You are making a few sales here and there, the business is gaining traction, and you are now ready to scale! Exciting times ahead. But wait, you need a marketing specialist.
The industry has taken various forms over the years. Traditional or digital, it has become more and more important to stay ahead of the competition.
Whether you are selling directly to consumers or another business, your strategies must be aligned to meet your income goals. Build a lasting relationship with your customers and establish your brand in the industry.
There are various ways to promote your business. Sticking to just one avenue may not be as effective as simultaneously promoting across different media.
But the problem is that it could be confusing and overwhelming. If this is not your strongest point, then, that is bad news.
What you need is an expert at this. Someone who has the knowledge, skills, experience, and right attitude to join your team.
What does being a marketing specialist mean? And how does one find a good one? But hiring someone directly may not be the best option for you as a small business.
What is a marketing specialist?
Marketing is the process of putting your business out there for your target customers to see, engage with, be interested in buying from, and advocate for you in the long run.
In a general sense, it is for promoting your business to attract buyers. And that is the marketing specialist’s core responsibility.
He or she is a professional who is into developing effective advertising, brand awareness, media exposure, and similar activities.
In LinkedIn alone, there are 78 search results for the position within 25 miles of Cleveland, Ohio. That is how high the demand for this position is.
What makes a good marketing specialist?
Look for the following in assessing if someone is a good fit:
Knowledge
Ideally, he or she must be a bachelor’s degree in marketing or similar courses in the line of communications, advertising, and business.
Aside from the degree, knowledge in the following areas will come handy for this role:
- niche
- buyer psychology
- consumer trends
- business and finance
Skills
Preferably, the ideal person must already have years of experience in marketing to prove project management, events planning, and organizational skills. More specifically, look for somebody who can effectively do the following:
- market research – critical in determining the profile of your target customers to create strategies on how to convert them into buyers
- communication skills – necessary to convey effective, clear, and concise messages across your organization and target customers
- technical skills in using applications and software – important when promoting online
- graphic design and content development – this is optional but a plus when crafting marketing campaigns
Attributes
He or she must be someone who has the following qualities:
- Creative – someone who can craft attention-grabbing campaigns and works well with designers and content providers
- Analytical – must know how to effectively tweak the strategies depending on the data
- Open and adapts to change – the marketing world evolves quickly, and this person must be able to see new opportunities as they come
- Good at working with teams – strategic marketing requires quality content and to be able to develop those assets, he or she must deal with other people or teams effectively
Why is having a marketing specialist important?
Having someone on your team that specializes in marketing could be the key to having an effective strategy to gain more customers and close more deals.
Eventually, selling is the goal of every marketing plan, but the sales part is not all there is to it.
It is broader than that. You assess your target customers, execute ways to attract them, and build lasting relationships.
In the traditional sense, it has been related to advertising. Think about putting your business in newspapers, billboards, or television to be seen by potential customers.
But now, there is a high chance that your competitors are already into digital marketing, and you should be, too.
And all these are not as easy to learn as you may think. Hand it over to an expert and make use of your resources wisely.
Why you should not hire a marketing specialist directly?
Having an expert on your team is a major plus for your business. But hiring someone directly can be costly.
Hiring a full-time marketing specialist in your team could set you back around $50,000 or more a year on benefits and compensation.
If you are not keen on spending that much this early on in your business, then, this is the best solution for you: outsource.
Instead of hiring, you can simply get the services of a qualified digital marketing agency like Milia Marketing.
Start now by contacting Milia Marketing, a Cleveland-based partner who is within your reach.
