Alright, class is in session! More and more people are starting businesses in Maryland and that means that there are a lot of new business owners who are thinking about how to market their brand for the first time. Here you can find the trends for last year’s economic growth and see what I mean! For those of you that are just starting out, marketing your company might seem overwhelming. Take a look at the following guidelines to get a better understanding of how you should move forward.
Do it yourself
Many new business owners are working on a tight budget and, therefore, opt to take on as many in-house responsibilities as possible. Marketing is normally the first thing on this list. While it seems like a simple task, most learn quickly that keeping your digital marketing platforms updated regularly more time and energy than they initially thought. For this reason, many of my new clients come to me after struggling to keep up with their social media and finally realizing that they don’t have the time to directly apply to this category. If you’re still desperately trying to keep up with digital marketing yourself, try these tips:
Stick to a schedule! Decide on a basic schedule that you can really stick to. For example, every Monday at 9:30am (after you’ve gotten your coffee, sat down, and started for the day) have an alarm on your phone that reminds you to post something on your company’s Facebook and LinkedIn pages. Bonus points for scheduling 3 or 4 posts throughout the week on Monday!
Look into downloading a social media management app. Apps like HootSuite, Sprout Social, and Buffer allow those who are not as tech-minded to easily manage and access all of their social media platforms through one program.
Keep your clients up to date on office happenings. Birthdays, work anniversaries, and community outreach initiatives are great things to post to engage your audience.
2. Hire someone on staff to do it
This next section is for those of you that own businesses that grew too fast for your own good. I see it all the time and, as awesome as it is, it often leaves the owner feeling like they’re drowning and marketing is the first thing that gets pushed to the side to deal with more pressing matters. Once you realize that your marketing is lacking and you no longer have the time available to create content and update your platforms regularly, you’re left to decide if you can afford to have someone on staff dedicated to maintaining these accounts and generating new business. Glassdoor lists the average salary for marketing managers to be between $65,000 and $77,000 per year to have one on your team. If you can afford a team member like this, I highly recommend it. By having someone there all the time, your business is more likely to have personal and engaging content from the inside, which is extremely valuable. If, like many of us, hiring someone at that level just isn’t realistic right now, proceed to the next step!
3. Outsource it
Millennial Marketing was created for you- the small business that’s thinking big. We know you have goals to reach and we’re here to help you get there. By outsourcing your social media marketing through MM, you get the best of both worlds. You maintain a close relationship with the MM team so that we can stay up to date on everything related to your company and industry and we create and implement a custom marketing strategy for you. This allows you time to spend on your own clients while a team of industry leaders promotes your company online, ultimately generating new business! Marketing is a term that often brings immediate panic into the eyes of business owners. As an ever-changing industry, it can be difficult to know where or how to get started. Whether you’re doing it yourself, hiring a marketing staff member, or outsourcing through Millennial Marketing, these tips will help guide you to the next step. As always, for more tips or to schedule a consultation with MM, please email me at marketingmalia@gmail.com!📷
