Dedicated Advertising And Marketing Support May Be The Missing Ingredient

21 Jan Dedicated Advertising And Marketing Support May Be The Missing Ingredient

Dedicated advertising and marketing support may be the missing ingredient. I believe this statement wholeheartedly, but not just because I am a marketing professional. It’s still early in the year and I’ve been talking to a lot of business owners in various industries. The common theme seems to be the lack of advertising and marketing support they receive on a consistent basis.

Recently, I encountered several small businesses owners seeking advertising and marketing support services. The businesses have one to five employees and none of them were dedicated marketers or had advertising expertise. Another owner worked with a marketing person that had another full time job. If you haven’t been able to grow your business with any kind of consistency, dedicated advertising and marketing support may be the missing ingredient.

If you think you may need advertising and marketing support here a few questions to ask yourself:

1. Do you have someone in your organization who is focused on your advertising and marketing efforts everyday?

2. Is your website up-to-date?

3. Are you keeping up with social media posts and engagement with prospective customers?

4. Do you find yourself working late or ever thinking about having someone to call for help?

5. Does your existing freelance website designer or marketer make suggestions to involve you in new technology and advertising opportunities?

6. Do you have a marketing strategy?

7. Does your marketing collateral material represent your brand with an eye-catching design and effective copywriting?

8. Have you ever had an advertising campaign that included a mix of traditional and non-traditional advertising?

9. Do you find yourself taking time away from customers to manage your ads, social media and website?

10. Do you know if your marketing and advertising efforts have brought you a return on investment and can you accurately measure your results?

If you answered yes to several of these questions, you are moving in the right direction with your advertising and marketing efforts. If you answered no to a lot of these questions, dedicated advertising and marketing support may be the missing ingredient.

The first step is to align yourself with an advertising or marketing  company or professional marketer that offers marketing and advertising support as a full time job. If a freelancer or company offers advertising and marketing support on a part-time basis, you won’t be getting a 100% percent commitment.  Ask to see samples of existing work the company has done. Speak to their current clients to get an idea of what it’s like to work with them. Read testimonials or online customer reviews to make sure the company or person you choose to work with has a good reputation.

Save 4-5% of your total annual sales to budget for marketing and advertising opportunities. Use a mix of internet marketing, email marketing, blogging, social media, direct mail and more to put together a comprehensive campaign to brand your business locally. Would you buy from a company with an outdated website and inconsistent exposure online? Consider investing in dedicated advertising and marketing support to grow your business on a consistent basis.