If you’ve wondered if an outside consultant could help you expand your marketing reach, now might be an ideal time to consider hiring one.
Of course, this might seem counterintuitive. After all, the economy is tottering toward recovery but for many of us things are still a bit uncertain. Many companies are being conservative with spend and budgets as we head into 2021. Yet there are a number of opportunities that an experienced marketing professional can handle to maximize your existing efforts to their fullest potential.
Here are a few reasons why it can make sense to connect with a consultant to boost the full body of your marketing power.
Fresh Eyes
It’s common that smaller firms, associations and non-profit organizations learn to multitask and figure out comfort zones to keep operations afloat and even thriving. Maybe you have a quarterly e-newsletter, and do a series of mailings each year and you’ve got the ROI down-pat. However, if you’ve been doing the same thing for years it could be time to get an outside perspective to find new opportunities.
“We work with some clients who’ve been doing great work keeping their brand consistent and reliable on their own, but contacted us to learn where their marketing blind spots might be,” says Amy Adams, owner of AJA Marketing. “It’s not always easy to recognize areas where you might be missing opportunities when you’re so close to the business and your customers. We’ve been able to reinvigorate marketing plans, make suggestions for more effective networking campaigns… all things that built on what was already working, but they hadn’t really thought of before.”
Extra Set of Hands
Many organizations are feeling pinched in the staffing area right now. Perhaps you were forced to do layoffs and have staff working on more responsibilities than ever. Or in some cases, your company might be doing very well based on your business niche, yet you can’t quite add more employees at the moment. Marketing tends to be an area that’s sacrificed when times are economically tough and employees are already stretched to capacity.
Rather than hire a full-time employee, it can make financial sense to work with an experienced marketing consultant. “At AJA Marketing, we always talk through what each potential client actually needs and determine a personalized marketing plan,” explains Adams. “Sometimes small firms believe they can’t afford a marketing consultant, or that they’ll need to choose from existing marketing packages or plans. In reality, a great consultant will tailor their services to you–not the other way around.”
In other words, it’s not necessary to agree to a massive program with all kinds of expensive components. Instead, look for a marketing consultant who’s experienced in working with companies similar to yours and can come in and fill in the gaps you most need. Build a more extensive program later, if need be; or, plug in to a more complete plan right now and see what works best as time goes on. Whatever the case, don’t be afraid to ask a marketing consultant to dig in to help you with what YOU most need.
A Healthy, Beating Heart
As mentioned above, a marketing consultant can take what you’ve already got and make it stronger. “Unless it’s specifically what you’re looking to do, there’s usually no need to rebrand or give a new or different voice to a company or association,” says Adams. “Instead, we think of it in terms of helping keep a company healthy and true to its mission and goals. We approach our consulting work like the tailor helping create a suit or dress that accentuates your best features and makes the clothes fit you and no one else.”
A marketing consultant will fully respect and care for the beating heart at the core of your organization. They’ll help you play up your strongest features and pump out your message to the right target audience. They can circulate out what’s not working and encourage new, fresh and exciting ways to educate and provide value to your customers, members and clients. And when it’s time to plan an event or presentation, the right consultant can keep your efforts effective, efficient and entertaining.
It’s a labor of love when you find the right consultant. “We truly enjoy helping our clients reach their marketing goals,” says Adams. “There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing a client discover new potential and connect with both new and long-term customers or members. In our case, AJA Marketing specializes in smaller organizations because we can truly get to know the people behind the mission statements. A personalized consultant relationship creates a unique synergy where creative, surprising and often profound things can happen.”
To learn how AJA Marketing could help you meet your 2021 marketing goals, now’s a great time to check us out. We’re offering The Free Fifteen – Complimentary Strategy Call, so click here to get started!
