We live in a DIY (do-it-yourself) age, a time when entire cable TV channels are dedicated to helping you fix stuff, bake stuff, make stuff, paint stuff and re-arrange stuff without the help of an experienced professional. Big box retailers like Home Depot and Lowe's are pretty much located in every town and staffed with people to help guide you with your projects.
So it is easier than ever for us to think that we can pretty much do anything ourselves. There is so much help and information available on the internet and on TV that we can learn many things. But that doesn't mean we still don't need professionals to help us sometimes. As one of my small business colleagues likes to say, electrical work is not a hobby.
And neither is Marketing. Those of us in the field not only have specialized education and training, but plenty of in-the-field experience learning what works and, more importantly, what doesn't. But it can be tough to sell a small business owner on the value of spending their money to hire a marketing professional. After all, people are crawling out of the woodwork to help them for free.
Yes, the local newspaper sales rep will get your ad designed for free. The cable TV folks will do a 30-second commercial for you at no charge when you buy the airtime. Radio ads can be scripted and recorded at no charge by the station when you buy the spots. It goes on and on. So what's not to like?
Well, the truth is that you almost always get what you pay for. In this example, you would end up with a hodge-podge of messages, designs and what we call "look and feel" to support your brand. Without a coordinated approach, there won't be any consistency to your marketing and then you might as well be throwing money out the window.
Harsh? Yup. But the truth is that letting sales people determine your marketing message and design is like handing over the keys to your car to a complete stranger. It might come back safely, but you just don't know. That's why hiring a marketing consultant, ad agency or PR firm is a great move for small business owners. Small business marketing is just like other kinds of marketing, just using a smaller budget. It doesn't mean the strategies or tactics are any different. Marketing that works for a large, multi-specialty medical practice also works for a one-woman practice. As my father used to say, "it's the same thing, only different."
When you think about how you are going to market your small business, I encourage you to think about your overall budget first. What are you willing to spend, and what can you afford? Then, talk to a consultant or agency and see if they can help you while staying within that budget. If it's the right firm, I know the answer will be yes.
So it is easier than ever for us to think that we can pretty much do anything ourselves. There is so much help and information available on the internet and on TV that we can learn many things. But that doesn't mean we still don't need professionals to help us sometimes. As one of my small business colleagues likes to say, electrical work is not a hobby.
And neither is Marketing. Those of us in the field not only have specialized education and training, but plenty of in-the-field experience learning what works and, more importantly, what doesn't. But it can be tough to sell a small business owner on the value of spending their money to hire a marketing professional. After all, people are crawling out of the woodwork to help them for free.
Yes, the local newspaper sales rep will get your ad designed for free. The cable TV folks will do a 30-second commercial for you at no charge when you buy the airtime. Radio ads can be scripted and recorded at no charge by the station when you buy the spots. It goes on and on. So what's not to like?
Well, the truth is that you almost always get what you pay for. In this example, you would end up with a hodge-podge of messages, designs and what we call "look and feel" to support your brand. Without a coordinated approach, there won't be any consistency to your marketing and then you might as well be throwing money out the window.
Harsh? Yup. But the truth is that letting sales people determine your marketing message and design is like handing over the keys to your car to a complete stranger. It might come back safely, but you just don't know. That's why hiring a marketing consultant, ad agency or PR firm is a great move for small business owners. Small business marketing is just like other kinds of marketing, just using a smaller budget. It doesn't mean the strategies or tactics are any different. Marketing that works for a large, multi-specialty medical practice also works for a one-woman practice. As my father used to say, "it's the same thing, only different."
When you think about how you are going to market your small business, I encourage you to think about your overall budget first. What are you willing to spend, and what can you afford? Then, talk to a consultant or agency and see if they can help you while staying within that budget. If it's the right firm, I know the answer will be yes.
