Guide: Things to do before hiring a marketer

So business is doing well? You’re looking to take the next step and hire a marketer to improve your brand image, visibility and improve both quality and quantity of leads.

Here are a few things to know before you hire a Marketer. 1) Knowing what you need

Marketing is complicated. With an overabundance of channels, It's more important now than ever before to ask yourself, what do I need?

Is there a channel that I want to target? SEO & Content? Video? Paid Ads? Building your brand and improving positioning? Or a bit of everything? A Generalist has knowledge of most of the above channels. A Content Marketer focuses on written content and SEO. Performance Marketers do Ads. Brand Marketers focus on strategy and positioning.

While ' I need a ‘Generalist’ seems like the simple answer, getting one isn’t easy. Most people specialise in one area, such as Social, SEO etc. Few take time to learn new techniques.

The UK in particular has the lowest proportion of trained marketers in the world (only 1 in 4). Imagine if 1 in 4 lawyers were formally trained in their field.

less than 25% of UK Marketers are trained

Prioritising strategic knowledge or experience usually pays off. A good long term strategy can save you a lot of pain, time and money. For strategy you need a qualified or experienced person which takes us to the next step.

2) The different ways you can access marketing support

Now that you know what you’re looking for you can choose how you get it. The first thought is hiring a full-time person, possibly a junior or fresh graduate because that helps with the budget, but there are other options that can give you better value for money.

a) Hiring

The obvious choice, but a hire doesn’t have to be full-time. Fractional marketers (a fancier word for part time) are usually more experienced marketers that work part time for 2 or more businesses. Hiring gets you someone's full attention, but at a higher price. Unfortunately a lot depends on the quality of hire. (covered in detail in our other blog).

b) Freelance

Individuals working on a project to project basis - It is a great way to get better expertise at a good price but the task to manage one or more freelancers will take a chunk of your time. They require regular input and accurate briefs. Freelancers usually cost less than hiring in-house or using agencies.

c) Agency

Outsource to experts. Agencies can be great for businesses, It gives them expertise without a headache. Agencies also come in different shapes. They can offer support in a wide range of services (full service) or a specialist channel (SEO). Make sure it suits your business and budget.

d) Outposting

The outpostx.co.uk marketing model combines the best of in-house & agency with dedicated marketers spending up to 2 days a week in your office to understand your business products and customers. Work in tandem with your sales teams. Combining that with the expertise of our Central Production Team in key channels (SEO, Ads, Brand and Design) creates a tempting solution suitable for growing brands.

Whatever solution you go for, marketing done right can transform your business. A strong brand increases your pricing power, greater visibility and mental availability increases the likelihood of your product or service being purchased.

Brands working with us have been able to increase the price of products along with increasing sales numbers. The influence of Marketing goes beyond just promotional and lead generation and you’re clearly on the right track in deciding to invest.

Check out more insights or talk to us about more marketing tips. It’s free.