Digital marketing plays an important role for most SMBs. Getting the right help, at the right time, can save your business money and time in the long-term.
In general, if your organization is not seeing desired ROI or KPIs from a digital channel, or you are stretched too thin to give digital marketing the attention it deserves, or you simply find it hard to keep up with tech advances, external expertise can bridge these gaps.
Here we look at when an in-house approach is appropriate and when professional help is warranted in the context of small business digital marketing. This guide makes recommendations on when to seek external help for various digital marketing activities.
In-House vs Agency - Definitions
Before diving in, here’s what we mean by DIY, in-house, and professional approaches.
In-house (DIY): In the context of SMB digital marketing, we’re referring to both business owners and in-house teams. DIY is flexible, allowing for swift pivots, adapting in real-time based on feedback, without the need for external consultations or multi-tier approvals. Direct involvement leads to marketing efforts that are genuine and rooted in the business’s core values and personality. In this scope, DIY includes:
Basic DIY: Many business owners venture into digital marketing on their own. This can also include relying on a relative or a friend with basic knowledge in SEO or marketing. As businesses grow and evolve, they often transition from these initial efforts to a more strategic and structured approach.
In-house team: This represents the next step, where businesses have internal resources dedicated to marketing. It encompasses teams or staff who might not be specialists in all areas. For example, a Marketing Manager might excel at conceptualizing ideas more than implementing them.
Professional Assistance: This involves seeking external expertise, whether it is support for a one-time project or challenge or ongoing assistance from:
Freelancers: Specialized individuals hired to execute specific tasks or projects.
Consultants: Advisors hired for strategic direction, identifying problems, and suggesting solutions. Some consultants also implement recommendations.
Agencies: Comprehensive service providers hired for multifaceted projects or campaigns.
Each approach comes with its merits and challenges. DIY or in-house marketing brings cost efficiency, a personal touch, and adaptability. However, it is time-consuming and comes with a steep learning curve and potential for missteps. On the other hand, professional assistance offers specialization, proven strategies, and scalability, but with potential higher costs and misalignment.
What is Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing encompasses online strategies to reach, engage, and convert your customers. For SMBs, it levels the playing field allowing you to compete with larger companies by targeting niche audiences. With the potential to generate higher ROI at a fraction of traditional marketing costs, it can be a game-changer for small businesses.
Leveraging the right mix of various digital channels can grow your business, increase brand awareness, and drive sales or leads. Online marketing activities include:
Digital Marketing Strategy
The days when an online presence was just a static website are long gone. A business website must continuously adapt and be proactively updated to generate new leads for your business. To accomplish this, your website must integrate with various technologies such as email platforms, automation tools, CRMs, and analytical tools.
Are you using marketing technologies to their full potential? Do you need guidance in choosing the right tools? Developing a clear overall strategy will guide your digital efforts.
DIY: Small businesses can draft a basic strategy based on their knowledge of their audience and goals. When you set goals you also want to define clear objectives, whether it’s increasing sales or brand awareness. Use tools like Google Analytics to track digital marketing KPIs, such as website traffic and conversions.
Professional: For comprehensive strategy, analytics interpretation, or pivoting business direction, engaging a strategist or marketing consultant will help ensure that your efforts align with overall business goals. Top-notch digital marketers understand the synergy of marketing technologies and can extract valuable insights to refine and enhance your overall online strategy.
Website Development and Design
A professional website serves as your digital storefront. Key elements include mobile-responsiveness, a user-friendly design, clear call-to-actions, and an intuitive layout.
DIY: Small businesses with simple needs can use platforms like Wix, Squarespace, or WordPress with pre-made templates. A one-time training can help you confidently utilize these platforms and polish up a DIY site.
Professional: Businesses requiring unique design, advanced functionality, or building an extensive online course will likely hire a web developer or designer. Existing businesses planning to redesign a website or migrate to another platform should hire an SEO to implement or oversee the project. Learn how to hire a web designer.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search engine optimization enhances website visibility on search engines. Small business SEO efforts should focus on proper website structure and helpful content. If you own a local business, ensure your business is listed on Google My Business and other local directories. Encourage customer reviews and optimize for local search terms.
DIY: Basics like keyword incorporation, Google My Business, or on-page SEO tweaks can be self-studied or kickstarted with one-time customized SEO training. Yes, SEO is easy, but almost every DIY business benefits from a professional review.
Professional: Technical SEO, multi-language content, and ongoing content optimization are areas where professional help can be invaluable. Learn about hiring an SEO consultant.
Content Marketing
Content marketing builds trust and positions SMBs as industry experts. You’ll want to create and share high-quality content such as blogs, infographics, and videos relevant to your audience. Distribute this content on platforms where your audience is active, such as social media, email, or your website.
DIY: SMBs with expertise in their field can often create blogs, videos, or infographics themselves. Tools like Canva, ChatGPT, or Grammarly can be useful.
Professional: For a strategic roadmap, marketplace research, regular content creation, ongoing optimization, a content calendar, interactive content, or high-quality video production, bringing in a content marketer, graphic designer, videographer, or strategist can be beneficial.
Email Marketing
Email marketing remains a powerful tool to directly reach customers. Start by building an email list via CTAs on your website or incentives to encourage sign-ups. Then you can send newsletters, promotions, or updates to engage subscribers.
DIY: Platforms like Mailchimp or ConvertKit are user-friendly for those starting newsletters or basic email campaigns. For less tech-savvy users, a one-time support session can be helpful to getting properly setup on these platforms.
Professional: For email marketing strategies such as segmentation, automation, or large subscriber bases, consider hiring an email marketing specialist.
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising
PPC (or SEM, Search Engine Marketing) allows businesses to advertise on platforms like Google Ads or Facebook, paying only when someone clicks their ad. You’ll target specific keywords relevant to your business and audience, setting daily or monthly budgets to control spending.
DIY: With small budgets and local targeting, SMBs can usually handle their initial PPC campaigns. Keep in mind, a great ad can be undermined by a poor landing page experience, thus it is important to optimize your landing pages.
Professional: Advanced strategies like remarketing, conversion tracking, lookalike audiences, or advanced bidding strategies, consider an advertising specialist.
Retargeting or Remarketing
Remarketing involves re-engaging visitors who interacted with your website or ads but didn’t convert. This is done by showing them ads as they browse other sites or platforms. This strategy is known for high conversion rates because it targets users who have already shown interest.
DIY: Platforms like Google Ads and Facebook Ads Manager allow for basic retargeting campaigns.
Professional: Advanced retargeting strategies, especially across multiple platforms, may require an ad specialist.
Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing can be an invaluable tool to engage with customers. Keep in mind, not every platform is suitable for every business—you’ll want to understand where your audience is and focus there. Regularly post content, respond to comments, and engage with your audience.
DIY: Many SMBs manage their own social media accounts, posting content and engaging with followers using tools like Buffer or Hootsuite.
Professional: When dealing with multiple platforms, ads, or aiming for substantial growth, a social media manager or agency might be more effective.
Digital PR
Digital PR is about building and enhancing your online reputation by fostering relationships with the media, influencers, or bloggers. This entails promoting positive content about your business. It’s a way to increase online visibility through content publishing, partnerships, and mentions from authoritative, credible sources.
DIY: Small businesses can kickstart their digital PR efforts by reaching out to local bloggers, media outlets, or even writing press releases for noteworthy company events.
Professional: For a broader reach, crisis management, or establishing partnerships with major media houses, hiring a digital PR agency or consultant is advisable.
Online Reputation Management
Maintaining a positive online reputation is vital for trust-building. Your business should monitor your reputation by regularly checking reviews on platforms like Google or Yelp. Make sure to acknowledge positive reviews and address negative feedback.
DIY: Very small businesses can monitor and respond to reviews. You can use Google Alerts to monitor mentions of your business online.
Professional: If facing a reputation crisis, negative publicity, or needing regular monitoring, reputation management services become essential.
Local Digital Advertising
Local advertising targets a specific community or region. Your business might consider local online newspapers, forums, or community websites for advertising. You might want listings on platforms such as Yelp or Yellow Pages.
DIY: Simple ads on local directories or community websites can be managed in-house.
Professional: For geotargeted PPC campaigns or local influencer partnerships, experts in local advertising can optimize results.
Chatbots and AI-driven Customer Service
Using AI-powered chatbots on websites or social media platforms can provide instant customer service or lead generation.
DIY: Many platforms offer DIY chatbot solutions.
Professional: For advanced integrations, analytics, or custom AI responses, a developer or specialist may be required.
Final Thoughts
Keep in mind, there are other digital marketing strategies to consider such as SMS marketing, affiliate marketing, podcast marketing, augmented reality and virtual reality marketing, and more. But not all components are suitable for every business, you must tailor the channels to your goals, audience, and industry.
When seeking professional help, you want to look for technical know-how and choose partners who resonate with your brand’s core ethos and values. You want to ensure both strategic alignment and a deep-rooted understanding of your brand’s essence. Prioritize partnerships that align with your business’s identity.
When in doubt or feeling overwhelmed, seek professional guidance.
Digital marketing questions?
