Starting a new business is one of the most fulfilling, adventurous, and exciting endeavors that you can embark on in the modern age, but it’s also fraught with challenges, obstacles, and even those looking to make money off you without giving you what you deserve in return. Many marketing firms see small businesses as a quick buck and take on an attitude to match with regard to performance. We couldn’t disagree more with such a ridiculous approach.
In our experience, the “small business marketing” package should act as an immediate warning sign to your company. Think about it this way: Why should your company be treated any differently than a larger firm? There’s a saying in business you’ve probably heard before. It goes, “dress for the position you want, not the one you have.” The same principle applies to marketing. First impressions mean a lot, and you should have the marketing solutions to match your aspirations.
If you’re still weighing a small business marketing package, there are a few more things that might dissuade you and illustrate for you why we don’t offer them.
1. Cookie Cutter Nonsense
One of the worst things that can happen to a business or a brand is for it to be pigeonholed into mediocrity. In the age of endless data and constant mental stimulation, you have to stand out to win, and the simple fact is that many small business marketing packages are pre-packaged, cookie-cutter nonsense. They treat your business as if it was just like any other, which, in true self-fulfilling style, will result in your potential customers seeing you like just any other business.
When designing your marketing strategy, you need personalization, scalability, and the ability to uniquely address the challenges of your niche. Don’t accept something that is designed to be quickly copy-pasted from one business to the next in order to make a quick buck with the least effort possible. Look for a company that will treat your rising business with respect.
2. Not in the Know
No matter what your industry is, there are going to be nuances that only those with experience will understand. On the surface, many industries seem straightforward, but if you talk to someone who knows that industry, you’ll quickly discover just how complicated things actually are once you’re an insider.
Firms offering broad marketing packages are not going to understand the nuance of your industry, let alone the subtlety of your specific niche. When you’re going to pay your hard-earned money to a firm to help you build a solid marketing presence for your company, it’s simply not a good investment to go with something general. Not only will they miss the mark in your industry, but the lack of unique understanding of your needs will contribute to further obscuring of your brand.
Experience is one of those traits that is impossible to quantify but will demonstrate its value right away if you’re paying attention. It’s easy to write off the value of experience when you’re only looking at a list of tasks; in the rush to get things done, you might be tempted to go with the immediately available, less experienced talent. In truth though, an experienced hand will boost productivity company-wide, and this applies to your marketing efforts, too. Qualified, knowledgeable marketing teams will be able to get your company’s name where it will have the most impact and reach.
3. The Outsourcing Problem
You may have noticed a trend so far in our little exploration of “small business packages:” Companies offering such packages often see them as a way to get a lot of money for only a little bit of effort. Following such a philosophy, it’s not uncommon to see these prettied-up bargain bin marketing packages be wholly outsourced with businesspeople who buy them being none the wiser – at least until analysis is done on the ROI of the marketing budget.
Outsourcing undeniably has its uses, but one of those uses shouldn’t be to maximize profits by cutting corners. After all, in the end, it will be your business who absorbs the cost of the savings their firm won. Depending on where a firm finds their talent, you could end up with marketing materials made by contract workers that you could have just as easily contracted yourself – for a hell of a lot cheaper.
Frankly, an approach that advertises expertise but then replaces said expertise with outsourced work is a bait-and-switch, dressed up in technicalities. You go in looking for an honest and straightforward exchange, and your business ends up with results that are not going to measure up to your expectations.
With all these issues being so prevalent in so-called “small business packages,” why should entrepreneurs, innovators, and newcomers to an industry trust them at all? The fact of the matter is that they shouldn’t. Every deal or offering you’ll be spending your company’s money on should be thoroughly analyzed; it’s nothing personal towards the proprietors of any specific firm, but new businesses need to be careful and need to weigh their spending carefully. Every bargain should be taken with a grain of salt, and always remember that, while there are a few rare exceptions, you generally get what you pay for. If you pay for discount packages, you’ll get discount ROI.
We know how vital marketing is to the growth and success of small businesses. Brand is critical in the digital age, and, therefore, we believe strongly that you shouldn’t cut any corners when it comes to getting your brand – the heart of your company’s image to the world – out there for your customers to see. Cookie-cutters, generic frameworks, and corner-cutting simply won’t give your business what it deserves; after all, you went into business for a reason.
You know your industry, and you need to find a marketing team that will see eye to eye with you as well as a marketing strategy that is customized to your brand. Make what you pay for work for you, not the other way around!
