Marketing Employee Onboarding Checklist: First 90 Days

The first 90 days of a new marketing hire’s tenure determine whether they become a high performer or an early leaver. Research consistently shows that employees who experience structured onboarding are significantly more likely to remain with an organisation after three years — yet many marketing teams rely on ad hoc introductions and a shared drive link as their entire onboarding programme.

In Singapore, where marketing talent is expensive to recruit and replace, a strong onboarding process is not a nice-to-have — it is a direct investment in retention and performance. The cost of replacing a marketing professional typically runs between six and nine months of their salary when you factor in recruitment fees, lost productivity, and the time it takes a replacement to reach full effectiveness.

This marketing onboarding checklist breaks the first 90 days into four phases: pre-boarding and week one (setup and orientation), month one (training and shadowing), month two (guided projects and skill building), and month three (independence and first performance review). Each phase includes specific tasks, responsible parties, and success criteria. Use it as a template and customise it for your organisation’s specific tools, processes, and culture.

Pre-Boarding: Before Day One

Onboarding starts before the new hire walks through the door. The period between offer acceptance and start date is a critical window for building excitement and reducing first-day anxiety. A well-executed pre-boarding process sets the tone for the entire experience.

Administrative Tasks (HR and IT):

Send a welcome email with start date, office location, dress code, and first-day schedule.
Prepare employment contract, tax forms, and CPF documentation as required under Singapore law.
Order and configure laptop, monitors, and any other hardware before the start date.
Create company email account and set up access credentials for core systems.
Prepare building access card or security pass.
Set up the new hire’s workspace or hot desk allocation.

Manager Tasks:

Draft a 90-day onboarding plan with specific milestones and share it with the new hire before their start date.
Assign an onboarding buddy — a peer who can answer informal questions and help the new hire navigate the organisation.
Schedule one-on-one meetings for the first two weeks (daily in week one, then three times per week).
Notify the team about the new hire’s start date, role, and background.
Prepare a list of key stakeholders the new hire should meet in their first two weeks.
Block time in your own calendar for onboarding activities — this is not something to delegate entirely.

Pre-Reading Pack: Assemble a digital welcome pack containing the company’s brand guidelines, marketing strategy document, organisational chart, recent campaign summaries, and any relevant industry reports. Send this three to five days before the start date with a note that there is no pressure to memorise everything — it is just for familiarisation.

Week One: Setup, Access, and Introductions

The goal of week one is simple: make the new hire feel welcome, give them the tools they need, and help them understand the big picture. Resist the temptation to overwhelm them with projects.

Day One Checklist:

Welcome meeting with direct manager — review the 90-day plan, discuss expectations, and answer questions.
Office tour and team introductions (or virtual equivalent for remote or hybrid roles).
IT setup session — ensure all hardware and software is working, passwords are configured, and VPN access is tested.
Lunch with the team or onboarding buddy.
Review of company mission, values, and culture — ideally from a senior leader, not just a slide deck.
End-of-day check-in with manager to address any immediate concerns.

Days Two to Five Checklist:

Complete mandatory HR training (workplace safety, anti-harassment, data protection, PDPA compliance).
Marketing team overview — understand the team structure, each member’s role, current projects, and how work flows through the team.
Brand immersion — deep dive into brand guidelines, tone of voice, visual identity, and positioning. Review recent campaigns and assets.
Product or service walkthrough — understand what the company sells, to whom, and how marketing supports the sales cycle.
Customer persona review — who are the target audiences, what are their pain points, and where do they consume content?
Introduction meetings with key stakeholders from sales, product, customer success, and other departments the marketing team works closely with.
Review of current marketing strategy, annual plan, and quarterly objectives.
Access setup for all pemasaran digital tools and platforms (see detailed checklist below).

By the end of week one, the new hire should understand the company’s business model, know their teammates, have all tools set up, and feel confident they made the right decision in joining. They should not yet be expected to produce deliverables.

Month One: Training, Shadowing, and Learning

Month one shifts from orientation to education. The new hire begins learning how the marketing team operates, observes campaigns in progress, and starts developing the contextual knowledge needed to contribute effectively.

Weeks Two and Three:

Shadow team members across different marketing functions to understand workflows and collaboration patterns.
Attend all standing team meetings, campaign reviews, and planning sessions as an observer.
Review the past six months of campaign performance reports to understand what has worked and what has not.
Complete role-specific training on the company’s key tools and platforms. For an SEO hire, this means learning the company’s specific technical setup, tracking configuration, and reporting templates. For a social media hire, it means understanding the content approval process, brand voice nuances, and community management protocols.
Read competitor analyses and industry reports relevant to the company’s market position.
Begin documenting questions, observations, and initial ideas — fresh perspectives from new hires are valuable and should be encouraged.

Week Four:

Complete a small, low-stakes practice task under supervision. Examples: draft a blog post outline, review and comment on a campaign brief, create a social media post for internal review, or build a basic report using the team’s analytics tools.
End-of-month review with direct manager — discuss what has been learned, address any gaps, and refine the plan for month two.
Collect feedback from the onboarding buddy and key stakeholders the new hire has interacted with.
Self-assessment by the new hire — what do they feel confident about, and where do they need more support?

Month One Success Criteria: The new hire can explain the company’s marketing strategy, identify key metrics, navigate all essential tools, and articulate how their role contributes to team objectives. They have built initial relationships with teammates and key stakeholders.

Month Two: First Projects and Skill Building

Month two is where the transition from learner to contributor begins. The new hire takes on real projects with increasing autonomy, while still receiving regular guidance and feedback.

Weeks Five and Six:

Assign two to three real projects appropriate to the new hire’s role and experience level. These should be meaningful work that contributes to team goals, not busywork.
For a content marketer: write and publish two blog posts with editorial support, develop content briefs for upcoming pieces, and begin managing a section of the content calendar.
For a PPC specialist: take ownership of one to two smaller Iklan Google campaigns, conduct a performance audit with recommendations, and implement approved optimisations.
For a social media manager: manage daily posting and community engagement for one platform, draft the following month’s content calendar, and propose one new content series.
Continue one-on-one meetings with manager (twice weekly at this stage).
Review and feedback cycle — manager reviews all deliverables with constructive, specific feedback.

Weeks Seven and Eight:

Increase project scope and complexity based on performance in weeks five and six.
Begin attending client meetings or stakeholder presentations as a participant (not just an observer).
Identify one area for professional development — a skill gap that targeted training could address. This might be a specific tool, a marketing discipline, or a soft skill like presentation or stakeholder management.
Contribute to at least one cross-functional project or initiative.
Mid-point check-in with manager — are we on track for full independence by month three? If not, what needs to change?

Month Two Success Criteria: The new hire is producing quality work with decreasing need for supervision. They are meeting deadlines, incorporating feedback effectively, and beginning to proactively identify opportunities and issues. They are comfortable with the team’s tools and processes.

Month Three: Independence and Review

By month three, the new hire should be operating with significant autonomy. This phase focuses on solidifying independence, establishing long-term goals, and conducting a formal performance review.

Weeks Nine and Ten:

Take full ownership of designated projects and campaigns with minimal supervision.
Manage end-to-end delivery of at least one significant project — from planning through execution to reporting.
Begin contributing ideas in team strategy discussions and planning sessions.
Establish personal workflow systems and routines that support consistent output.
Reduce one-on-one meeting frequency to once weekly (standard cadence for ongoing management).

Weeks Eleven and Twelve:

Prepare for the 90-day performance review by compiling a summary of projects completed, skills developed, and contributions made.
Self-assessment covering strengths demonstrated, areas for improvement, and goals for the next quarter.
Manager prepares a comprehensive review covering performance against the 90-day plan, cultural fit, stakeholder feedback, and growth areas.

90-Day Performance Review Agenda:

Review of 90-day milestones — what was achieved and what is still in progress.
Discussion of role clarity — does the new hire have a clear understanding of expectations and priorities?
Feedback from peers, stakeholders, and the onboarding buddy.
Strengths to leverage and development areas to address over the next quarter.
Set goals and KPIs for months four through six, aligned with the team’s quarterly marketing KPIs.
Career development discussion — what does the new hire want to achieve in this role over the next 12 to 18 months?
Open forum for the new hire’s feedback on the onboarding process itself — what worked well and what could be improved for future hires.

Month Three Success Criteria: The new hire operates independently on day-to-day tasks, meets quality standards consistently, contributes proactively to team discussions, and has established productive working relationships across the organisation. They have a clear understanding of their ongoing goals and how their performance will be measured.

Tools and Systems Access Checklist

Marketing teams use a wide array of tools, and missing access on day one is a common source of frustration. Use this checklist to ensure complete setup before or during the first week. Adapt it based on your actual technology stack.

Communication and Collaboration:

Email (Google Workspace or Microsoft 365)
Messaging platform (Slack, Microsoft Teams)
Video conferencing (Zoom, Google Meet)
Project management (Asana, Monday.com, Trello, or equivalent)
Document storage (Google Drive, SharePoint, Dropbox)

Marketing Platforms:

CMS access (WordPress, Webflow, or equivalent)
Email marketing platform (Mailchimp, HubSpot, Klaviyo)
Social media management (Hootsuite, Sprout Social, Buffer)
Marketing automation (HubSpot, Marketo, ActiveCampaign)
CRM system (Salesforce, HubSpot CRM, Pipedrive)

Analytics and Advertising:

Google Analytics 4 (appropriate permission level)
Google Search Console
Google Ads account access
Meta Business Suite and Ads Manager
LinkedIn Campaign Manager (if applicable)
SEO tools (Ahrefs, SEMrush, Screaming Frog)
Data visualisation (Looker Studio, Tableau, Power BI)
Google Tag Manager

Design and Content:

Design tools (Figma, Canva, Adobe Creative Suite)
Stock image or video subscriptions
Brand asset library access
Content calendar or editorial planning tool

Create a master access spreadsheet listing every tool, the appropriate permission level for each role, the account owner responsible for granting access, and a checkbox to confirm setup. This prevents the all-too-common scenario of a new hire spending their first week sending access request emails instead of learning about the business.

Common Onboarding Mistakes to Avoid

Even well-intentioned onboarding programmes can fall short. Here are the most common mistakes marketing teams make and how to avoid them:

Information overload in week one: Dumping every strategy document, process guide, and historical report on a new hire’s desk creates overwhelm, not understanding. Pace information delivery across the full 90 days, prioritising what is needed at each stage.

No structured plan: “Just shadow the team and ask questions” is not an onboarding plan. Without clear milestones and checkpoints, new hires drift, gaps go unidentified, and both sides become frustrated. Invest the time upfront to create a structured programme.

Throwing new hires into projects too early: Assigning deliverables before a new hire understands the brand, audience, and strategy leads to subpar work and erodes confidence. Week one and most of month one should focus on learning, not producing.

Neglecting the manager relationship: Frequent check-ins during the first 90 days are not optional. Managers who are “too busy” to meet regularly with new hires are setting them up to fail. Block the time before the hire starts and protect it.

Ignoring cultural integration: Marketing is a collaborative function. A new hire who knows the tools but has not built relationships with colleagues will underperform. Deliberately create opportunities for social interaction and cross-team connection.

No feedback loop: Waiting until the 90-day review to provide feedback is too late. Regular, specific, constructive feedback throughout the process helps new hires course-correct early. It also signals that you are invested in their success.

Forgetting to onboard into the laman web and digital ecosystem: Marketing hires need to understand the company’s full digital presence — website architecture, conversion funnels, landing pages, and tracking setup. Schedule dedicated time for this during month one.

Soalan Lazim

How long should marketing onboarding take?

A structured 90-day programme is the standard for most marketing roles. However, full productivity typically takes four to six months depending on the role’s complexity. The 90-day plan covers the critical foundation period — after that, the new hire transitions into ongoing performance management with regular one-on-ones and quarterly reviews.

Should the onboarding process differ for junior versus senior hires?

The structure should be similar, but the content and pace should differ. Junior hires need more time on fundamentals — tools training, process documentation, and supervised tasks. Senior hires need less hand-holding on execution but more time understanding organisational dynamics, stakeholder relationships, and strategic context. Both need the full 90 days; the emphasis simply shifts.

What if the new hire is remote or working in a hybrid arrangement?

Remote onboarding requires more deliberate planning, not less. Schedule more frequent video check-ins, create virtual coffee chats with team members, use collaborative documents instead of in-person whiteboarding, and ensure all tools and access are tested before day one. Consider bringing remote hires to the Singapore office for their first week if possible — in-person time during onboarding significantly accelerates relationship building.

Who should be responsible for onboarding — HR or the hiring manager?

Both, with clearly defined responsibilities. HR handles administrative tasks — contracts, compliance training, benefits enrolment, and office setup. The hiring manager owns the role-specific programme — technical training, project assignments, performance milestones, and cultural integration. The manager should not delegate onboarding to HR or to the team alone.

How do I measure the success of our onboarding programme?

Track these metrics over time: time to first independent deliverable, 90-day performance review scores, new hire satisfaction surveys (administer at 30 and 90 days), retention rates at 6 and 12 months, and hiring manager satisfaction. Compare these metrics before and after implementing your structured onboarding programme to quantify the improvement.

What should I do if a new hire is struggling during the onboarding period?

Address concerns early and directly. Increase the frequency of check-ins, provide additional training or support in specific areas, and adjust the pace of the programme if needed. Document the issues and the support provided. If significant performance gaps remain by the end of month two despite adequate support, have a candid conversation about expectations and assess whether the role is the right fit.

Marketing Employee Onboarding Checklist: First 90 Days