Like many industries, marketing has seen significant evolution through the advent of online technologies. The range of expertise required for a full-scale marketing strategy can stretch broadly due to the endless platforms and methods of connecting with a target audience.
With these changes, the options for how to implement a marketing strategy have increased beyond traditional options.
Many businesses still have the mindset that the only options are:
- To hire an outside marketing firm or freelancer to provide specific marketing services
- To hire an internal resource to exclusively manage the marketing needs
For SMBs, the cost of a full-time staff member dedicated to marketing is often untenable. Not only is it costly, but a single resource may not have the skillset that spans the disciplines of branding, content writing, web design, SEO, social marketing, and graphic design.
The same could be said of a freelance designer, who may not have the availability or skillset to cover all the marketing requirements of a business. Consequently, assembling a patchwork of freelance specialists becomes another challenge to manage.
Managed Marketing is a different approach that solves the concerns of traditional options. It is a solution which offers a menu of marketing services, executed by a single team of experts with aligning specialized skills.
The strategy would be to assess the client’s business goals and customize a plan that finds the ideal blend of services and experts to work on behalf of the client.
A Team of Many Skills and Many Options
With a Managed Marketing service, a business no longer needs to worry about recruiting a team of freelancers or hoping an individual staff member can do it all. A well-balanced managed marketing team should bring a stack of solutions to meet any needs:
- Project management
- Content development
- Web design & development
- SEO & Digital Ad management
- Social media support
- Branding and graphic design
- Videography
- Performance tracking & reporting
It may be that you do not need all the services offered by the team; that will be determined by the goals and priorities of the client. However, having access to a wealth of experience in all areas means that any scenario can be serviced as unforeseen needs arise.
Additionally, the marketing team will routinely leverage the expertise of other members to maximize the outcome – which is a huge advantage of a collaborative effort.
Taking the Marketing Pressure Off the Business Ownership
A featured purpose of Managed Marketing is to ease the pressure from management so they can stay focused on operating their business. You’ll have a highly experienced team of marketing professionals ready to jump into action on your behalf. Their first steps will be to familiarize themselves with your story, vision, and goals to set the groundwork for an effective strategy and a positive relationship.
Once a marketing plan is in place, the wheels will simply turn as the team executes their roles. Ideally, your role will simply be to stay in communication with project managers to be apprised of milestones through reporting and accountability, and to participate in priority adjustments.
You can be involved as much as you like, though the relationship usually finds the most productive, natural balance to make it work seamlessly.
A No-Surprises, Value-Driven Budget
One of the most appealing aspects of a monthly Managed Marketing partnership is that plans are based on a fixed, no-surprises monthly budget. Escaping the itemized billing scenario means that the marketing team is working diligently within the plan to deliver value rather than micromanaging tasks.
As the expectations are set and consistency of service is delivered, the value should become apparent. It sets up a simple, stress-free collaboration for the client.
Plans are never perfect. Adjustments will be inevitable as needs evolve and data suggests a modified approach is needed. An increasingly efficient and cost-effective strategy for the client will always drive the process.
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!