Which digital marketing expert do you need?
Last year I re-designed my services to focus on delivering long term meaningful support to small businesses. And that meant switching from a done for you model to something that delivered more value to motivated and ready to learn women in business.
So instead of coming to me to manage your Facebook ads, we work together to create a digital advertising strategy that complements the social media work you are already doing and ensures to get maximum bang for buck while up-skilling you on the tricks of the trade.
This option works for business owners who one day do intend to outsource all of their digital marketing but for right now don’t have that option OR who want to learn so they can keep their outsourced marketing partners honest about results or strategies… because you don’t know what you don’t know.
When business owners sign up to become a coaching client, they work to deliver their own digital strategy with support, guidance and some old fashioned accountability from me. We talk twice a month and ensure that they are on track to create the business and life they desire.
So here is a guide to the most common types of experts your small business might need in the digital marketing space and how each of them may help you as a small business owner.
Do I need a Social Media Expert?
Are you struggling to keep up with your social media marketing? Well content creation, writing posts, scheduling can all be managed by a social media marketing expert which may be via a digital marketing or social media agency or in the form of a virtual assistant.
However I strongly recommend you have a wider digital marketing strategy developed, you have your USP defined and you know exactly who your target market is, because otherwise your social media is going to sound like every other managed social media account… boring and vanilla AF with none of what makes your brand awesome, you!
Social Media Managers & VAs generally charge by the hour or may offer a discounted packaged rate (which should work out cheaper than paying by the hour)
Do I need a Digital Advertising Expert?
If Google Advertising or Facebook Ads are not your jam, you need to ensure you’re linked up with someone who lives & breathes digital ads! And I don’t mean boosting posts. I don’t recommend using generalist marketers to run your ads because keeping up with all the moves, shakes and changes is what a digital advertising expert does… you simply won’t get the same result working with a Social Media Manager or Virtual Assistant when it comes to digital advertising.
Or choose to work with a Digital Marketing Coach and learn how to run your own - this means you might eventually be able to outsource some of the grunt work to a VA but you have oversight and understanding of your ad accounts.
Digital advertising experts either charge a fixed monthly or campaign fee, an hourly rate or a percentage of sales they generate for your business. Remember though, you want them working in YOUR ad account, and you want to ensure you are being charged for ad spend directly by Facebook or Google… this is so it remains clear how much you are paying for the ads and how much you are paying for the service (as well as ensuring assets like audiences and FB Pixel data is attached to YOUR account, not your agency or Digital Ads Manager’s account).
Do I need a Digital Marketing Coach?
If you’re ready to get real about your digital marketing and you have the time or the resource to do the work yourself, then working with a coach could be the best solution for your business. Imagine skipping all the bullshit digital marketing stuff you didn’t need to do, and only focusing on what is best for your business with an expert guiding the way.
Coaching is training, it’s expert consultancy, it’s accountability, it’s learning how to plan effectively and making sure someone is there is tell you to stop wasting your time on fruitless activities. It’s a business best friend, cheerleader and ass kicker all rolled into one. The most important part about coaching is time - ensuring you have the availability to work on your business right now.
Coaches generally charge a set monthly fee for a set number of calls or meetings.
Do I need a Digital Marketing Consultant?
If you want a digital marketing strategy to be developed and written for your business, then you probably want to work with a digital marketing consultant or strategist. A consultant will do the work of creating a digital strategy for you and leave you with a series of plans & strategies for different areas of your digital marketing - for example, a social media strategy, an SEO strategy and a digital advertising strategy would all sit under the umbrella of a Digital Marketing Strategy.
A consultant will charge you a one off fee to deliver the strategy, and then charge you again by the hour to help you deliver the work they have identified.
