Most young businesses start-up through grit, determination and hard work mostly on the founder’s part. Usually, business owners lean on their industry expertise, network of trusted advisors, family and friends. The knowledge gaps are then filled by frequent visits to Google which becomes the default tool to find any additional resources, guidance and suppliers.
When it comes to Marketing, this is often a self-start effort. I have met leaders of multi-million pound companies who knocked up a quick company website using Wix, designed their logo themselves using PaintShop Pro or bought their logo via fiver.com. They have survived, and often thrived, usually because they know how to deliver exactly what their customers want and at the right price. It’s all part of effective Marketing.
But what happens when the Marketing to-do list becomes too long and unmanageable in the day-to-day? When a business needs to evolve and grow to the next level? The collection of mis-matched suppliers and tools are not quite enough to bring success. A business owner in this situation recognises they require support and this often leads to an identified need for a Marketing Manager.
More than just good advertising
Businesses can thrive when they place Marketing at the centre of their business strategy. It’s common to fall into the trap of using the term ‘Marketing’ to describe social media, advertising or the latest product promotion. But Marketing is so much more than the success of the last campaign. The Chartered Institute of Marketing offers the definition:
‘Marketing is the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably.’
It is ultimately intended to become part of the wider management strategy and focuses attention primarily on customer needs. Perhaps one of the most important words in the definition is ‘profitably’, which is critical to the survival of a business. Not all product or service ideas can result in a profitable business model, therefore it is essential to identify the target market and effectively analyse their needs before pressing ahead with a website development project or tactical campaign.
What does a Marketing Manager actually do?
The answer to this question is simple – they strategise and they manage activities across the full marketing mix, which require a number of different specialisms to guarantee success. If a small business wants a person to manage their social media, on most occasions they are not merely looking for a manager, they are looking for a market researcher, a planner, a tech savvy platform operator, a scheduler, a copywriter, a designer, a content creator and an analyst to measure the results. It’s highly unlikely that all of these skill sets will present in one person.
A Marketing Manager is likely to have one or two areas, they are gifted at. This is usually strategy, planning and the ability to see the bigger picture. These are skills necessary to put together and execute a strategic marketing plan. Once a Marketing Manager is hired, they are likely to need the services of marketing specialists to effectively deliver the plan. For a typical small to medium size business this would include a designer, a digital expert, a content creator, a copywriter and a website developer. These are all specialist skills and will need extra budget to implement an effective strategy.
What does a Marketing Manager need?
Hiring a Marketing Manager in-house should be considered as a business investment. The typically salary in the South East for an experienced Marketing Manager is £44.5K*. In addition to the annual salary, a business will also need to factor in the cost of IT equipment, subscriptions to software and marketing tools, pension and HR expenses. With all this covered, the big questions is then ‘What’s the budget?’ I have met many Marketing Managers who have arrived at their new job only to find that there is no or very little budget available for hiring the necessary skills to implement the plan or support the campaign execution.
As a general rule of thumb, a business should be spending between 5% and 25% of their revenue on marketing activities, depending on where they are at in their business cycle. Start-ups will be at the higher percentage, whereas more established companies with a brand presence would have a lower percentage. As a simple example, a company expecting to achieve an annual turnover of £1m, should look to commit at least £50k (5%) towards their Marketing, this goes up to £250k (25%) for a younger company seeking to establish their brand presence. To bring results, a Marketing Manager will need a healthy budget to fund the creation and media spend for successful campaigns that raise brand awareness and drive sales.
Is it a good idea to outsource Marketing Management?
When we use the word outsource it often conjures up interpretations of distance, using off-shore services and a loss of the personal touch. There is also a fear of the lack of control when tasking an external organisation with a key function of your business. Traditional outsourced services used by smaller growing organisations include accountancy, managed IT support and bringing in contractors to deliver services.
With the changing face of business structures this model is now expanding to administrative roles, like HR and Marketing. The introduction of more flexible remote working environments in smaller enterprises and the adoption of technology collaboration and productivity tools has made creating an extended team more accessible and easier to facilitate.
Lower the cost through hiring an outsourced team
The idea of bringing a marketing team together with a variety of skill sets and backgrounds to help small organisations grow is the foundation of our business. Recognising that most small to medium sized business struggle with the cost, commitment and responsibility of hiring an in-house Marketing Manager. Our business model makes it easy and cost effective to outsource your marketing expertise in exactly the same way as you would IT support or an Accountant. Our clients benefit from an experienced team of professionally qualified marketing consultants with broad industry knowledge.
We build a team around our clients according to their requirements and budget level. Whilst we offer project-based work or 2-hour consultancy sessions, our core business is coming alongside our client offering ongoing Marketing Management to help their business grow. Our minimum retained contract is just £1,900+VAT per month, which is far less than hiring a Marketing Manager, with the added benefit of additional areas of expertise within that price.
Unlike an individual Marketing Manager, Your Marketing Team has the advantage of bringing a broad range of marketing skills together to build a specialist team around your needs. Whilst you will work day-to-day with a lead consultant, your dedicated marketing support is never off sick or on holiday, as all the team will be involved in executing your marketing communications plan.
Summary
We may be biased but hiring a Marketing Manger to help your business grow is a great investment. Any hiring company will need to appreciate that the Marketing Manager is only part of the bigger picture, and they will need a significant additional budget to effectively implement the annual marketing plan and drive results. For a more cost-effective and flexible solution, it is worth considering outsourcing your Marketing Management service to an external supplier, who can make your budget stretch further across the full range of marketing skill sets.
If you are a growing business considering outsourcing an area of your Marketing expertise, get in touch to find out how we can help.
* : Glassdoor