Is Your Digital Marketer a Partner in Your Business?
I recently took part in a conversation on Facebook about whether a social media manager should simply take direction from the owner of the business, or whether he/she should be more like a partner who helps define strategy.
Truthfully, I have worked with businesses with both attitudes about their digital marketers. And I am definitely on the side of those who view their digital marketer as a partner and strategist.
Here’s why:
If you’re hiring a digital marketer, it’s usually so you can focus on what you do best and let a marketing expert deal with the promotional aspects of the business. That means you should take the advice of the marketer who really does know best. If you follow the advice of a good marketer you’ll almost definitely see your sales grow.
An interesting phenomenon I have noticed is that clients will say no to any suggestion that’s a little out of the box or that they didn’t think of themselves, but when the marketing fails, they will blame the marketer. One of the biggest advantages of hiring outside help with marketing is to do things better than you were doing them before. It’s a shame to waste that by overriding the marketer constantly.
Digital marketers who are treated like secretaries, simply carrying out your directions, are not invested in your business. But marketers who have a chance to really make a difference will always be looking for ways to improve and make your content more exciting. Aren’t these the kind of people you want promoting your brand online?
Remember when there were social media managers, SEO experts and content writers? OK, there are still people who specialize in each one of these aspects of marketing, but in today’s ecosystem all types of online marketing are interconnected and specialists in one element still need to know a fair amount about the other ones. As a business owner, you may not be looking at the bigger picture the way your marketer is. You might be sure that one way is the right way to go, without realizing how it affects other factors.
While it’s true that until recently there was no formal way to study digital marketing, the well-known marketers who come highly recommended have spent countless hours learning and experimenting to hone their skills. They can grow your business if you give them the opportunity, by investing their hearts and souls into your company and bringing their expertise to the table along with out of the box big picture thinking.