MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
1. IDENTIFY YOUR
ORGANIZATION’S GOALS
The best GPS in the world won’t help if you
don’t have a destination in mind, and the
same concept applies to your marketing.
Lila Wallrich of Wallrich Creative Com-
munications begins conversations with po-
tential clients with a clear understanding of
what they want to accomplish — a market-
ing campaign designed to sell tickets and
solicit donations for a fundraiser will be fun-
damentally different than selling a subscrip-
tion package for a spa. Clarity begins with
knowing who you want to reach and how
you intend to reach them. Only then can you
discuss the best marketing tactics.
Consider where your best customers
come from, suggests Anne Staines of Sagent
marketing and communications agency,
because “you might assume you just need
more customers. In fact, you need more of
your best customers. Eighty percent of your
profits will come from the top 20 percent of
your client base.” Staines reminds business
owners that they can also market exclusively
to existing customers to create repeat busi-
ness — a strategy that reinforces, instead of
introduces, your products or services.
If you’re completely overwhelmed, all
is not lost. Ann Bouchard from Bouchard
Communications Group notes that few cli-
ents come initially knowing exactly what
they need, but most will have an immediate
problem to solve. Addressing those prob-
lems with a marketing firm is a solid step to
developing your strategic plan and setting
goals in place. In other words, it’s a fluid
process, so don’t be afraid of getting expert
help.
2. SET YOUR MARKETING BUDGET
Choosing what part of the plan you can ex-
ecute is often a matter of money, as small
businesses and nonprofits don’t have un-
limited funds to test out their marketing.
Marketing is an investment that should
be measured for its effectiveness, and
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working with a marketing firm can be the
push your business needs to get clear on
the numbers and consider what’s actually
working.
Lance Loveday, CEO of Closed Loop,
recommends first getting a solid grasp
on your unit economics, how much can
you spend on marketing per sale without
cutting too far into profits. Once you know
the acceptable marketing cost to acquire
a new customer, you can plan for the ex-
pense. He notes that the lifecycle of the
business plays a big part. Newer compa-
nies need to focus on lower cost acquisi-
tion and get scrappy with their marketing
because smaller marketing budgets must
be spent judiciously.
Staines always looks to the client’s
marketing goals first. For example, if your
business can’t handle more than five new
clients, don’t create a marketing budget
and strategy for 10.
Often small businesses don’t target
the easiest, lowest cost and highest oppor-
tunity marketing first to gain momentum.
“Buy the most valuable traffic first,” Love-
day says. “If your costs really do need to
be contained,” Loveday warns, “it may not
be worthwhile to hire a firm at first. You
can direct that budget towards a talented
freelancer where you get more time and
attention at a lower price point.”
3. ASSESS IF A MARKETING FIRM IS
THE RIGHT FIT
When it comes to finding a marketing firm
that’s the right fit for your business, re-
member that you’re buying the people be-
fore the expertise, according to Bouchard.
“Make sure they understand you and what
you do and really understand your product.
You need confidence and connection with
the person you’re working with — it’s so
much more important than the portfolio.”
When you’re gathering info, book
meetings with firms to get to know the
people and if you enjoy working together.
Before making a decision, get references,
contact past clients, and look at the firm’s
portfolio and available case studies.
Wallrich recommends ensuring the
types of marketing you use align with the
experience of the firm, such as digital,
print or exhibit. Some firms offer a wider
range of capabilities and may charge more
per hour, an expense which can be offset
by the efficiency of seamlessly integrating
multiple tactics or adapting your strategy.
Consider that the marketing may not
all be done in-house, but by qualified free-
lancers and contractors. If this is a con-
cern, ask about it in your initial meeting.
By this point, you should have a clear
picture of what you want to achieve, a bud-
get in place, and a marketing firm that can
meet those needs and understands your
business and clientele. The last piece be-
fore signing an agreement is perhaps the
most important to your long-term success.
4. SET CLEAR EXPECTATIONS AND A
MEANS TO MEASURE SUCCESS
Every expert we interviewed echoed the
same theme when it came to client expec-
tations: Using a marketing firm should be
a relationship that you invest in, and the
results are rarely instantaneous. Loveday
says the marketing world “is data driven,
so we are accountable for results, even in
a short time frame,” but the results you
see will be determined by your budgetary
reach and the realistic limitations of the
marketing. Loveday says they set the cam-
paign up “and let the data come in before
making changes.”
Staines adds that when working with a
marketing firm, “There’s a learning curve
and relationship in both directions.” She
suggests being clear from the first meet-
ing what responsibilities the client and firm
will each take on and reminds her clients
that as the results and budget grow, the
marketing team can take on more tasks
and implement additional strategies.