Many entrepreneurs start out their business on their own or with a very minimal staff. After all, it’s a new business, money is tight, and things are just getting started. After a time, and a bit of success, they start to add a couple more employees. A sales person, customer support staff, and office manager usually come first. Then what happens when the business stops growing as quickly or even starts to level out?
You start to ask yourself if it’s time to start expanding your marketing efforts. The problem comes in that, although you’re an expert in your field, you’re not quite sure what to do where marketing is concerned. Should you hire someone to work in your office? But if you do that, how will you know who you should hire, and will they have all of the knowledge you need them to have to properly market your business?
The best solution to this problem is to hire a marketing agency. They employ several people with skills in several different areas, so that they can give you a wide range of knowledge and expertise. An agency will be able to evaluate what you’re doing now, and offer suggestions for improvement. They will also be able to offer new advice that you may not have thought of. They are there to work with you to improve your business.
So how do you really know if it’s time to hire an agency?
1. Growth Has Slowed or Even Stopped
If you know that your product or service is good, that there is a market for it, that the price on it is right, and that your staff is doing the best job possible, then the problem could be a lack of or ineffective marketing.
2. You Don’t Have Time
You’re a business owner, which means you’re probably doing the job of 3 or 4 people, which means you just don’t have time to add another set of tasks. Especially since marketing is a process that takes time and evaluation. It doesn’t bring in the money right away that’s needed to pay bills. The thing is, it is necessary in the long run, and it needs to be a priority, even if it’s not your immediate priority.
3. You Don’t Enjoy Marketing Tasks
If you don’t like doing it, your customers and followers will know. They will see it in the boring blog posts, uninteresting email blasts, and lacking social media posts, and you definitely won’t get the desired results from those efforts. Hire someone who is passionate about what they do, and with a marketing agency that is what you are getting….people who truly love marketing!
4. You Don’t Understand It
Marketing a business is a complex and sometimes confusing task. It requires knowing a lot about several different means of communication, knowing how to effectively use those channels, and knowing how to truly evaluate their effectiveness. A marketing agency knows these things, and can help you make the right decisions and choices in your marketing efforts.
Choosing to hire a marketing agency can be a daunting task, but it is a decision that could help your business take that next big step. Are you ready to take that step?