What should you look for when hiring marketing expertise?
I work in a very well-saturated space. There are marketing consultants and agencies everywhere—and they all have different strengths. But not all marketing expertise is created equal.
Marketing is a complex area of business made up of a number of disciplines that work together to attract clients and customers. If you’re not a marketer yourself, you might be surprised at the depth and breadth of what marketing entails.
In my business, I work with clients on building a strategic foundation for their business and marketing as well as helping them think through what’s manageable in terms of activity and setting up a system for their marketing efforts so they can more easily scale their business.
I operate on the idea that knowing what you want to do is a prerequisite to making a plan. The investment of time it takes upfront makes plenty of business owners and leaders antsy to get going.
And, while you can jump in and do a lot without a plan, and even achieve your goals, taking the time to be intentional in your actions, knowing what not to do so we aren’t wasting time and resources we can invest elsewhere—these are vital to being able to grow in the right direction. It’s the difference between a guessing game about what will work and confidence that you’re on the right path.
Sounds good, right?
The thing is, marketing help comes in all shapes and sizes. It can be hard to know if the business you hire really has the expertise you need. I’ve been watching how people hire experts for years and there are a few things that stand out.
The service that’s branching out
You can get marketing services from a variety of agencies or service providers (PR, web design and development, graphic design, digital marketing, copywriting, etc.). Many agencies start with a focus in one or two areas that align with the founder’s expertise. Inevitably, though, businesses ask for services they don’t offer and it’s hard to resist taking on those projects that don’t fall into your core competencies. I’ve been there. I get it.
Earlier this year, a client came to me looking for help to build a content strategy after they’d paid quite a bit for a course that didn’t quite deliver on the promise. In looking at what was provided in the course, it was clear it was a niche specialist who was branching out into marketing strategy. The work within their core competency was excellent. The client paid me to prepare their content strategy for them, though.
When you look into marketing expertise, do the things they talk about most align with your needs?
The expert on the experts
I read lots of books and follow many marketing experts, business experts, and other relevant people I can learn from or gain new perspective about how I run and market my business. It helps me give better advice to my clients. I reference different people and resources pretty regularly in my content. Sometimes, I give my own spin on a concept. Sometimes, I build on their ideas. Sometimes, I use their words to support my views.
Over the years, you see various “experts” emerge who regurgitate the methods of experts they follow and teach them to their audience with no new context or perspective. When I see this, it always reminds me of the multi-level marketing (MLM) business model. These can come across in multiple ways:
They’re always sharing “strategies” from people who have huge platforms
The strategies they share are actually tactics or an approach to tactics
They give one-size-fits-all advice as if it’s gospel
When you look at hiring someone, are they giving you advice from their own expertise or telling you what someone else said to do?
The charismatic promoter who doesn’t deliver
Having confidence in promoting a business isn’t the same as offering stellar services. One service-based business owner told me they often get clients who come to them after a competitor with a strong social presence doesn’t quite meet the standards their clients expect. Interestingly, it’s an expansion area of the competitor’s business and not within their core competencies.
Strong promotional work isn’t at all a bad thing on its own. The red flags tend to show when you hear about their business reputation from the people who’ve worked with them. It’s important to practice due diligence and find out how things have gone with other clients and customers. Especially when you’re investing in marketing help.
When you talk to their previous clients (and not just the ones they share with you), do they love the results they got?
Marketing help is an investment in your business
Actually, it’s one of the most important investments you can make in your business. That’s why choosing the right help is so important. The goal with any prospective client is always to help them find the right person, even if that person isn’t me.
I’ve worked hard to narrow down my focus to what I’m good at and really want to do. I’m not going to sell you my digital marketing expertise because there are way more capable digital marketers out there I can refer you to. I’m not going to sell you writing services because I’m a better strategist than I am a writer.
I have meetings with people and tell them I’m not the right fit and refer them to someone who is. So, I hope, as you look for a marketing expert to fill the needs of your business, that you’ll find the right person who has the right expertise to accomplish your objectives.