Why you need to hire an assistant, a marketer and a PR person in your team – part 1

While watching the end of a movie the other night and watching the credits role up the screen; director, producer, cameraman, sound producer, sound editor, etc. I sat there thinking that it took a group of specialists in their chosen field to come together to produce the final result of a good movie.

Why is it then, that as a business start-up or small business owner you tend to insist on doing everything yourself? I know, I do it too from time to time.  You will be the sales person, the receptionist, the admin, the social media, the accountant in your businesses, being all things all things to all people and stretching yourself thin.  It does not seem to matter that you lack the experience, knowledge or skills in a particular area because what’s most important to you is saving costs.  However, what are you really saving and what are you really sacrificing?

Marketing your business using social media is more than just posting a self promotion post.  It requires quite a bit of thinking and creativity.  It also requires certain types of people who have certain skills, knowledge and expertise in order to get the desired results you want and need.  This is what I want to talk about in this post to help you understand what all is involved and what expertise are required so that you are equipped and can plan better as to whether you do it yourself, or you hire someone with expertise, or you utilise all skills for their strengths.  To market your business online you will need an assistant, a marketing agency, and a PR person.

You see what made me so successful in this field was my wide range of skill sets and my understanding of online and social media.  I have typing skills, PR, marketing, web design, graphic and many other skills that helped me catapult to success, whereas my competitors could only use one or two of these skill sets.  The people you hire and this includes yourself, must have a good understanding of marketing and advertising, have an understanding of people and how they behave and customer services and then  understand all things digital.  How they all fit together and how they all work together.

Now let’s talk about the various skills and people you need:

Admin all rounder

Using someone to help you schedule content and do things for you will have a huge impact on the time you will save. You need someone who is internet savvy. They must have a wide range of skills. Basic html, SEO, graphic design skills and basic writing skills. In other words, they must have the ability to string a few sentences together and be able to do things at a visual and digital level.  This person should also be very reliable and able to meet deadlines. They need to be your hands and ears and should use their initiative to check for spelling errors and wording when scheduling content.

Marketing or Advertising Agencies, Media Buyer

To use this service often requires a big budget. Marketing agencies think like marketers. They are focused on finding you first-time customers and generating leads. They are media agencies whose sole purpose is to get you leads. Marketing agencies have for many years been marketing businesses using traditional media which is a very different medium to social media. For starters, advertising in newspapers, magazines, etc. is a one-way conversation and you must get the best possible message across in the limited format given. This means that marketers are well-versed in getting the right message across. They will also know when to do this, in other words: timing. They will know how and where your target market hangs out. They will know who they are and how to communicate with them that will get them to sign up to something you offer.

Marketers, however, are not equipped to engage with customers and only deal with management. They do not necessarily have the experience or knowledge of how to look after your customers and keep them coming back. And this is why you will need – as part of your social media team – someone who has the skills to look after your customers.

Enter: The Social Media Manager which I’ll cover in my next blog post.

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