What Traits Make a Good Search Marketer?

I’m a firm believer that success boils down to people, not tools. Sure, good tools can make life a hell of a lot easier, but if you don’t have the right people, then you may as well be sitting in a car with square wheels. Very soon I will be on the look out for a new sidekick and it’s got me thinking about what kind of person I need and what personality traits go into making a good search engine marketer.

Here’s a few ideas that topped my list:

1. They have an inquisitive mind

A good search marketer never takes anything at face value. Just like direct marketers before us, the person will always have questions to ask and is not afraid to test out new ideas and experiment with different approaches. Even if those ideas don’t work out, they’ll dust themselves off, learn quickly and move on. In this case, curiosity definitely did not kill the cat.

2. They thrive on change

Whether you are new to search marketing or a seasoned veteran, you know how fast paced this industry can be. Search marketing never stands still; it is constantly evolving (as it should). So it goes without saying that people who don’t deal well with change and refuse to leave their comfort zones will not bide well in the search marketing space. The best search marketers will thrive on change, and rather than seeing it as a roadblock, they take it as an opportunity to adapt and get better (as corny as it may sound).

3. They are analytical, yet creative

A good search marketer doesn’t need to be able to do advanced mathematical calculations in their head. They do, however, need to be relatively comfortable with numbers, and most importantly know how to interpret those numbers in ways that contribute towards business results. The person doesn’t just spew out a bunch of reports and data, rather they have the ability to turn data into information, and use it to solve problems in creative ways.

4. They love what they do

No matter how smart a person is, if they don’t love what they do, then that passion will never translate over. You can usually see it in the way a person talks about what they do (eyes are also very telling) — it doesn’t take much to see if a person gets it, loves it, and spends time with it in and out of the work environment. Regardless of your area of work, I’m a big believer in:

• Continuously learning your subject matter to the best of your ability
• Keeping up-to-date with what’s going on in the industry (EG: through Twitter, conferences etc.)
• Contributing to the community (EG: through blogs, meet-ups etc.)

Did I miss anything? What traits do you think makes a good search marketer?