{"id":593,"date":"2013-02-19T16:30:52","date_gmt":"2013-02-19T16:30:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/?p=593"},"modified":"2013-02-19T16:30:52","modified_gmt":"2013-02-19T16:30:52","slug":"what-to-know-before-choosing-a-marketing-firm-for-your-small-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/what-to-know-before-choosing-a-marketing-firm-for-your-small-business\/","title":{"rendered":"What to know before choosing a marketing firm for your small business"},"content":{"rendered":"

How much should I spend on marketing is a question among many small business owners. The U.S. Small Business Administration recommends <\/a>that as a rule, a<\/strong> small business with revenues less than $5 million should allocate 7-8 percent of its revenues to marketing. The industry you are in and stage of growth also impacts your marketing budget, the SBA adds.\u00a0 For example, during early brand-building years, retail businesses spend much more than other businesses on marketing \u2013 up to 20 percent of sales.<\/p>\n

\"target<\/a>Choose between in house or outsourced marketing help<\/strong><\/p>\n

The figures indicate just how important marketing is to your small business growth. Your choices are to hire someone in house or outsource your marketing to a firm. While there can be advantages to having someone in house who understands your business and goals, there are other factors to consider. First off, you may not have enough work to justify bringing someone on board full time. Also no matter who you hire, no one is an expert at all aspects of marketing. This means you are going to have to bring on some additional professional marketing help.<\/p>\n

A marketing firm on the other hand gives you more flexibility with your budget. Plus you get the range of expert services that your program may need – ad copywriting; graphic design of your logo, stationery and collateral; web design, which includes visuals, content and navigation; and social media program management. Even if the firm you choose doesn\u2019t have all these services, it can bring on and manage specialists who do.<\/p>\n

Find out the following before you choose a marketing firm<\/strong><\/p>\n

It can take time to find the right firm that understands your vision and goals and has the track record to prove it. \u00a0Here are suggestions from my own experience about hiring the right outside marketing professionals.<\/p>\n

Start by asking yourself who is my target audience, where are they and what do you to achieve from your marketing outreach? Then consider the best channels to reach your targets. Once you\u2019ve answered those questions, find out the following from firms you are considering:<\/p>\n