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When you're thinking about using a marketing company

When you're thinking about using a marketing company

For many small companies, the thought of doing marketing could definitely be classed as hard work! Where do you start? What should you do? Have you got enough time to do it?

So the thought of using a marketing company to do the work for them sounds like the best answer in the world. Here are my top tips to getting it right:

1. Be very clear on what you want the marketing company to do for you – is it telemarketing; is it developing your website; is it creating a brand? Too often, client will say “we just want more customers”, but that involves marketing and selling – what do you want the marketing company to do.

2. Make sure that you or your marketing company put in place a structure to have regular catch up sessions where you can make sure everything is working for you or voice any concerns. Working well with a marketing company is all about developing that relationship.

3. Don’t forget to give marketing a chance with your marketing company – marketing often takes a while to work. Having said that, make sure that you give it chance to work within reason, bearing in mind point 4 below.

4. Test and measure. What I mean by this is monitor what is happening with your marketing company and if what you’re expecting to happen doesn’t happen, stop using them. I have known people to be very unhappy with the company they’ve been using from very early on in the relationship and yet they’re still using them 15 months later! If it isn’t working (after a trial period) then stop.

5. Get references and testimonials. Check out the marketing company you’re planning to use before you use them. Find out who they’ve worked for and what the results were. If possible, try to speak to their referees over the phone.

6. Voice any concerns early in the relationship – it’s much better to get small issues out of the way before they build into bigger problems.

7. Make sure that you get everything in writing so that you are both clear on what’s going to happen. This is particularly important if you have monthly meetings – get the marketing company to send you bullet points about what will be done or do this yourself. Communication as always is key and if you both know what will happen in advance, so much the better.

8. Remember to take their advice – after all, you took on a marketing company to get their expertise didn’t you? Don’t forget to use it.

9. Don’t just leave the marketing company to it – respond to things they send over and return their phone calls. Remember that they’ll need managing too – if you leave them to their own devices, who knows what you’ll end up with.

10. And finally, don’t forget to have fun and be creative – your marketing company should have ideas they can give you to drive your marketing forward – remember to pick their brains!

Best of luck.





When youre thinking about using a marketing company - To learn more about this author, visit Helen Dowling's Website.

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Joe Dager
Joe Dager is President of Business901, a progressive coaching company providing no-nonsense direction in areas such as Lean Six Sigma Marketing and organized referral marketing. What others say: In the past 20 years, Joe and I have collaborated on many difficult issues. Joe’s ability to combine his expertise with “out of the box” thinking is unsurpassed. He has always delivered quickly, cost effectively and with ingenuity. A brilliant mind that is always a pleasure to work with.” - James R. If you want to learn more about Business901, start a conversation with us. We can be found @ Web/Blog: Business901.com Web/Blog: FundingYourNonprofit.com LinkedIn Profile Follow me on Twitter - Visit Joe Dager's Website

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John Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website

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As an independent film producer, his upstart film fund Aliquot Films is currently producing a films with Spike Lee and Abel Fererra (starring Ethan Hawke and Dennis Hopper.)

 

Jay's entrepreneurial spirit is irrepressible. He’s the owner of five companies, a professional speaker and trainer, international real estate developer/investor, extreme sport enthusiast and emerging philanthropist. 

 

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Helen Dowling
(Visit Helen's Website) We're running a free teleclass on "How to use articles in your business" on Tuesday 3rd November between 2pm to 3pm GMT. You can access all the details by going to: www.except ionalthinking.co.uk/articlecall.htm . Exceptional Thinking (http://www.exceptionalthinking.co. uk) provides help and advice to small businesses on their marketing and to people who are starting up in business.

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