How to Hire a Digital Marketing Manager in Canada: The Essential Guide

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How to Hire a Digital Marketing Manager in Canada: Best Practices

What does a digital marketing manager do?
What’s the typical salary for a digital marketing manager in Canada?
Essential skills for a digital marketing manager in Canada
Hiring a digital marketing manager in Canada: 6 steps that matter most
Building your digital marketing dream team

What your digital marketing manager brings to the table can make the difference between campaigns that soar and ones that stall. With the right professional in place, you’ll end up with a custom digital marketing strategy that fits your audience and helps you reach your business goals.

Yet knowing how to recruit for this role can be complicated. Budgets are tight, customer expectations shift quickly and AI-powered tools evolve every quarter. You need someone who’s knowledgeable in current best practices, but also nimble and adaptable as needs and processes change.

So what does a digital marketing manager handle in 2025? This guide explains their day-to-day duties, typical salary and the skills that separate good candidates from great ones.

What does a digital marketing manager do?

A digital marketing manager develops and implements online marketing strategies to reach target audiences and drive business growth.

Day to day, they:

Map out the digital marketing strategy and set clear targets

Run campaigns across social media, email, search and paid ads

Allocate and track budgets so the total spend stays clear

Lead specialists in SEO, content, design and social media

Spot new channels—think emerging platforms or AI-driven ad formats—and test them early

Define the KPIs that truly matter and report on them regularly

Negotiate with agencies or tech vendors, keeping contracts lean and goals aligned

Put simply, they connect creativity with commercial results, turning clicks, likes and impressions into leads, sales and loyalty.

What’s the typical salary for a digital marketing manager in Canada?

In 2025, a digital marketing manager in Canada typically earns between $83,250 and $116,500. As with most professions, salaries vary according to location and experience. For example, a professional in Halifax who’s new to the role might earn $78,000, while an experienced digital marketing manager in Toronto can expect an annual salary around $120,000.

Check out the 2025 Canada Salary Guide From Robert Half for detailed pay information in cities across Canada.

Essential skills for a digital marketing manager in Canada

When you’re working out how to hire a digital marketing manager, focus on the blend of strategy, analysis and creativity the role demands. Degrees help, but proven capability carries more weight. The standout candidates will show strength in these areas:

Strategic planning: Turning business objectives into a measurable digital marketing strategy, then adjusting fast when the data indicates it’s time to do so.

Data fluency: Digging into dashboards, spotting patterns and translating numbers into plain-language actions the wider team can follow.

Content instincts: Commissioning or creating articles, video and visuals that fit each platform and feel true to your brand.

Social media know-how: Understanding algorithms, community management and paid options across established and emerging networks.

Search and paid advertising: Blending SEO with buying tactics on Google Ads, Meta and beyond to capture intent and expand reach.

Project discipline: Juggling timelines, budgets and priorities without letting quality slip.

AI and automation literacy: Understanding how to use AI-powered tools and marketing automation platforms to optimize digital marketing strategies and workflows.

Clear communication: Briefing designers, writers and leadership, keeping everyone on the same page.

Curiosity and adaptability: Tracking new tech, privacy rules and audience behaviours, then putting fresh ideas to the test quickly.

Hiring a digital marketing manager in Canada: 6 steps that matter most

1. Define requirements

Before you post a single ad, decide what success looks like—both for your business and the new hire. List the campaigns, channels and revenue goals you expect them to own. This clarity also helps you explain how to hire a digital marketing manager to senior leaders who may not live and breathe clicks and conversions.

2. Write a job brief that speaks to specialists

Outline the core projects they’ll tackle, the size of the budget they’ll manage and the tools in your tech stack. Spell out how your wider digital marketing strategy works today and where you need fresh thinking. Specialists scan for this level of detail; the stronger your brief, the stronger your applicant pool will be.

3. Cast a wide net—starting with Robert Half

Job boards still deliver results, especially when they draw a focused talent pool. Robert Half’s listings reach digital marketers across Canada. Don’t stop there, though: Share the role in niche Slack groups, industry Discord servers and marketing newsletters where top performers swap ideas. A mix of trusted boards and community spaces puts your vacancy in front of active and passive candidates alike.

4. Run focused, two-step interviews

Open with role-specific questions—ask how they’d shape a digital marketing strategy, choose channels and set a budget. Then move to people questions: Give a real-world scenario about a tight deadline or sharing tough feedback and see how they’d respond. This two-step chat shows both their thinking and how they’d fit with the team without repeating the skills test.

5. Test skills in context

Portfolios and case studies are a start. Go further with a short data-interpretation exercise or a campaign critique drawn from your own analytics (minus any sensitive info). You’ll see how candidates think under pressure, explain findings to non-experts and balance creativity with commercial judgment.

6. Close the deal by talking about growth

Top candidates need to know they won’t hit a ceiling after their first few campaigns. Outline how the role can expand—managing bigger budgets, leading cross-functional projects, mentoring junior staff and stepping into a senior leadership track. Candidates who can drive your next viral moment will sign on when they see a future beyond the first quarter.

Building your digital marketing dream team

With a skilled digital marketing manager on board, you'll be well-positioned to build a high-performing team. What other roles do you need to bring your digital marketing strategy to life?

SEO specialist: Boosts your site’s visibility and hunts for search terms real people use

Content marketing manager: Plans articles, videos and guides that answer everyday questions.

Marketing analytics manager: Turns raw numbers into clear, practical steps.

Email marketing manager: Writes timely messages that bring visitors back and maintains healthy user lists.

Social media manager: Sparks conversations, joins trends early and replies with a human touch.

Marketing automation specialist: Links your tech so routine tasks can run on autopilot.

Copywriter: Crafts headlines and product pages that sound like your brand.

When you know how to hire a digital marketing manager, campaigns get clearer, budgets go further and targets feel achievable. Put a structured process behind the hire and you’ll increase your chances of landing someone who can steer your digital marketing strategy through AI shifts, changing customer habits and future advancements.

Need help building a high-performing digital marketing dream team? Reach out to one of our marketing talent solutions experts today!

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