Looking to Hire a Marketer? Here's Why You Should Think Twice. Successfully marketing your brand can be a challenge. Hiring a marketer may feel like the easiest and most sensible solution, but keep a few things in mind before you do it.
By John Boitnott Edited by Jessica Thomas
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Successful brand promotion is a crucial part of the foundation of any successful company. Social media and the internet have opened up new avenues to reach possible customers. Collaborative marketing campaigns now have the potential to connect consumers with companies in long-lasting and sustainable ways that were not previously possible.
Figuring out how to promote your company can present a daunting challenge with no clear entry point. It might seem as if there are an infinite number of ways to present your brand in an infinite amount of places. Consequently, many business owners turn to professional marketing consultants to help chart a clear path for their companies.
However, you should take some time to think about the following considerations before you take steps to hire a professional marketer.
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1. Hiring good marketers is a challenge
In a world where many services are becoming increasingly commodified, it can be difficult finding a marketer who will do your brand and vision justice. Hiring a marketer who "knows how to play the game" is not the same as hiring someone who believes in what they are promoting.
The type of marketing campaign that works for other businesses might not be the best choice for your company. Successful marketing requires taking the time to understand your unique brand and target audience before promoting it and raising its profile.
Standardized marketing techniques outline how to promote a company, but not necessarily how to promote your specific brand. If you want your business to think and act the way that other businesses think and act, then just about any professional, experienced marketer will do the job well. However, in some cases, you might find their thinking rigid and the strategies they use similar to that of your competitors.
Brand loyalty and recognition require a level of thoughtfulness and creativity that can be difficult to find in a traditional "generalist" marketer. Consider the value in having your brand promoted by people who know you well and who are actively thinking of new ways to define and present your company and its brand.
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2. There's value in people without marketing backgrounds
Although it may sound counterintuitive, one trick to successful brand promotion is to look for people without a traditional marketing background. A person who can understand your company from a unique perspective may be able to offer more valuable insights.
For example, launching an email campaign every month might generate new leads and sales, but hiring a data scientist to analyze the underlying data might provide you with far more impactful insights for future marketing campaigns.
That's because certain information based on reported and collated data is specific to your brand and prospects. Understanding who's opening your emails, seeing what they're clicking and knowing how long they're reading the email give you actionable intelligence about how your current marketing strategies are performing. You'll also learn more about what your audience is interested in and what aspects of your brand seem to be attracting the most attention. In this way, you're ensuring your brand keeps up with the market rather than simply existing in the market.
A variety of educational backgrounds can lead to a unique way of looking at how to present your brand. Do not limit your marketing team to marketers. Instead, explore what people with different sets of experiences can offer. You may be pleasantly surprised at what they can bring to the table.
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3. There's also value in a creative team
When there are endless ways to promote your brand, and countless other brands to compete with, it's essential to develop a unique marketing campaign. Collaboration with others who can bring different perspectives to your marketing campaign is an asset in achieving that singular impact.
When it comes to selling, marketing and advertising your product, the more ideas you have, the better. With marketing, creativity and collaboration help generate those diverse ideas. That's why it helps to keep the mix of professional backgrounds front of mind as you're building your team.
For example, if you're trying to run online ads, find a paid ad specialist with UX/UI experience to help you design and display them. Similarly, if you're looking to create a logo or product design, try looking for visual and digital artists who can uniquely represent your company.
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Diverse perspectives may be a better option
Promoting your company is no simple task. The more people and perspectives you have on your team, the more successful you will be.
With marketing, promotion and advertising playing such outsized roles in current markets, successfully presenting your brand to your targeted prospects is essential. Although it might seem like the easiest and best solution is to hire a marketer, take the time to consider the value you can find in other professionals and how they might be better positioned to protect the integrity of your brand.
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