Jess Chorney — March 8, 2017 As a co-op student switching from job to job in four-month intervals, I am far too familiar with the dreaded onboarding process. I’ve spent hours staring at computer screens wondering when I will start to feel like a valued part of the team. Have you ever sat at your new desk, surrounded by new people and not had a clue what was going on or what you should be doing? Onboarding can seem like a nightmare. It can be days or weeks of working on meaningless tasks or twiddling your thumbs.
As a marketing manager, this is your worst case scenario. Why pay your new, carefully vetted and very competent new digital marketer to do nothing at all? Onboarding is a valuable process. It can increase employee retention, productivity, and performance (you can learn more about how here).
We’ve put together a list of quick tips that will get your new digital marketer to their top performance.
Get Social
For a digital marketer, familiarizing yourself with the brand voice is vital to your success. It’s often difficult to get a good grasp of the unique brand voice unless you are intimately immersed in it. By giving your new employee the responsibility of social media, you will achieve just that. Scouring the web for relevant content allows them to learn about what the company values in a low-pressure situation while having fun (bonus)! Your new hire will even learn some relevant information that could help the company. This will let your new employee learn something new every day.
Individualized Meetings
A unique approach to the onboarding process is setting up one-on-one meetings with co-workers. You can get to know each other, and understand what you are each hoping to contribute in future projects. This trick gives the new hire the opportunity to get all their silly questions out of the way in a very casual environment. It will also help them develop more personal connections. The faster your new employee is comfortable, the faster they will offer their opinions. Individual meetings are also a way to keep your new employee’s calendar full during their first week or two.
Be Organized with your Onboarding Documents
The only thing worse than not knowing what you are doing is finding out your manager doesn’t know either. As the marketing manager, you must have a plan. Give your new employee a big picture idea of what their next 3-6 months will look like. This will allow them to start thinking about important tasks. It is also important to break down the tasks into small pieces so they are easy to digest. Go checklists! There are often common tasks that all new employees need to learn. Think of how to document all of this information well in advance of your new hire’s onboarding. Our SharePoint is a searchable site full of internal how-to’s and secrets. It’s a quick, one-stop-shop for training documents.
Create Something
The best way to learn is to dive right in! Give your new employee a task to own from start to finish, right off the bat. Trusting a new hire to be responsible and creative is a huge aid in building confidence. Your new digital marketer will feel empowered instead of useless. Plus, giving them a big project ensures that they will be busy enough to forget about those new-to-the-office jitters.
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