Should You Consider a Digital Marketing Agency for Your Startup?
Starting a business is equal parts exciting and overwhelming.
No matter the journey you took to get to this moment, being in business for yourself is a major life shift and every decision you make feels more important than the one before it. That includes deciding whether or not to hire a digital marketing agency to help your startup grow into a full-fledged, well-established business.
We offer some questions to consider when determining if you’re ready for that step.
Are Your Resources Tapped Out?
By resources, we mostly meantime. If you’re a one-man show, as many startups are, you may have your hands full running your business. There is a lot that you can do on your own - create a website, start a social media profile, send and respond to emails. But if you have your hands full running your business, you may not have hours left in the day to put towards marketing and engaging with the people you intend to serve.
There are businesses that can survive through exclusive word-of-mouth advertising, but in the digital world we live in today, it’s important to have an online presence. If you have the ability to take on more, then maybe all you need is some expert direction (from a consultant, for example).
If you don’t have the time to build and maintain one, and your intention is for your business to grow, you may want to consider asking for help.
Can You Delegate Tasks to Someone on Your Team?
The help that you need doesn’t necessarily have to come from an outside source. There may be someone on your team who is either really skilled at or enjoys aspects of digital marketing - like social media - and would be happy to take that on for you.
It’s always a good idea to look within your team and find opportunities for people to grow in areas they are interested in first, before hiring outside help. If someone on your team can reasonably take on the role of Digital Marketing Manager, offer them a promotion and give them the resources to be successful.
After all, who knows your brand better than your own people?
Do You Have the Budget to Hire Outside Help?
Digital Marketing is not an inexpensive aspect of your business. Paid media and advertising can start at around $1000, but can easily go up to five or six figures.
For a company that’s still in the bootstrapping stage, where every penny counts, that kind of budget may not be possible. In that case, more of a grassroots approach is a better option and, with some direction, you could create a marketing strategy that works with the budget that you do have.
Working with a digital marketing agency has its advantages.
First and foremost, you have a team of industry experts in your corner. Partnering with the right agency means that they’ll act as an extension of your team, treating your brand as if it were their very own. In addition, they’ll be able to keep you in the loop on industry trends and updates so that you can make the most timely and relevant decisions for your business.
At Hackett, we offer consultancy support and full digital marketing agency services to purpose-driven businesses at whatever level they find themselves.
A Purpose-Driven Digital Marketing Agency for Your Startup
Whether you need the full support of an agency, or simply the expert direction of a consultant with decades of experience, our team at Hackett can help. At the core of our business is the desire to be a force for good. For us, that means working with like-minded people who are driven by a mission that is greater than themselves. Contact Us to learn more about how we can combine our experience and your brand purpose to help your business grow.