Posts filed under ‘Tips from Marketing Experts’
How Erickson Group will save you money
Hiring a marketing company to save you money, seems contradictory but consider this: most businesses trending towards, or already at $1 million in annual revenue, are losing money by not working with an agency partner. How? By hiring one person designated to “marketing”. This one person time and time again gets overloaded with all the bits and pieces of corporate marketing. Everything from website updates to business cards to somehow trying to generate new business. There is no realistic way to accomplish a proper marketing plan with one person – unless you want them to burn out.
We look at it like this: in Company X they have one full-time staff member who does marketing. This person gets overloaded with work and others–usually Sr. Managers or even Exec’s–need to do some of the leftover work. Now, how much is each person’s time worth? The marketing person is paid a salary but they have too much work so other people are spending time in their day helping out. Let’s say 10% of the day from 2 other managers is also used up for “marketing”. That’s one full-time salary plus 20% of management’s salary dedicated to marketing. That adds up to one full day of management time lost to “marketing” each week. What is it worth to have your managers doing what they do best and not trying to spread too thin? In most businesses, it’s worth a lot.
Here’s a look at the numbers:
Let’s say in Company X the marketing person makes $65,000/yr and the managers make $100,000. That means that annually Company X is spending $65,000 on marketing PLUS an extra $20,000 from the managers. So in real terms, there’s a marketing budget of $85,000 that Company X is paying out. And for this fee they still carry all of the overhead: source deductions, vacation pay, computer equipment, benefits… you get the idea. Is there a better way to use that $85k/year – yes. Not only does an agency partner give you access to all ranges of experts (designers, programmers, copywriters, SEO specialists) but you get real “experts”. No single person does it all.
What does it mean for businesses:
Hiring Erickson Group offers you the best of all worlds. You get to use your marketing budget much more efficiently. Your full-time staff remain focused on what they do best while your business gets access to specialized experts which makes for a better product. You get the write-off expense instead of added overhead. If you are a company operating under the antiquated ideal that marketing must be done in-house I invite you to call our office and let’s chat about how we can help. Often times there is still an internal “marketing” person but now their focus is streamlined and simplified and they coordinate with our group directly. It’s a beautiful system and our clients are seeing benefits in all industries.
If you’re ready for a change that will elevate your brand, reduce your overhead and alleviate stress – it’s time for a chat.
SEO is no longer about broad reach, it’s about effective reach
SEO is every e-marker’s buzz word. It’s talked about around water coolers the world over but does the mass market we really know what it’s talking about? What makes for effective SEO? Do I use Panda guidelines or Penguin? How much do I need to depend on Social Media?
Google changes the rules more than 500 times per year so is there really any measurable science to SEO success? The short answer is yes – you just have to know what you’re doing. No different than a stock broker. Someone immersed in the industry studying trends, evaluating risk and ultimately moving forward using proven methods. SEO is the exact same. Without dedicated support there’s just no sustainable way for the “weekend warrior” to generate results. To this end we engage our clients for SEO programs using dedicated experts. There’s just no other way to manage all the elements of the moving landscape to be effective. It’s not the easiest way, but it’s the only way to get measurable results.
Now consider this – Google’s new SEO platform (Penguin) regulates that a well optimized site is no longer enough. Google is looking for social engagement. Your site needs to advocate for your brand and get your consumer base engaged. The more they talk, the better your SEO. The interactive exchanges that people have with each other and with the brand–online–are happening in the social media channel, and the search engines are placing an increasing importance on how these conversations influence their views on brands and how their websites should rank.
What does it all mean to the average business? It means that the days of the in-house “marketing” person are over. It’s no longer a jack-of-all-trades discipline. Businesses need to evolve and dedicate resources to branding, online development and effective marketing. It’s not about broad reach anymore it’s about effective reach. How are you engaging with your customers? How are they responding? What does it mean for your business?
It’s time to stop asking “How do I optimize my website” and start asking “How do I optimize my brand”.
Here’s a great read with a ton of more info: read more
