As companies grow, so does their need for marketing and promotion. It doesn’t matter if you are a sole entrepreneur or if you run a company with multiple employees. With the ever-growing number of social media platforms, media engagement, and influencer support, it can be overwhelming to determine the best action to promote your business. Growing companies have many decisions to make, and for their brand promotion, they have to determine if marketing requires a full-time in-house employee or a freelance marketing professional. Here are some thoughts to help decide whether the business branding needs a full-time marketing employee or a freelance marketing professional to help achieve its goals.
Gradual Growth
If you have been successfully managing your business brand but have been feeling a little over-extended lately with the work you provide and trying to keep up with the multiple ways to promote your business, a freelance marketing professional would be a good option. Having someone provide supplemental support to your business in the marketing realm while you provide your clients with your services is ideal. This can be done with single projects or ongoing management of specific components of your brand that don’t require a full-time employee.
Small Business Budget
Many small businesses have small budgets to work with if any marketing budget at all. Hiring a freelance marketing professional helps since this person has the experience to offer the best marketing skills and focus on the areas that would benefit the business fastest. While utilizing multiple platforms and resources to put your business brand at the forefront is essential, sometimes budgets limit going “all in.” An experienced marketing professional can guide clients to the resources with the highest return on investment (ROI) for immediate attention. It doesn’t mean that the business should only focus on the immediate suggestion, but rather to help them see how it impacts their bottom line and slowly introduce the additional suggested resources and platforms to assist the brand in more significant reach.
Overhead Costs
For many businesses, the most significant expenditure can be its employees. This is not just in the salary provided but also includes the multiple benefits offered to candidates for employment. If available, healthcare, dental, vision, retirement, concierge services, and stock options all add up for an employer on top of the salary offered. Additionally, the recruiting market is highly competitive for businesses to obtain the top-level employees they want and need. Hiring an experienced freelance marketing professional can help businesses easily in this area since it eliminates any need for the “benefits” package, and payment is negotiated at the start of a contract, which can be significantly lower than a full-time employee’s salary.
Experience
There will be many freelance professionals out in the world in all areas of business. For marketing and public relations, it is essential to know that your freelance marketing professional is highly trained not only in the promotional side of your brand but also in the ethical and legal aspects. Whether you hire a freelance marketing professional, an in-house employee, or even a marketing agency, research the experience they have earned in their careers. Working with someone who has studied marketing and public relations in their higher educational endeavors is ideal. This provides a business with the comfort of knowing that its brand is in the hands of someone who understands the complexities of brand management and reputation. For businesses that want to take it a step further, working with a marketing professional who has obtained their public relations (APR) accreditation offers the knowledge that this expert has taken additional education steps to counsel businesses towards their branding goals. This globally recognized credential certifies that you are working with a professional who has passion and professionalism and has also profoundly studied the core principles to promote your business.
Hiring In-House or a Multi-Person Marketing Agency
Sometimes, businesses see significant growth and may need an in-house full—or part-time professional or even a multi-person marketing agency. Recognizing the services and support required before hiring anyone helps the business move forward with its goals toward the research, planning, implementation, and evaluation necessary for any marketing or public relations program. Whether a professional is brought on board as an employee or a marketing agency is engaged, knowing that a business is in the right hands of experts who have proven methods and practices for success is essential.
Conclusion
A business’s branding and promotional needs should be assessed in detail to ensure the proper professional is hired. Whether that is a freelance marketing professional, a marketing agency, or someone fully immersed in the business as an employee, the key is knowing how much of a need there is at the time. This relationship must be a good fit for both sides of the table to help enhance the brand offerings and growth. If a small business owner needs assistance managing a few things, it would be good to start researching marketing and public relations freelance marketing professionals to discuss services and budgets. If hired, a freelance marketing professional will outline and implement contracted campaigns, and from there, both parties can evaluate the success of this relationship. As businesses grow, their needs will experience change and growth, and having a good relationship with your marketing team will help you make informed decisions for future success.