Marketing. Sales. Social Media. Digital Campaign. Lead Generation. Call to Action.
What emotions just stirred up?
These are words that are used often (or should be used often) in your strategic planning meetings, sales meetings, cash flow discussions… Do they leave you feeling uncomfortable and nervous because they are outside of your expertise but you know you should be doing something about them, you know they could have significant impact on your business? Or are they words that make you feel confident because you have experienced the significant impact of their effects on your business?
I want to share with you some insider knowledge – this is totally free, so now is the time to get out your pencil and take some notes!!! 27 years in the marketing industry and 25 years of being a Small Business owner has taught me that your emotional response to the words associated with marketing is directly related to your view of marketing and the experiences that you have had with the marketing of your own Small Business.
Many small to mid-sized businesses start with an owner, a few key employees perhaps an administrator. They grow from the bottom up: by hiring less expensive “doer” employees as a way to expand the capacity of the highly paid executive.
Marketing most often falls prey to this approach because it includes so much craftwork: the writing, designing, coordinating, creating … the “doing.” Most executives can’t do the work of building a web site or organizing events; they delegate these tasks to young people looking for entry-level jobs.
Two things happen in this common scenario: First, the executive unintentionally determines that the marketing role will be administrative in nature. Second, the executive ensures the business will miss out on the profound impact marketing could have on growing the business and adding to the bottom line.
Hiring the right person for the marketing of your business will directly impact your cash flow and profit margin. For those of you who felt anxious and uncomfortable when I mentioned words associated with some of the ins and outs of marketing, you might be questioning my wisdom right now. But those of you who felt confident reading a list of marketing terms, are probably nodding your head in agreement. You have seen the direct impact that hiring the person who has a comprehensive view of marketing and its vehicles has had on your business.
Our past few blog posts have highlighted the importance of social media and using the correct marketing channels and metrics that should guide the decision making process for your business. I am going to spend the next several posts giving you a set of questions to guide you through the process of hiring the person who will lead your business in all marketing aspects and will know that their position is not limited to doing the tasks of marketing.
On Friday, October 30th at 10am CST I am going to host a small roundtable for CEO’s who are hiring or thinking about hiring a marketing leader. During it I will share 4 critical “must ask” questions and the answers you should be looking for. We will spend most of the time in an open conversation where you can put any question about the role and what you are thinking. I do not have all the answers, but I have a few! Join by registering. Only 8 seats open.
This drawing is from Friday Joke on The Daily English Show. Show 1349. www.thedailyenglishshow.com/friday-joke/112-responsible/
