DIY Marketing vs Outsourced Marketing: Which Is Right For You?
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It is possible to do all your own marketing, just as it’s possible to outsource it all. But neither strategy is recommended. A mix of DIY methods and professional help will ensure you save time and costs in the right areas. But which jobs should you outsource and which ones should you try to do yourself? For small businesses and freelancers, these are some of the jobs that are best DIYed and best outsourced.
DIY these jobs…
Website development
Designing your website needn’t require a professional in the beginning. There are sites like http://www.wordpress.com that can allow you to build your own website for free, requiring zero coding knowledge and allowing you to easily edit and monitor them. Such DIY websites can still look professional if you’re a small business, although larger businesses may want to eventually graduate to a professionally designed website that is more unique.
Social media
Whilst social media management companies exist, you’re best off handling this yourself at first. It costs nothing to create a Facebook and Twitter page for your business. Get yourself a fair sized following by inviting all your friends, family, employees and clients to follow you on these platforms and then keep your accounts active with regular posts. You can then pay Facebook and Twitter to promote posts – you needn’t get a company to help unless you’re trying to really build up hype for a new product or service.
PR
PR companies are most often used to get companies in the media, either through news articles, reviews or even interviews with radio shows and magazines. However, these companies charge hundreds – sometimes even thousands – for a campaign. Try contacting these places yourself at first focusing on local news outlets. Once you’ve reached a certain size, you can then start to think about PR companies.
Outsource these jobs…
Branding
Designing branding that’s looks professional isn’t easy even if you are savvy with Photoshop. Companies such as http://www.vizzifymarketing.com/creative-design are often a good investment for those with no design knowledge. Try to find a company that can handle multiple types of branding from logo design to ad creation as it may be cheaper to get it all done at once.
SEO
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is a way of boosting your appearance on search engines so that you don’t end up on the tenth page of Google every time. It’s more than adding a few keywords to your website and is often best handled by an SEO company that has the resources and manpower to up your online presence.
App development
Creating an app takes a fair bit of coding knowledge. If you have this expertise, feel free to try and create your own app, but it’s likely you’ll want to hire a professional company such as http://www.theappbusiness.com/ to take away the stress. Apps probably aren’t necessary for small businesses, although you may find that as you get a steady stream of clients that you could benefit from having something such as a loyalty card app or a digital catalogue.
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