Doing most things yourself may have been cost-effective in the beginning but as your business grows, so do the demands on your time. Although some might see digital marketing as a “nice to have” it is actually crucial for creating brand awareness and for sourcing leads.
However, not every business owner knows when to let others help them, particularly if they’re unfamiliar with digital marketing. So here are 5 signs to let you know that it’s time for you to find get help.
You try to handle everything by yourself
You already have several business priorities and adding digital marketing to your list will have you stretched too thin. With all that you already have to do, can you afford to add social media management, website management or email marketing to that list? No one knows your brand and business quite as you do, however, will your knowledge translate well online? Hiring a digital marketing professional or an agency will allow you to focus on your strengths while someone else handles your digital marketing shortcomings.
You can’t plan ahead
You have most likely set up short and long term goals for your business. But have you planned as extensively for your digital marketing? Your marketing needs short-term campaign goals and long-term revenue and brand-building goals. This planning process requires plenty of research and campaign ideation, so do you have the time to truly think 3, 6 or 12 months in advance for your marketing goals? Hiring a team or a professional to help you with this can save you a lot of time because digital marketing professionals already have an understanding of the industry trends and how best to position your company’s marketing to achieve your overall goals.
You’ve noticed a decline in leads or sales
In today’s business environment, your target audience can be found online. So if you’re noticing a decline in your sales and leads, you should consider hiring help. Marketing professionals can help you by creating an inbound strategy to reach your target audience online with content that they want to see when they want to see it. They will be able to create plans that integrate your sales process into marketing strategies that can direct valuable leads to your sales team. This will result in your sales team receiving leads that are interested in your product and can convert to sales leads easier than cold-calling can.
Your website hasn’t been updated in years
If your website hasn’t changed in the past 2 years, you definitely need to consider hiring help. Industry trends dictate the type of websites people spend a lot of their time on and to retain your competitive edge, your website should be refreshed to remain relevant. With Google giving preferential ranking to mobile-friendly and responsive websites, this is certainly something you want to be done correctly. Today, websites that perform well are those scaled to fit cellphones, tablets and desktops and are also responsive. People don’t want to wait 1 minute for your home page to load, so hiring professionals to help optimise your website is an advantage you want.
You’re not tracking key metrics and analytics
Marketing professionals know how important this data is. How will you know how your website, email marketing or social media platforms are performing if you’re not looking at the data? Do you have the time to keep track of how many visitors a day your website receives? Do you know which day is the best for you to send a marketing email? If you answered “No”, then you’re missing a great opportunity to gather intel from your audience. Marketers can test, track and analyse results to determine what works and what doesn’t and they have the analytic resources to do so. They know where to find valuable data and how to use that data to create the best chances for quality leads.
The bottom line
You can’t do every single thing by yourself and if you want your business to perform at its best, you need people to help you. Whether you hire a digital marketing agency or a marketing professional, your business can open itself up to many opportunities by using digital marketing the correct way. Apply for a Merchant Capital cash advance to invest in your marketing and elevate your business.
