4 Questions to Ask Yourself before hiring marketing help

As an established entrepreneur, you know the importance of having a strong sales funnel.  You also know that theoretically, digital marketing can help grow your business, but you haven’t been able to make it work for yours.

Ultimately, time spent on marketing sometimes seem like a waste of time because it’s not driving results! Because of this, you’re considering investing in marketing help. But where do you even start? There are so many folks out there claiming to be marketing gurus, but can they actually get you the results you want?

Start by asking yourself these four questions to help you determine the right services for your needs.

1) What are my goals?

Your goals will help you determine what type of marketing provider you need to find. For instance, if you have a goal of increasing your followers and engagement on social media without spending money on ads, you’ll want to consider hiring a social media strategist like me who focuses on organic content. However, if your primary goal is to get more website traffic, you might want to consider search engine optimization services or investing in Google Ads. The skillsets for these tasks are very different, so make sure you find a specialist who can best help you. After all, you wouldn’t pay a plumber to decorate your house would you? The same idea applies to hiring a marketer.

If you are looking for more information on the different types of marketing service providers, check out this helpful article.

2) What are my specific needs?

As you just read, there are a lot of different aspects of marketing. To make sure you get the most out of our money, it’s critical to get super clear on your exact marketing needs so that you can easily find the right service provider. A good place to start is to determine which tasks and activities are not only in your zone of genius, but also light you up. As a coach or service provider, you may be great at creating your own Canva templates but this task might not bring you joy. Once you have a clear idea of what aspects of your business you love, you’ll be able to identify the tasks you want to an can offload to others. It may even help to write a detailed job description laying out all the tasks you need done. This will help set you up for success and you will have a much easier time finding the right service provider with minimal stress.

3) What is my budget?

Before starting conversations with a marketer, it’s helpful to have a clear number in mind for your marketing budget. Some services like social media management will require you to pay an ongoing monthly fee. For small businesses, cost for this service varies widely and can range anywhere from $350-$5000 a month depending on your needs and the service provider you hire.

Some social media services, like my VIP Day or Digital Strategy Roadmap are done-for-you services that only require one-payment. Once you are clear on your needs, you can more easily choose which type of marketing package is right for you. Many marketers, myself included, list prices their website so you will know if a service provider is in your price range.

Read more about social media pricing for small businesses here.

4) What is my time commitment?

Even if you are looking to handoff most of your marketing tasks to a pro, you will still need to allot time to marketing. From reviewing Canva templates to proofing copy written by others, small business owners still need to be involved in their brand’s marketing efforts. This is especially true if your social media strategy is going to include video. If you are the face of your business, you will need to be the one in front of the camera, not your social media marketer so you will need to budget time for filming. Getting clear on how much time you are willing to commit to marketing on a weekly basis to your marketing will help you determine the level of support that you need.

Choosing the right digital marketer for your business does not need to be painful. Getting clear on your goals, your specific needs, your budget, and your time commitment before you start your search will make the process easier and ensure you get the most out of your money. If you think my social media services are a good fit for you, schedule your discovery call today!