Quick Tips for Choosing a Marketing Pro

You know your business needs marketing, right? Of course. The right marketing pro can be a rock star investment if you know how to choose the right option for your business. There are 3 main options for hiring a marketing pro for your business:

1. A freelancer
2. An agency
3. A direct hire

Marketing professionals can do everything from writing your sales materials, managing your website, posting to social media, and creating email campaigns. All of these marketing activities are an important part of driving sales and revenue for your business. So, choosing the right option for hiring a pro is critical to your ROI.

Let’s look at the quick tips every business owner should consider when choosing between a freelancer, an agency, or a direct hire for professional marketing activities.

Choose a Freelancer, if

• Your business is a start-up
• You have short-term projects
• You want to avoid the overhead of a direct hire employee

Choose an Agency, if

• You have the budget to make a long-term retainer for strategic guidance
• You need specialized marketing services (like branding or digital)
• You want the benefits of a full marketing team without hiring direct

Choose a direct hire, if

• You have long-term vision building marketing as a revenue-driving department
• You value having full control over marketing activities
• You want to control management fees through investing in a salaried professional with a singular focus on your business’s success

As you can see, my view on what makes sense for businesses when it comes to hiring a marketing professional is the investment of a direct hire. However, having served as a marketing pro in all of the above capacities for businesses, I recognize that each option has merit based on a.) the goals, and b.) the means of your business.

So, how do you choose the right marketing professional for your business?

Do you just jump in feet first for that direct hire?
I’d probably recommend, no. UNLESS…you have a crystal clear vision and a little marketing expertise of your own to hire, guide, and mold this new direct hire.

Do you opt for the fancy agency team who can do it all?
Maybe…if your marketing budget is large enough to sustain their management fees AND they can prove to you their return on investment…in the form of sales and revenue.

Do you search high & low for that diamond in the rough freelancer who can knock out your smaller projects?
It’s always good to be on the lookout for those rare freelancers who can deliver quality work, on time, with appropriate communication…and to your standards. But, that probably should be on your ongoing task list because you never know when you might find such a gem!

What if you could have…

• The benefits of a direct hire without the overhead of payroll, an office, or training?
• The talent of an agency team without the big, fancy, invoice bills at the end of the month?
• The rarity of a freelancer who is invested in your business’s marketing success without the trial-and-error of suffering through the novice-level service providers?

Consider using a marketing consultant.

A consultant is someone who can provide professional marketing expertise and guidance while managing the day-to-day marketing activities that will drive revenue to your bottom line.

A marketing consultant is invested in your success because you are relying on their expertise to meet your business goals. If your marketing doesn’t perform, their expertise is in question.

Unlike an agency, who works with a high volume of clients, a consultant works with an exclusive number of clients at one time. This ensures maximum success for you and your business.

Unlike a freelancer, who is often cutting their teeth with each new project, a marketing consultant has years of experience without eating up your payroll or taking years to be trained.

So, what option makes sense for your business?

Want to learn more about ‘Done for You’ services from Smart Girl Funnels? Let’s chat. Book a free 30-minute call to discuss your business goals and how the right digital team can help you.