If your business is growing, chances are you already know that you need some form of marketing to help continue your growth and reach your target audiences. But that’s often easier said than done.
I speak to a lot of business owners who have some idea of what kind of support they need, but often don’t realise how vast marketing is and that most expert marketers will have specialised in one particular area. That’s how they’ve become an expert, after all.
The other question is who do you hire first? This really is a classic chicken-and-egg situation. And there isn’t a definitive answer because, as with all marketing, the question is: what do you want to achieve?
To help you work out where to turn, here are some specialist marketing roles for you to consider as you expand your marketing capabilities. Larger businesses will often have big marketing teams made up of some combination of the following roles. For smaller businesses, hiring freelancers and other small agencies that specialise in these areas will be more cost-effective and lower risk.
Marketing strategist
Who are they?
Usually a senior marketer who has worked for a number of different businesses developing marketing strategies and plans. Typically a big picture thinker who is seeking to achieve real, longer-term change for the business through marketing.
What do they do?
The marketing strategist will review your business objectives and work out a strategy and plan to make sure your marketing activities all fit into achieving these objectives. They can also help project manage marketing projects, work out required staff and budget resource for marketing, and implement processes to monitor and optimise marketing activities.
Branding specialist
Who are they?
A dedicated freelancer or agency that specialises in branding. This is different to the marketing strategist because they live and breathe branding i.e. the look and feel of your business. They can redo or develop your brand so it more accurately represents your business. They’ll make sure that whenever your audience sees any part of your brand, they think and feel exactly what you want them to.
What do they do?
From full rebranding to developing an existing brand. They provide specialist support with logos, taglines, colour palettes, tone of voice, imagery, and can also support with bigger projects such as new websites.
Web developer
Who are they?
Technical specialists who are able to create websites. They will often specialise in a certain platform e.g. WordPress, so it’s important to check this at the beginning of any web development project.
What do they do?
They will build a new website from scratch according to your specifications. They can also then host and maintain your website, usually on a retainer. This often includes additional development support each month. Depending on the web developer, they will have different levels of capability to support with the actual content and branding of the website.
Digital marketing expert
Who are they?
A technical marketer who can support with digital advertising, website analytics, landing pages, tracking, marketing automation and possibly also with expertise in CRM management and SEO (although there are also dedicated specialists for both of these areas too!).
What do they do?
Create and/or set up your digital PPC (pay-per-click) adverts on social media and Google. They also make sure all your tracking pixels are set up on your website so you can track where your website visitors are coming from, they can help build landing pages, automated email marketing campaigns and write high-converting copy. They provide regular reports on activity and are able to quickly optimise campaigns from testing such as A/B tests to maximise results.
Social media manager
Who are they?
A marketer who lives and breathes social media. They stay on top of the latest trends and can quickly adapt your content to appear in front of more people on your chosen social media channels. They’ll often specialise in certain platforms and will have a keen eye for design as well as design skills to create on-brand graphics to use on your social channels.
What do they do?
A social media manager will usually be responsible for creating, scheduling and posting content across your channels. In addition to this, they can engage with other accounts to improve your reach and respond to enquiries that come through your accounts. They are invaluable for providing insights into changes to the platforms and recommendations for the type of content that will perform best. The can let you know which content is performing best and help develop specific content strategies for your social media channels.
Graphic designer
Who are they?
Highly creative and technically skilled individuals who are able to create anything from a social media graphic through to a 100-page sales brochure. Some graphic designers are also able to support with brand development and have additional skills such as GIF creation or animation.
What do they do?
Take your brief and make it fit with your brand. You will typically need to provide the copy and give an idea of where you are planning to use your designed piece. For example, design can differ for printed vs. digital only pieces of collateral. At the beginning of the process they will usually offer a couple of design concepts to get a steer from you about what you prefer and will then be able to develop out the design piece.
Photographer
Who are they?
More obvious than some of the other roles above; they’re the person you need to take high quality, high resolution photos. The best photographers need to be able to meet your photography requirements, interpret and represent your brand visually, and provide guidance on what they would suggest works well for you when they spot opportunities.
What do they do?
They will arrange a photoshoot, provide guidance on set up and any preparations required beforehand e.g. tidying workspaces, arranging space for headshots. They should also give an idea of how many photos they’ll be taking and agree a schedule for the shoot. During the shoot they will capture as much as they can and then share the original photo files with you after to use for your brand. Some will also provide guidance on where to use the photos. As with graphic designers, it’s important to be clear about where you’re planning to use the photos as this can significantly affect photography requirements.
Videographer
Who are they?
Your very own business filmmaker. Videographers are the people to turn to when you need a professional film making. A lot of businesses try to cut corners with filmmaking but you really do need to invest in a professional. The difference between amateur and professional videography is huge, not only because of the skills required but also because of access to professional equipment.
What do they do?
They will agree requirements with you according to your brief (including required length of video), recommend how much time it’ll take to complete the project (hint: it’s probably a lot more time than you think) then set up the filming days. They’ll come in and capture a range of footage, then following the filming days they’ll review and edit everything into the final video.
This list is by no means exhaustive and even within each category freelancers and agencies will often specialise even further. It’s often helpful to use a number of these specialists when you’re looking for marketing support because they each have something unique to offer. They also have different but complementary skills so can provide different and valuable perspectives to marketing for your business.
If you need support with your marketing strategy or working out who you need to help with your marketing, arrange a free 30-minute introductory call with me.
