Marketing has changed significantly over recent years. Not in terms of importance, but in the complexity of online services that are now the centerpiece of a marketing strategy. Businesses are now expected to produce regular content to engage their market via the many online platforms we use daily on our devices.
How businesses execute their plan has also changed, given how deeply connected we’ve become via networking tools. Hiring in-house marketing personnel is becoming less necessary with the remote work options. Outsourcing marketing responsibilities is increasingly more appealing and practical for many businesses.
One of the best outsourcing options available is a concept called “managed marketing”.
What is Managed Marketing?
It is extremely rare to find an individual who has skill and experience in all the aspects of modern marketing. Each discipline has become a specialty and requires a depth of knowledge to effectively provide services in social marketing, online ads, SEO and reporting, web development, content marketing, videography, branding strategy and print design.
Managed Marketing is when a business outsources their marketing needs to a team of experts who cover this wide range of specialized skills. The collective team will pool their expertise and resources, collaborate to leverage each other’s area of knowledge, create a plan of execution, and manage the day-to-day responsibilities of carrying it out.
What are Some Indicators that Managed Marketing Might Work for Your Business?
You Have All the Tools Without a Plan
In general, we all have an idea of what the primary marketing channels are. We build a website and start posting on social media – because that is what we are supposed to do to be relevant online. While those are baseline tools in the marketing landscape, it is a completely different level to use them effectively and strategically. Understanding the marketplace and your target audience involves a deeper understanding of:
- Who really is your target audience?
- How can you reach them?
- What problems are their main concerns?
- How does your message/offer serve as a solution?
- What approach will best reach your audience?
A proper marketing team will build a strategy around an understanding of your business, your goals, your target audience and how to effectively connect all these vital pieces together. They will know how to employ the marketing tools available.
Underperforming Business & Marketing Plan
You have spent time setting up a plan, and you are consistently working to market to your audience – but it does not seem like it is resonating with your audience. When the efforts you are making are not producing results, there are always reasons for falling short. Experienced marketing specialists should be able to measure and identify what is and is not working and offer recommendations for optimizing your effectiveness.
Struggle to Produce Marketing Content
Producing marketing content takes a lot of time. The balance of running a business and carving out time to brag about the amazing products and services you provide is tough to find. Most often, content marketing fails when the ability to generate fresh content is swallowed up by the endless list of more urgent daily responsibilities. It leaves your business in a constant state of scrambling to make announcements or produce some form of content to promote.
With a designated team of creators focused solely on filling up the bucket of quality content, scheduling and posting it on a consistent basis, it removes the bottleneck. You and your employees focus on the business of your business, and the marketing team takes care of that branch of your business – with as little or as much involvement as you choose.
Lack of Finances and Perceived Cost of Marketing
A struggle to produce or maintain a marketing plan usually comes down to one major issue; you do not have people in place to perform those roles. Most often, that relates to being unable to justify a full-time marketing employee when you are already trying to maintain a tight operating budget. Marketing efforts are an early casualty of being fiscally responsible.
As a result, it is common to try to assign marketing roles to already overloaded employees who are already experiencing burnout and who may not have the expertise to do an adequate job.
Managed Marketing agreements are based on a budget that works for your business plan. It gives you access to an entire team of experts in every aspect of marketing who will collaborate on a customized plan for your business. It frees you from all the expenses and overhead of having in-house personnel (equipment, software, healthcare, office/desk space, etc.).
In the end, your monthly retainer fits into your budget, and you have a wealth of resources available to accelerate your marketing goals.
No Reporting for Marketing Efforts
Having proper measuring and reporting tools in place is something most self-marketing businesses do not fully grasp or know how to employ. With proper reporting tools, you can gain insights into what is working, what is non-effective and what kind of audience your online assets are attracting. Adjustments are a regular element of marketing strategy, but it is connected to the information you collect and monitor. You cannot always hit the bullseye with every piece of marketing content, but you can always adjust your aim based on the results – so long as you have that data available. If you do not – it might be time to partner with experts who can provide that.
A good marketing team will be able to provide insightful reporting to help hone your message and re-direct your efforts when it is not hitting your goals.
When Marketing is Always the Casualty of Time
We all know marketing is important to our business. Yet somehow, it is the first casualty when time runs out and energy is low. If you notice that marketing is always and forever being pushed back, delayed, and neglected – then maybe it is time to consider putting a proactive plan into action and making it a priority.
Mtek Digital offers Managed Marketing Packages to Our Clients
We are an MSP business, but we also have a flair for marketing! As SMBs are focused on running their business, they seldom devote enough time to promoting and growing it — and often, they lack the marketing savvy and skillset to do so. With our experience and training, we have learned a few things about websites, social media, search engines and consumer behaviour. Our Managed Marketing Services will connect you with your audience at the right place and the right time.
Check our Managed Marketing Packages and see if it’s the right fit for you!