In all the years I have under my belt working inhouse or outsourced as a Marketing Director, it’s safe to say there’s a few common themes I’ve noticed when it comes to business owners and marketing management. These are genuine situations which busy business owners can, and will, find themselves in as their business grows and adapts to changes along the way.
Here’s three which spring to mind:
1. Management by someone who doesn’t have the rights skills (yet)
It’s admirable that you want to give your junior members of the marketing team the opportunity to grow and develop their skills to include managing the various marketing channels you’re using. In my experience, there’s a fine line to walk here. Giving them exposure to what’s required is one thing. What happens all too often is that junior skills get stretched too far; they are left feeling overwhelmed and the business disappointed with the results. It can be incredibly difficult to manage external relationships with freelancers as well. It’s a common problem which usually occurs when the budget doesn’t stretch to bring in someone with the right skills, full time.
2. Management by someone who has more than enough skills (but not enough time)
The opposite problem to the one above, skills and experience aren’t the issue here. Having an experienced person to define the marketing strategy and lead the team is great, but business owners may find that the pinch point comes when they are more hands-off than hands-on (the deck that is!). Budget becomes stretched again because more junior skills can’t be recruited at the cost of losing the experienced department lead. Conversations can also be more difficult when someone has a key position, like Head of Marketing for example, and you’re asking them to do some of the junior work…!
3. Management by an agency who cuts you off
I’m surprised how many examples of this situation I’ve come across. I won’t name names, but this can (and does!) happen in agencies of all sizes, all around the world.
Always remember, you own your data. You should always have access to it. If you’re being presented with reports, you should always be able to view the raw data which feeds into them. You may be paying an agency to manage this part of your marketing, paid search for example, but this doesn’t mean you have little or no insight into what’s happening in your accounts. Your ad spend account should always be open to your eyes, and security – after all, it’s your budget being spent!
The key to unlocking marketing management harmony
If you’re in the middle of any of the situations described above, there’s no need to despair! There are solutions to get the management of marketing back under YOUR control.
You CAN have an experienced team lead whose responsibility is to bring together the skills your business needs to deliver your marketing activity in full. A person who deals with the sourcing and managing of freelancers or agencies. A person who becomes your central point of insight and communication to and from the team.
Budget won’t be a constraint either. If you don’t need the skills and experience of a Head of Marketing full time, then you don’t need to pay for more than you need. No more wasted budget.
The solution? PP8 Marketing.
Our retainer service gives you peace of mind and assurance that you won’t fall into any of the traps outlined above. Far from it. You can focus on your business and PP8 Marketing will focus on bringing the right skills and team together to deliver your marketing plans.
