Basketball is a team sport. You have to have all 5 players in the correct positions, playing at peak performance, to win the game.
A successful game also includes a number of assists.
Just like basketball, effective marketing benefits from a team approach. You need strategic partners to save time and get the job done. Investing in the right people to provide their specialized niche skills in your business is a great play.
Let’s explore some strategic partners and their potential place in your business.
Investing in a Marketing Agency
Marketing is constantly changing and evolving with technology. How do you make sure you are up to date? A marketing agency can work alongside your in-house marketing team to supplement their efforts. An agency can also manage some or all of your marketing on a full-time basis.
Both options save you time and money.
WHY HIRE AN AGENCY AS A STRATEGIC PARTNER?
- You have no marketing department.
- You need a specialized approach for some parts of your marketing efforts, such as advertising or social media.
- In-house marketing is in need of additional resources, and hiring more staff is not an option.
Depending on the size of the agency and the scope of marketing work, hiring an agency can seem expensive. Note that the U.S. Small Business Administration recommends spending 7-8% of your revenue on marketing.
Additional reading:
Working with a Graphic Designer
It’s a coach’s job to know which players to put into the game based on what’s needed at that moment to win.
It’s no different in business. There are projects that require a professional graphic designer, and if you have one of those projects, it should be put in the hands of an expert.
WHY HIRE A GRAPHIC DESIGNER?
- Sometimes you need an artist. An understanding of color, typography, space, proportions, and technical requirements are all needed to create a good design.
- There are things that can be done for free and cheap and will work just fine. But there are also graphics that you need to stand out, and they will require a professional designer. Ex. logo, branding, printed materials, trade show booth graphics, custom designs.
- Designers can often save you additional money by recommending cost-saving measures in both material creation and through third-party vendors, like a printer.
Additional reading:
Hiring a Copywriter
A basketball game can be won without many assists. But having the right players in the game to convert assists into goals can be a more efficient way to play.
A copywriter can be just the assistance your marketing team needs to get the job done. They are experts with words and how to convey your business message properly. Copywriters speak the language your target audience understands.
WHY HIRE A COPYWRITER?
- Creative writing and effective communication are not everyone’s talents. Don’t make do with boring business text when you can stand out with a phenomenal marketing message.
- Every department wants its input. Every salesperson has a list of requirements. A copywriter can bring expert cohesion and clarity to business messaging with an outsider’s eye.
Additional reading:
Bringing on a Virtual Assistant
Basketball teams need a head coach, a roster of players, and a robust support staff, like game coordinators and specialty coaches.
Virtual assistants are real people, but they do their jobs remotely, and you are not their only client. They provide an extra layer of support for small business offices, executives, marketing staff, or sales.
WHY HIRE A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT?
- You are a small business with limited office space and no resources for hiring additional staff at this time.
- Virtual assistants are only paid for the time they work on your projects. With no overhead and the power to delegate, this can be huge cost savings.
- They are experts and are able to hit the ground running. There is no time spent interviewing, training, buying new equipment, etc. You get an assistant who can immediately begin booking your travel or making your appointments from day one.
Additional reading:
Strategic partners can provide the assistance you need to succeed in business. By using these experts to do what they do well, you can focus more on the plays needed to win the game.
Find out more about Move Digital and what kind of strategic partner we can be by checking out our services. It’s a way to see what’s on our coach’s clipboard.