Do you want to understand interactive marketing (social media), or do you want someone to handle it for you? It’s an important and honest question you should ask yourself. It can help you decide where your time is best spent and what’s most important to you.
We have clients that know they need interactive marketing, but don’t understand what it is and where they will find value. It’s important for us to educate our customers on what interactive marketing is and how to measure the value. We should note that not every business will use interactive marketing the same, along with what’s measured and what’s important.
Interactive marketing is focused across your entire business from communications and marketing to sales and customer service. The tools and technology involved in interactive marketing can be difficult to understand, especially if you have never used them before. We can help you understand what tools will benefit your business best, how to use them, and how they fit into your daily activities. But, you first need to decide if you want to understand them, or would rather someone else do it for you.
Many times, we hear about a business who’s hired someone to handle their interactive marketing, then we hear about the horror stories. Passwords are changed, accounts are shut down, businesses fall apart, because someone didn’t get paid on time or was upset on how something was handled. It happens and it shouldn’t. You, as someone looking for help with your interactive marketing need to do your homework. Take time to decide what is best for you and your business, then do research. Making a quick decision to save a buck could cost you thousands of dollars and months of your time. Don’t fall victim to buying flash and bang.
For many people just starting out, they envision spreading the work out and to try multiple different people or brands to help them. The problem with this is that if you don’t see the results you want, you will be out the time and money. We recommend taking time and doing your research. Don’t make a quick decision or try multiple things, until you find something that works. By the time you find your groove, you won’t have the nectary funds and time to truly invest in your big picture goals.
There are moments when what you don’t know can hurt you. We have read about it time after time, where someone hires a college student or family member to run their interactive marketing, only to be further behind than they hoped, and having a bigger mess than when they started. It happens all the time. It’s important to understand like many products and services; you get what you pay for. Eventually you will have to learn, or because of a problem, have to learn something about interactive marketing. We hope it’s not because of a bad situation.
If you are like many people, you understand that interactive marketing is important, but budget and time never seem to be on your side, decide if you want to understand it, or want someone else to understand and handle it for you. This will create a direction for you, allowing more time and elevating stress. Ask yourself before you start.
- What level of interest do I have?
- What level of interest does my time allow for?
If you need help answering either of these questions, we would love to help you discover what path might be best for you and your business.
