generally work best. This isn't derived from theoretical knowledge but from practical, hands-on experience that helps spot effective ad campaign patterns. (Full disclaimer: don’t let this bias halt the testing of creatives. When in doubt, test it out.)

Data Comprehension is Key

The ability to interpret complex data is crucial for enhancing current campaigns and strategizing for future efforts. Platforms like Meta can be complex, making data tracking occasionally difficult.

• An excellent creative strategist must have a solid grasp of performance marketing metrics. This includes understanding how different metrics, like CTR and Hold Rate, can give clues as to why a creative performed positively or negatively.

• Our strategist has to decide the right mix of content formats (videos, GIFs, or images) for a campaign. Those decisions are based on data that indicates how different content types perform among various audience segments. But they also need to consider how long past ads ran, what the spend was, and what the ROAS or CPA looked like.?

Comprehending ad data becomes invaluable here, allowing strategists to understand the ad accounts' needs and adjust strategies accordingly.

How to Hire a Creative Strategist

As I mentioned in last week’s newsletter, it’s crucial to consider how candidates fit into the company culture and their ability to collaborate with designers, copywriters, and other team members to execute a unified vision. Referrals from trusted sources within one's network often prove valuable in finding talent that fits the required skill set and the organizational culture.?

I also like setting up a paid trial project, giving candidates up to 3 days to execute the type of work they’d be doing daily. This paid trial project works both ways, allowing us and the potential team members to understand how the working relationship feels and if it's a good fit.?

There’s a catch, though. Here’s how I do it…?

Because communication is so important on any creative team (and isn’t something that can be clearly defined on a resume or questionnaire), I look for ways to better understand candidates' communication skills during the trial project.?

1. I give them access to our team Slack so they can reach out with any questions they have throughout the project.?
2. I ask for EOD progress updates (projects usually last 2 to 3 days) to see how they are with keeping their team in the loop.?
3. I leave some room for questions in the project guidelines to understand who will reach out, ask questions, and provide feedback while they work on the project.?

How to Find The Right Creative Strategist?

As the digital landscape becomes increasingly data-driven, the demand for strategists who can navigate creative execution and data analysis will continue to rise. By embracing a comprehensive approach to hiring, training, and ongoing development, agencies can empower their creative teams to deliver more nuanced and effective marketing strategies that drive genuine business outcomes.

That said, it’s easier for many brands to hire an agency to execute marketing for them. Agencies like ours work with SaaS and eCommerce clients across a wide range of verticals. By leveraging the knowledge and skill of our team, you can focus on what you do best and let us handle ad strategy, execution, and optimization of your Facebook ads, Google Ads, and UGC/Influencer content.?

Want More Growth-Focused Marketing Strategies?

Check out The Marketing Mindset Podcast, where I interview industry leaders, marketers, and CEOs from a wide range of industries every week!?

You can also visit our blog, where you’ll find an extended version of this newsletter, with additional tips, videos, and more information about finding the right creative strategist for your needs!