As a CEO, you have to make a lot of decisions and have an ear in every department, and when something falls through the cracks you have to react to patch up the problem. Luckily, there is a universal quick fix to most online marketing issues, and these seven circumstances will show you exactly how to use that fix when you need to.
The Things a CEO Should Watch with Online Marketing
As a Start-Up, Hiring In-house can Cost You
Start-ups are notorious for their bond-fostering environments and their family atmosphere, which is why many start-ups think that all marketing teams need to be in-house. Unfortunately, as a start-up you usually don’t get your money’s worth from a hired staff when it comes to marketing, so a lot of times these companies are wasting money. By that we don’t mean that in-house marketing teams aren’t worth their salt, but the work they are doing will not initially be worth more to you than how much you pay them. There’s a snowball model in effect here, and that little snowball hasn’t picked up speed… yet.
Finding the Online Marketing Plateau
We’re going to talk a lot about snowballs here, so get used to it. The amount you earn from your online marketing department will slowly pick up speed and gain in size, like the aforementioned snowball, and during that time you’ll have to be careful to give it enough money to thrive while not cleaning out your pockets. Eventually, these two costs will level out and you will find your online marketing plateau—the ratio you need to hold for optimal efficiency. It might be hard to gauge where this plateau is, but an online marketing team can help you figure it out.
The Flexibility of Contracting an Online Marketing Team is Its Strongest Asset
Online marketing starts slow and snowballs, so the amount of money you pump into the program should mirror that. Contracting an online marketing team will give you the flexibility to control your flow of money while you’re working towards your online marketing plateau, since you can keep the team on for as long as you want and you are in complete control of their operation.
Online Marketing is a Web
It stretches out in all directions and converges and separates at a thousand different points, which means that handling it yourself can be a headache, not to mention a huge time-sink. It’s definitely possible to learn, but it is much easier and more time-efficient to get someone on board who already knows the ropes so they can show you how to handle them yourself.
Train Your Trainers
If you have an in-house marketing team then you should be paying to get them trained and keep them up to date. While it is their job to keep themselves up to speed with the latest information, if they are learning techniques from others instead of inventing their own powerful techniques then they’re not thinking about their job the right way. Get a team in there to teach them how to think ahead of the curve instead of just with it.
Keep Your Buyer Personas Up-to-Date
Your buyer personas are the foundation of your online marketing campaign, and if yours are out of use and building up dust then you need to get some new ones. If you need to refresh them, or if you never had any in the first place, a contracted marketing team can help put things back on track.
Conversation
Online marketing is a two way exchange these days, and if you aren’t communicating back with your customers then you are only getting a fraction of the benefits. By opening a forum for dialogue among your customers and potential clients, you strengthen your own personal brand and make your company a personality in the community. If you don’t know how to do this, then you should hire some experts for a quick patch job.
Online marketing teams contracted through outside organizations are great for getting you back on track. They are cost efficient, effective, and trained to handle all issues, and if you ever find yourself behind on any of seven musts we have listed above, then contracting might be just the fix for you.
