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Forbes
2 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
How To Balance Expectations And Training For New Hires: 19 Expert Tips
Hiring for entry-level roles can test any agency's approach to training and development. While new hires are expected to bring foundational skills and a genuine drive to grow, building real value into their role takes thoughtful onboarding, mentorship and trust. As an agency leader, striking a balance between what you expect up front and what you're ready to invest in training new teammates can determine whether they thrive and stay for the long term or not. Below, 19 members of Forbes Agency Council explore how to find that balance in practice, from the baseline skills they look for to the systems they've put in place to help entry-level talent succeed. 1. Provide Role-Specific Training And Mentorship For us, it depends on the role. For developers, we invest heavily in training and certifications. For other roles, it's more of a mentor-mentee relationship, where the junior-level employee gets paired up with a senior-level employee, sometimes in another discipline, to learn 'how things get done around here.' Everyone also has access to an annual continuing education stipend to use as they see fit. - Stratton Cherouny, The Office of Experience 2. Start With A Probationary Period In today's remote world, it's harder to find dedicated hires. Many seek a quick paycheck without investing in the work. For entry-level hires, a basic understanding of our industry verbiage is really all we need. A probationary period with basic training helps evaluate fit. Do they track time? Are they actually working? Asking questions? Once they show engagement, we ramp up training. - Peter Boyd, PaperStreet Web Design 3. Look For Specialized Knowledge Up Front We seek hires with specialized knowledge that enhances our capabilities, trusting we can train them in broader skills. This approach delivers immediate value and supports long-term growth—ultimately expanding what we can offer clients. - Christy Saia-Owenby, MOXY Company 4. Ensure A Baseline Of Internship-Level Experience We hire based on a baseline of internship experience, which means an understanding of at least foundational tech-stack capabilities across PR and marketing. The interview will do a good job of hinting at work ethic and confidence. The rest is on us to train them up in presence, service skills, advanced tech stack, problem solving and client immersion. Then, it's our hope they grow with us indefinitely. - Dean Trevelino, Trevelino/Keller Forbes Agency Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify? 5. Prioritize Cultural Fit Over Pedigrees The right 'who' will always figure out the 'what' if you teach them the 'why.' Choose people over pedigree. Invest in training for culture-fit hires. Provide tools. Assign mentors. Serve and win. - Stephen Rosa, (add)ventures 6. Hire For Curiosity, Drive And Instinct We look for curiosity, drive and good instincts. Entry-level hires aren't expected to know everything, as we invest in training, mentorship and clear systems. - David Ispiryan, Effeect 7. In Niche Industries, Look For Passion We invest heavily in training and development, not just for entry-level roles, but also for more experienced ones. As a performance marketing agency specializing in data, we don't expect new hires to have a deep understanding of our niche; however, we do look for a passion for data and its potential as a marketing lever and business differentiator. - Paula Chiocchi, Outward Media, Inc. 8. Seek Those With A Desire To Learn Our firm seeks self-motivated individuals who are eager to expand their knowledge. Being self-taught in marketing, I value the desire to learn over what they already know. We can teach, but only if they have the desire to learn new skills to enhance their own value and understanding. New hires learn all aspects of our agency to understand the importance of their roles and cross-train them as well. - Terry Zelen, Zelen Communications 9. Nurture Potential With Hands-On Training We look for people with strong potential and a good attitude, more than perfect skills. We expect basic competency but invest heavily in hands-on training, mentorship and real projects. The goal is to build confidence and expertise quickly while shaping new hires into team members who align with our values and standards. - Guy Leon Sheetrit, Guac Digital 10. Look For Foundational Skills And A Growth Mindset We look for hires with strong foundational skills and a growth mindset, but we invest heavily in hands-on training aligned with our processes and client expectations. Entry-level talent brings fresh energy, but real value comes from learning our standards. The balance is 30% preexisting competency and 70% structured onboarding and mentorship tailored to performance. - Boris Dzhingarov, ESBO Ltd 11. Blend Structured Onboarding With Live Projects We seek talent with baseline proficiency and high learning velocity. Entry-level roles aren't about plug-and-play execution; they're launchpads. Our model blends structured onboarding with live-fire projects, ensuring hires grow in context, not isolation. The goal: thinkers who iterate fast, not just follow the process. - Vaibhav Kakkar, Digital Web Solutions 12. Grow Talent From The Ground Up With Internships We look for curiosity, integrity and raw potential first. Foundational skills are important, but we know that great marketers are developed, not just hired. Our investment in mentoring and hands-on experience, especially through internships, helps us grow talent from the ground up. The right attitude and values outweigh a perfectly polished résumé. - Mary Ann O'Brien, OBI Creative 13. Support Curiosity With Real Client Work We look for intellectual curiosity and strong communication instincts. Our entry-level hires often arrive with deep personal interest in tech, media or policy, even if they haven't worked in PR before. We invest in training, but we balance that with high trust and early exposure to real client work. The goal isn't to create followers; it's to grow independent thinkers. - Kyle Arteaga, The Bulleit Group 14. Train On Processes, But Expect New Ideas For us, there's roughly a 60/40 split between training up new hires on our process (60%) and expecting them to bring their own ideas (40%). We expect a high level of competency in their area of expertise—enough to challenge us with better ideas moving forward. Any new team member should have a level of fluency 'out of the box' when they hit the ground running on day one. - Bernard May, National Positions 15. Invest In Development For The Long Haul We invest one to two years—and often more—into developing new hires, because great training has no time limit. What matters most is hiring people with strong intangibles: high EQ, IQ and natural drive. You can't teach those. With the right raw material, there's no ceiling on how far they can go. - Austin Irabor, NETFLY 16. Seek Integrity, Solid Skills And A Strong Work Ethic We expect entry-level hires to bring integrity, solid writing skills and a strong work ethic. From there, we invest heavily in professional development programs and training, including nearly 200 documented processes, weekly one-on-ones and personalized development plans. - Jason Mudd, Axia Public Relations 17. Look For Raw Skill, Hunger And Honesty Curiosity, self-awareness, initiative and a bias for learning—that's what we look for in new employees. We look for unpolished raw skill and hunger we can build on. We'll meet them with mentorship and grow individual skills and competencies if we're met with honesty. No overselling, no bravado—just a clear sense of what they bring and what they're ready to grow into. That's what earns our investment. - Shanna Apitz, Hunt Adkins 18. Meet Hunger With Stretch Opportunities We don't expect perfection, we expect fire. Give us hunger, humility and the ability to listen like a strategist. We'll meet you with mentorship, structure and stretch opportunities. The best teams grow together—and we train for tomorrow, not just today. - Jacquelyn LaMar Berney, VI Marketing and Branding 19. Do Immersive, Deep-Dive Onboarding Properly onboarding and training new employees at any level is critical. We've created an immersive culture and systems training format designed to provide a deep dive into who we are as an agency and build the 'lens' that shapes every email, client interaction and decision-making process. The goal of onboarding is to bring the 'why' to life—you can always train them on the 'how' later. - Katie Everett, Katalyst Productions
Forbes
14-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
20 Ways Clients Adapt Campaign Strategies In An Uncertain Climate
Long-term forecasting is becoming increasingly unreliable, pushing marketing leaders to rethink campaign strategies. Many are shifting away from rigid, year-long plans in favor of agile, data-informed approaches that allow for quick pivots and measurable impact. From shorter campaigns to AI-driven personalization, today's marketers are focusing on what drives real results in real time. Below, 20 members of Forbes Agency Council share how their clients are reimagining campaign strategies to stay resilient and responsive amid uncertainty. 1. Simplifying And Leaning Into Customer Understanding In times of uncertainty, clients simplify their approach, focusing on maintaining agility and flexibility so that they can quickly pivot with changing market conditions. They focus on using fewer vendors, simplifying campaigns and leaning into those that are proven and measurable. Mostly, they are leaning into their understanding of the customers, meeting them where they are with empathy and personalized experiences. - Tate Olinghouse, Acxiom 2. Adopting Flexible, Emotionally Resonant Strategies Clients are moving away from rigid, year-long plans and leaning into adaptability. The focus now is on emotional resonance, fast feedback and the willingness to act on real-time information. Data-driven flexibility is becoming the new foundation of all campaign strategies. - Jacquelyn LaMar Berney, VI Marketing and Branding 3. Treating The Brand As A Decision-Making System As forecasting remains foggy, the businesses staying afloat aren't pulling back on strategy—they're getting surgical. They're investing in their brand as a decision-making system to sharpen focus, speed up calls and gut anything (or anyone) misaligned. Short-term moves still happen, but only if they serve the long game. In uncertain times, brand isn't decoration—it's how you adapt with discipline over chaos. - Shanna Apitz, Hunt Adkins 4. Pivoting To Customer LTV And Inventory-Based Strategies With e-commerce, specifically, we're seeing a number of clients pivot to focus on customer lifetime value more than ever. With uncertainty surrounding sourcing and manufacturing, having some level of repurchasing probability provides a focus point for demand and the replenishment level required. This also might mean pulling back on new product releases and sticking with product lines with plentiful stock. - Bernard May, National Positions Forbes Agency Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify? 5. Prioritizing Speed, Flexibility And Measurable Outcomes With economic uncertainty, business and brand leaders are leaning into flexibility, speed and measurable outcomes, meaning shorter campaigns, modular creative, real-time optimization and trusted channels with strong ROI data. They're not pulling back. Instead, they're pushing forward by demanding a smarter, faster and more responsive strategy. - Mary Ann O'Brien, OBI Creative 6. Launching Shorter, Performance-Driven Campaigns Many are leaning into shorter, performance-driven campaigns with flexible budgets. Instead of committing to long-term strategies, they're favoring agile sprints, real-time data tracking and channels that offer fast feedback loops—such as paid social, influencer collaborations or micro-content. The focus is on adaptability and measurable ROI over predictability. - Boris Dzhingarov, ESBO Ltd 7. Prepping Assets For Many Paths, Per Scenario Mapping Clients are shifting toward scenario mapping, developing modular campaigns built around possible future conditions. Instead of betting on one trajectory, they prep assets for multiple paths, activating based on live signals. This cushions volatility while enabling strategic speed without starting from scratch each time. - Vaibhav Kakkar, Digital Web Solutions 8. Building Projections Around Conservative Estimates In today's climate of uncertainty, companies are leaning into more conservative forecasting, building projections around cautious estimates. This approach ensures that any upside can be reinvested strategically into growth opportunities rather than just sustaining baseline operations. - Jessica Hawthorne-Castro, Hawthorne Advertising 9. Investing In Deeper Social And Experiential Engagement As forecasting becomes more challenging, clients turn to deeper social engagement and experiential brand communications. The focus is on real human interaction, from live events to brand activations. Long-form and episodic content are also rising, building lasting narratives and stronger connections with audiences beyond short-term campaigns. - Cagan Sean Yuksel, Dreamspace 10. Creating Timeless Content For Long-Term Value Clients adapting to uncertain budgets are focusing on relevant and helpful content that delivers lasting value in the short and long term. This approach supports continuous engagement, builds brand authority and reduces the need for frequent campaign changes. By investing in timeless content, they maximize ROI, maintain consistent visibility and stay resilient in shifting market conditions. - Elyse Flynn Meyer, Prism Global Marketing Solutions 11. Diving Into Al Search Visibility And Positioning Our clients are leaning into strategies that can impact their AI search visibility. As a PR agency, generating earned media with contextual relevance on authoritative sites can impact this metric. They're looking for guidance on how they appear in LLMs versus their competitors and how they can show up more often for specific prompts. AI search is new territory for us all, but it is demanding attention. - Lindsey Groepper, PANBlast 12. Delivering Dynamic Personalized Experiences With AI The short answer is AI-driven personalization. Customers expect personalized experiences and often lose patience when brands do not deliver. This makes companies invest heavily in advanced segmentation and dynamic content creation. They know that if they don't, tomorrow their competitors will happily claim a bigger slice of consumer trust and market share. - Nataliya Andreychuk, Viseven 13. Training Sales Teams To Maximize Lead Conversion Clients who are adapting well are turning inward: strengthening their sales teams and focusing on conversion rates. Rather than chasing more leads, they're training teams to maximize what they have. It's a shift from volume to skill, helping them stay resilient even as the market slows. - Austin Irabor, NETFLY 14. Centering Strategy On Proof, Not Promises I am noticing clients pivoting to 'proof over promises.' They're investing in expert-led thought leadership in core competencies, momentum announcements that show resilience and case studies with measurable outcomes. When budgets tighten, demonstrable results and authentic expertise become the currency of trust. They are also paving the path forward with owned research and customer events. - Kathleen Lucente, Red Fan Communications 15. Embracing Modular Narrative Systems With long-term budgets becoming harder to forecast, more teams are shifting away from big-bang campaigns and embracing modular narrative systems. Instead of one splashy launch, they're creating repeatable, multiplatform content that spans earned media, social, podcasts and owned channels. The goal is structured visibility—not just reach, but also memory. - Kyle Arteaga, The Bulleit Group 16. Doubling Down On Owned Channels We're seeing a strong move toward content-driven engagement—things like thought leadership, evergreen content and educational resources—because these assets provide value over time without requiring constant reinvestment in paid media. Additionally, there's a growing emphasis on owned channels: improving website experiences and building stronger direct relationships with audiences. - Goran Paun, ArtVersion 17. Running Testable Campaigns For Fast Feedback Clients are ditching long bets for fast feedback and smaller, testable campaigns with clearer ROI. There is less 'brand awareness' and more, 'Did this move the needle this week?' Messaging is punchier, platforms are chosen for speed and budgets are fluid. In uncertain times, flexibility beats forecasting. It's not about guessing right; it's about adjusting fast to the data you have and having detailed things to test. - Tony Pec, Y Not You Media 18. Relying On Agency Insight And Staying Flexible Honestly, clients can't know for sure what to do in this uncertain and rapidly changing business environment. The best decision today could look dumb tomorrow. Clients need to get as much insight as possible, including asking the people closest to what's happening in marketing: their agency. After that, they need to simply remain flexible and never become attached to any one campaign or strategy. - Mike Maynard, Napier Partnership Limited 19. Going Back To Basics With CPL Metrics I am advocating for clients to go back to basics when it comes to long-term business projections by not complicating forecasting. Ultimately, you want to predict how much your cost per lead is, and then how much your average lead spends. It's really as simple as that. Without getting leads coming in the door at an affordable price each day, your business will go backward, and fast! - Adrian Falk, Believe Advertising & PR 20. Staying Committed To Long-Term Brand Building Volatility is the new normal. Instead of chasing trends, smart companies stay committed to long-term brand building and reputation management. They recognize that consistency, not constant pivots, yields meaningful business outcomes. - Jason Mudd, Axia Public Relations
Forbes
10-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How To Find A Spokesperson When It's Not The CEO: 15 Expert Tips
Many startups have discovered the power of founder-led, human-facing engagement as a powerful tool for connecting with target audiences. However, no matter how much buzz or success a company's products or services might be generating, sometimes the founder or CEO is not well suited to serve as its main public face and storytelling voice. Fortunately, there is no rule that a startup's primary communicator must be the founder or CEO; the right approach could involve star employees or even carefully chosen partners or loyal customers. Below, members of Forbes Agency Council share practical ways to identify and elevate the best alternative spokespeople to convey a new company's core values and brand story. 1. Let Your Customers Do The Talking Allow customers to do the talking. Everyone knows every CEO is going to say whatever is best for their company. Customers, however, have no skin in the game. Having a bullpen of articulate, loyal customers to carry your flag will always resonate more than CEO-speak. CEOs talk to shareholders, but customers talk to other customers. - Stephen Rosa, (add)ventures 2. Leverage C-Level Bench Strength Smart CEOs leverage their team's strengths. Many successful companies position CTOs or product experts as primary spokespeople, while CEOs focus on investors, employees and strategic partnerships. Consider elevating technical co-founders, the head of product or engineering leaders who can authentically discuss innovation. Hire a media-trained CMO or partner with customer advocates. - Kathleen Lucente, Red Fan Communications 3. Consider An AI-Powered Persona If the CEO isn't the right fit, AI can effectively emulate their voice and presence, offering a scalable, front-facing alternative when paired with thoughtful visuals. Otherwise, a long-term spokesperson can work—but today's audiences increasingly expect AI-powered personas, making authenticity less about 'who' and more about 'how.' - Austin Irabor, NETFLY 4. Media-Train Internal Experts Experts rule in business today, so find experts in your ranks. Get media training for them, and be sure they know the key messages of the organization. When they get an interview, make sure they share it on their own social media profiles as well as the company's social accounts to establish their thought leadership. - Nancy Marshall, Marshall Communications Forbes Agency Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify? 5. Define Multiple Spokespeople's Lanes We always suggest our B2B tech clients have three spokespeople: a corporate visionary, the technical voice and an industry expert. The CEO does not have to be front and center—use written content instead of live interviews. Often, a chief or vice president in a product, technology or revenue role works well. Define swim lanes for each spokesperson, and then polish the narrative for each. - Lindsey Groepper, PANBlast 6. Scout Out A Genuine, Charismatic Advocate Find someone who lives the brand—an early employee, a passionate customer or a charismatic team member. The spokesperson doesn't need the CEO title; they need credibility, relatability and camera presence. Authenticity can do more than ineffective communication when building trust at scale. - Jimi Gibson, Thrive Agency 7. Activate A Distributed Voice Model When CEO visibility isn't a strategic fit, activate a distributed voice model by elevating trusted leaders across functions. These internal ambassadors drive earned media, deepen audience engagement and scale authenticity. This approach strengthens brand trust, broadens market exposure and builds reputational resilience independent of any one individual. - Amy Packard Berry, Sparkpr 8. Find A Representative Who Embodies Brand Values Today's audiences crave human connection, not just polished messaging. Even if it's not the CEO, having a consistent and personable representative builds trust, relatability and brand identity, which are critical for early growth and media engagement. The key is choosing someone who embodies the brand's values, can communicate with confidence and has a genuine connection to your product or customers. - Paula Chiocchi, Outward Media, Inc. 9. Don't Rely Too Much On A Single Individual Leaning too hard on a key person can backfire—great for early traction, but it makes exiting harder when the brand's tied to one face. If the CEO's not the fit, build around a creative director, an ambassador or even a character. The goal is a relatable voice that isn't a single point of failure. - Miller McCoy, Limitless MFG 10. Pair Founders With Strategic Partners Pair the founder with a strategic partner—like a product lead, customer success head or trusted advisor—who can share the spotlight. You don't need one 'face,' but a team that reflects the brand's voice. It's about credibility and connection, not just charisma. - Christine Wetzler, Pietryla PR & Marketing 11. Elevate A Senior Employee In a market valuing human, founder-led engagement, startups can consider elevating a senior team member in product or customer success as the spokesperson. Look for someone authentic and dynamic who can share the brand's story with confidence and authority. This approach builds trust while freeing the CEO to focus on other priorities that continue to strengthen the company's market position. - Elyse Flynn Meyer, Prism Global Marketing Solutions 12. Hire An External Industry Veteran Recruit a respected industry veteran specifically as chief evangelist—someone with preexisting media relationships and deep sector credibility who genuinely believes in your mission. This strategic external hire brings instant market authority. Find someone with proven audience engagement, empathy on camera and a track record of owning the brand narrative. - Lars Voedisch, PRecious Communications 13. Look At The Rest Of The C-Suite Think of the people who are already sitting at your C-suite table. If they've got strong communication skills and years of industry observations and care enough to share them, they might be the perfect fit. And let's not forget that some startups have multiple founders. You might have more options than you think. - Nataliya Andreychuk, Viseven 14. Have Your Publicist Take The Role Having the brand's publicist would be the second best choice if the CEO isn't well suited to front the press. Often, I have to be my clients' spokesperson, and it's a role that has to be taken seriously. The person needs to have strong speaking skills and the ability to answer questions live on TV, radio or even a podcast while also reflecting the brand's values. - Adrian Falk, Believe Advertising & PR 15. Prioritize Authenticity Over Title Look for someone on the team who's natural on camera, passionate about the mission and relatable. It doesn't have to be the CEO or a C-level employee; authenticity matters more than title. - David Ispiryan, Effeect
