Private equity and venture capital firms have become more sophisticated in their approach to talent, particularly when it comes to investment and capital raising roles. Yet marketing remains a discipline that is frequently misunderstood, underleveraged, or mis-scoped altogether. Despite increasing pressure to differentiate, build credibility, and attract both LPs and portfolio opportunities, many firms still struggle to hire the right marketing professionals - or to get the best from them once they do.

In recent years, marketing has evolved from a support function to a strategic lever. It spans multiple channels, demands a command of tone and timing, and requires collaboration with sales, investor relations, and investment teams. However, too many firms still treat it as a box-ticking exercise: a website refresh here, a LinkedIn post there, and a quarterly investor update produced under time pressure and with minimal internal coordination. The reality is that effective marketing in a private markets context takes skill, structure, and patience - and hiring the right person is only the start.

At Fram Search, we’ve worked with a broad range of private equity, venture capital, and private markets firms. Our team is one of the few in the UK with a strong track record across investment, distribution, and marketing roles, and our consultants each bring over a decade of experience to every search. That experience has shown us that when marketing hires don’t work out, it’s rarely down to the candidate alone. The issues are more often structural or cultural - beginning with a lack of clarity about what marketing is there to achieve.

One common mistake is to hire too generally. Firms often look for a ‘do-it-all’ marketer: someone who can handle events, thought leadership, website content, investor reporting, PR, branding, digital strategy, and performance tracking - all within a lean team and with minimal support. While breadth is useful, marketing hires need to be given clear priorities. They also need to be brought into the business strategy, not just handed a to-do list. Many candidates we speak with are frustrated not by workload, but by ambiguity. They want to help, but they’re not always sure what success looks like.

Another area where firms fall short is underestimating the complexity of marketing infrastructure. The channels may be digital, but the mechanics—how CRM integrates with reporting, how content flows through compliance, how analytics inform strategy - are rarely straightforward. Industry knowledge can be taught, particularly to candidates who are strong communicators and commercially sharp. What’s harder to teach is the ‘plumbing’ of marketing: how systems connect, how campaigns are sequenced, how performance is measured over time. This is where experienced marketers add real value, but they need space to design and execute properly.

Many investment teams underestimate how valuable marketing input can be, particularly in reporting. Investor reports are often technical and compliance-led, but they also serve as a window into the firm. Reports that are clear, professional, and well structured reinforce credibility. They create trust, convey maturity, and reflect the care a firm takes with its investors. Involving marketing in the reporting process doesn’t dilute its substance—it enhances its impact.

There is also the issue of timing. Marketing does not yield overnight results. Whether it’s building brand equity, nurturing relationships through content, or refining messaging, progress is cumulative. Firms that abandon initiatives too early—because engagement didn’t spike within a week, or because a single event didn’t produce immediate dealflow - miss the compounding effect that good marketing delivers. The most successful firms give their marketing hires time to embed, learn the business, and iterate. They set sensible KPIs, invest in support, and treat marketing as part of the long game.

Perhaps the most foundational issue is that many firms struggle to articulate their differentiator. It is not the job of marketing to invent the firm’s story—it is the job of leadership to define it. Marketing can shape, amplify, and communicate that message, but it cannot build it from scratch. This requires honest conversations about what the firm stands for, where it adds value, and what sets it apart. When leadership teams are aligned on this, marketing becomes far more effective. When they are not, no amount of content or campaign planning can paper over the gap.

PE and VC firms increasingly recognise the value of strong marketing talent. The next step is to set those hires up for success. This means hiring with clarity, onboarding with purpose, collaborating across functions, and committing to the process. Marketing, when done well, is not just a communication tool - it is a driver of reputation, a platform for growth, and a signal to the market that the firm is serious about what it does.