Guerrilla marketing is all about putting time and creativity into your marketing instead of
money, so you may be wondering why we have included this chapter. The fact of the matter
is that guerrilla marketers know how to work smart, and there are times when hiring a
marketing company is just smart. Large and small companies alike can benefit from hiring
a marketing company, and in many cases, they will find that the investment helps them to
1) save money and 2) make more money in the long run.
You should consider hiring a marketing company if:
While reading this book, you find yourself feeling overwhelmed. Business
owners typically wear numerous hats and end up wearing themselves thin as a
result. Then, what happens is they fall behind on their marketing tasks because they
simply can’t do it all. If that is you, hiring a marketing company might be the best
thing for you.
. You’re not getting the results you want from your marketing efforts. Marketing
can be one of the best investments you make, and it can also be a huge waste of time,
money and resources. If you want better results, sometimes it is best left up to the
experts.
. You want more time to do what you love and what brings you income. By
wearing too many hats as a business owner, you can’t put as much time into doing
the work that you get paid to do. Most business owners are not experts at marketing
– if they were, they would probably own a marketing company. Sometimes it’s best
(and more enjoyable) to leave the marketing to professionals while you focus on
what you are good at and enjoy doing.
. You want to save money. While this may sound like a strange concept, hiring a
marketing company often ends up saving people money. How? Well, if you are
floundering around, not getting results with your marketing, you are going to waste
a lot of money trying things that don’t work. Plus, by dividing up the tasks, you can
focus on performing the best service possible, which will lead to happier customers
that want to keep coming back.
. You don’t want to be bothered with staying on top of the latest and greatest
marketing techniques, systems and technologies. In this fast-paced world,
marketing is changing by the minute. Keeping up with it can be exhausting and time-
consuming. If you’re not up for the task, you might want to call in some outside help.
. You want to benefit from having an outside perspective. When you do your own
marketing, you miss out on the clarity that can come from an outside perspective.
Terms that you would typically use, for example, might not be understood by people
outside of your industry. An outside perspective can help you speak to people in
terms they can understand, and it can help bring fresh insights to the table. That’s
not to say that you can’t market effectively on your own, but in some cases, having
an outside point of view can do wonders for your campaign.
. You find that your competition is everywhere. If there are one or two companies
you compete with that seem to have cornered the market simply because their
marketing is everywhere, it can sometimes require bringing in some experts to help
you get seen.
. You want a fresh strategy. While you can certainly create a fresh marketing
campaign for yourself, a marketing company can often do so quicker and easier
since they are coming in with a fresh perspective and an outside point of view.
Sometimes, it’s as simple as hiring them to get the ball rolling and then picking up
from where they leave off.
. You’re considering bringing on a full-time employee to handle your
marketing. With the average salary of a marketing employee being $30,000 and the
additional money you would have to pay in taxes and benefits to keep that person
on, you are usually better off hiring a marketing company. Plus, with employee
turnover being about every 14 months, you’ll save yourself the headache of having
to hire and train someone new every year or so.
. You are having trouble positioning yourself as unique in your market. These
days, you absolutely have to be distinctive in business. If you aren’t, someone else
will be, and you’ll be left behind. Marketing professionals are trained to help you
position yourself uniquely so that you get the clientele you deserve.
If after reading through that list, you feel hiring a marketing company might be the best
decision for you, it is important that you go about it strategically. Guerrillas always make
strategic moves, and this is no different.
You first want to consider your budget. Successful companies typically invest 20-25% of
their revenue back into marketing their businesses. If you are not able to invest that much
just yet, start with 10-15% with a goal to work up to 20-25% over time.
The next thing you want to consider is whom you will hire. In evaluating the best company
for your business, you will want to find out:
. What their level of experience is. You need an experienced company who has
been there in the trenches and knows what works and what doesn’t work. With
experience usually (but not always) come higher fees. Be aware of that when
interviewing marketing companies, but don’t settle for an inexperienced person
simply to save money – that will only make you waste money in the end. Ask to see
samples of their work and case studies about how they have helped companies
improve their revenues.
. How they will customize their work to you. You want someone who knows how
to tailor their marketing to your specific business, instead of someone who works
off of the same plan for every company that hires them. Every company is different.
Just as your body would respond differently to certain medications than someone
else would, the public will respond differently to different marketing approaches
made by different companies. Make sure their work is not cookie cutter, and don’t
let them tell you that one plan works for every business.
. What industries they specialize in. There are many marketing companies that just
specialize in marketing, but a better guerrilla strategy is to hire a marketing
company that specializes in your industry. This is because if they already have an
understanding of your industry, they will have a better understanding of how to
market it, and they will be able to market your business more effectively without a
lot of trial and error.
. What value do they provide for the dollars you will be spending with them.
Find out if you should expect any hidden costs tacked on at the end or if their pricing
is all-inclusive. Find out if they provide any free bonuses, such as certain
memberships or information. Make sure they give you a clear understanding of
exactly what you will be provided with in the program you are buying or the
services you are hiring them for.
. How they will track the results of the marketing. As guerrilla marketers know,
marketing is only effective when you can monitor and evaluate your success rate. If
you can’t track your results, you will never know what works and what doesn’t.
Make sure the company you hire will be providing you with reports that clarify your
results.
. Why you should hire them over the competition. A marketing company
specializes in helping companies answer this very question. By asking them this
question, you will be able to test their abilities. They should be able to answer you
clearly and quickly in a way that motivates you to want to hire them.
Working with a marketing company is a partnership. You should be sure that you hire a
company that you feel comfortable with and that you can create a relationship with. You’ve
learned a lot from this book. If you decide to hire a marketing company, go over the tactics
you like best from this book with them and see how you might be able to incorporate them
into the marketing plan you both come up with.
As a guerrilla marketer, it is also a good idea to get creative and consider how you can work
together with your marketing company to divvy up the responsibilities. If you enjoy social
media marketing, for example, you might suggest that you carry on that role and have the
marketing company work on other tasks. Just be sure you do discuss the tasks you want to
do with your marketing company, because it is important that both of your efforts be
aligned and complementary. When marketing is not consistent across every avenue, the
effectiveness decreases.
money, so you may be wondering why we have included this chapter. The fact of the matter
is that guerrilla marketers know how to work smart, and there are times when hiring a
marketing company is just smart. Large and small companies alike can benefit from hiring
a marketing company, and in many cases, they will find that the investment helps them to
1) save money and 2) make more money in the long run.
You should consider hiring a marketing company if:
While reading this book, you find yourself feeling overwhelmed. Business
owners typically wear numerous hats and end up wearing themselves thin as a
result. Then, what happens is they fall behind on their marketing tasks because they
simply can’t do it all. If that is you, hiring a marketing company might be the best
thing for you.
. You’re not getting the results you want from your marketing efforts. Marketing
can be one of the best investments you make, and it can also be a huge waste of time,
money and resources. If you want better results, sometimes it is best left up to the
experts.
. You want more time to do what you love and what brings you income. By
wearing too many hats as a business owner, you can’t put as much time into doing
the work that you get paid to do. Most business owners are not experts at marketing
– if they were, they would probably own a marketing company. Sometimes it’s best
(and more enjoyable) to leave the marketing to professionals while you focus on
what you are good at and enjoy doing.
. You want to save money. While this may sound like a strange concept, hiring a
marketing company often ends up saving people money. How? Well, if you are
floundering around, not getting results with your marketing, you are going to waste
a lot of money trying things that don’t work. Plus, by dividing up the tasks, you can
focus on performing the best service possible, which will lead to happier customers
that want to keep coming back.
. You don’t want to be bothered with staying on top of the latest and greatest
marketing techniques, systems and technologies. In this fast-paced world,
marketing is changing by the minute. Keeping up with it can be exhausting and time-
consuming. If you’re not up for the task, you might want to call in some outside help.
. You want to benefit from having an outside perspective. When you do your own
marketing, you miss out on the clarity that can come from an outside perspective.
Terms that you would typically use, for example, might not be understood by people
outside of your industry. An outside perspective can help you speak to people in
terms they can understand, and it can help bring fresh insights to the table. That’s
not to say that you can’t market effectively on your own, but in some cases, having
an outside point of view can do wonders for your campaign.
. You find that your competition is everywhere. If there are one or two companies
you compete with that seem to have cornered the market simply because their
marketing is everywhere, it can sometimes require bringing in some experts to help
you get seen.
. You want a fresh strategy. While you can certainly create a fresh marketing
campaign for yourself, a marketing company can often do so quicker and easier
since they are coming in with a fresh perspective and an outside point of view.
Sometimes, it’s as simple as hiring them to get the ball rolling and then picking up
from where they leave off.
. You’re considering bringing on a full-time employee to handle your
marketing. With the average salary of a marketing employee being $30,000 and the
additional money you would have to pay in taxes and benefits to keep that person
on, you are usually better off hiring a marketing company. Plus, with employee
turnover being about every 14 months, you’ll save yourself the headache of having
to hire and train someone new every year or so.
. You are having trouble positioning yourself as unique in your market. These
days, you absolutely have to be distinctive in business. If you aren’t, someone else
will be, and you’ll be left behind. Marketing professionals are trained to help you
position yourself uniquely so that you get the clientele you deserve.
If after reading through that list, you feel hiring a marketing company might be the best
decision for you, it is important that you go about it strategically. Guerrillas always make
strategic moves, and this is no different.
You first want to consider your budget. Successful companies typically invest 20-25% of
their revenue back into marketing their businesses. If you are not able to invest that much
just yet, start with 10-15% with a goal to work up to 20-25% over time.
The next thing you want to consider is whom you will hire. In evaluating the best company
for your business, you will want to find out:
. What their level of experience is. You need an experienced company who has
been there in the trenches and knows what works and what doesn’t work. With
experience usually (but not always) come higher fees. Be aware of that when
interviewing marketing companies, but don’t settle for an inexperienced person
simply to save money – that will only make you waste money in the end. Ask to see
samples of their work and case studies about how they have helped companies
improve their revenues.
. How they will customize their work to you. You want someone who knows how
to tailor their marketing to your specific business, instead of someone who works
off of the same plan for every company that hires them. Every company is different.
Just as your body would respond differently to certain medications than someone
else would, the public will respond differently to different marketing approaches
made by different companies. Make sure their work is not cookie cutter, and don’t
let them tell you that one plan works for every business.
. What industries they specialize in. There are many marketing companies that just
specialize in marketing, but a better guerrilla strategy is to hire a marketing
company that specializes in your industry. This is because if they already have an
understanding of your industry, they will have a better understanding of how to
market it, and they will be able to market your business more effectively without a
lot of trial and error.
. What value do they provide for the dollars you will be spending with them.
Find out if you should expect any hidden costs tacked on at the end or if their pricing
is all-inclusive. Find out if they provide any free bonuses, such as certain
memberships or information. Make sure they give you a clear understanding of
exactly what you will be provided with in the program you are buying or the
services you are hiring them for.
. How they will track the results of the marketing. As guerrilla marketers know,
marketing is only effective when you can monitor and evaluate your success rate. If
you can’t track your results, you will never know what works and what doesn’t.
Make sure the company you hire will be providing you with reports that clarify your
results.
. Why you should hire them over the competition. A marketing company
specializes in helping companies answer this very question. By asking them this
question, you will be able to test their abilities. They should be able to answer you
clearly and quickly in a way that motivates you to want to hire them.
Working with a marketing company is a partnership. You should be sure that you hire a
company that you feel comfortable with and that you can create a relationship with. You’ve
learned a lot from this book. If you decide to hire a marketing company, go over the tactics
you like best from this book with them and see how you might be able to incorporate them
into the marketing plan you both come up with.
As a guerrilla marketer, it is also a good idea to get creative and consider how you can work
together with your marketing company to divvy up the responsibilities. If you enjoy social
media marketing, for example, you might suggest that you carry on that role and have the
marketing company work on other tasks. Just be sure you do discuss the tasks you want to
do with your marketing company, because it is important that both of your efforts be
aligned and complementary. When marketing is not consistent across every avenue, the
effectiveness decreases.
Next Chapter - How to Separate Your Company From the Crowd
