Many people consider themselves an online marketing expert, and this is fine, but you have to make sure that your digital strategy matches your overall business goals. That’s why putting out one post about a service or product will never generate a positive return on investment. In this post, we will cover the main benefits of working with a marketing strategist on launching a new service or marketing your current offers.
Summary:
- The Importance of Strategic Thinking in Online Marketing
- Engaging with an Online Marketing Expert to Build a Funnel
- Collaboration Is the Key
- ROI of Working with an Online Marketing Expert
- Marketing Funnel Plans Launched for 2023
The Importance of Strategic Thinking In Your Online Marketing
You wouldn’t start building a house without a blueprint and a costing of materials, or an architect involved. (Unless you don’t care about the end result.) So why would you just do sporadic marketing without having a strategy? It will take you twice as long to see results, plus you will waste a lot of resources trying to figure out “what sticks”.
A digital marketing strategy is much more than putting an offer out there and maxing out your business credit cards on ads. You will need to ensure that you capture and qualify your leads at an early stage, after getting to know everything about your audience. If you don’t have a solid strategy, you might as well be shooting in the dark.
In my opinion, jumping into digital marketing without a plan will result in one of the following outcomes:
- You will see some results but they will not be consistent
- You will attract the wrong type of clients who are nothing but trouble
- You will end up paying more for ads than what you make from the campaign
- You will run out of money before you would get enough customers
So, if you don’t want to see yourself in one of the above situations, it might be a good idea to take some time off running the everyday operations of your business or department and brainstorm some strategies. Later on, we will share the different types of done-with-you services we offer to assist you.
Engaging with an Online Marketing Expert to Build a Funnel
The sad fact about the digital world is that anyone can call themselves an online marketing expert. They might have done one campaign, gone viral on TikTok, and think they can do it again. The truth is that consistent results matter more than one-off successes. Hardly anyone remembers the one-hit wonders, right? And certainly not many people ask them to advise them on how to build a successful career in the music industry! So exercise due diligence.
There are tons of technical and talented funnel builders out there. Some are good at mapping, others at implementing the system. However, you need both the strategy and the technical skills; the best of both worlds. So – while it is cheaper – hiring a freelancer might not be the right solution if you want someone to understand, represent, and collaborate with your brand.
References and case studies are important and you should always ask for them before you engage with an online marketing expert to build your funnel.
According to TalentLyft, the essential skills of a marketing strategist are:
- CRM software knowledge
- Google and other analytics software knowledge
- Excellent communication and presentation skills
- Content marketing management software knowledge
Again, SocialHire lists the above skills, adding the following requirements:
- Ability to multitask
- Critical thinking
- The art of storytelling
- Strategic thinking and analytical skills
So, now you know why your startup freelancer might not be a good fit if you are serious about growing your business through digital marketing. Below you will find a more detailed list of skills you should look for in an online marketing expert.
Technical Skills to Build a Funnel
A funnel builder should be able to handle websites and different software. They will be experts at marketing automation, use Zapier and other tools every day, and – ideally – have partnerships with some marketing automation software companies so they can give you the technical support you need. They will automate some of the processes, create follow-up and retargeting campaigns, and test that everything works great.
Strategic Skills to Build a Funnel
Undoubtedly, the most important skill of a funnel builder is creating a strategy around your brand and your business goals. Without this skill, you might pay a lot of money for the software, and never get results. That’s why we decided to offer the done-with-you service this year. (more about that later).
Communication Skills to Build a Funnel
Of course, communication and understanding your brand are also important skills of funnel building. You have to make sure that you are not just getting a generic, templated product, but one that is tailored to your marketing goals and your brand. So combining marketing and brand strategy, a good funnel builder will be able to build a custom marketing automation system that will work for your business for many years to come, giving you a higher return on investment over time.
Communicating your priorities and your SMART goals with your digital marketing expert is also your responsibility. You will need to be clear about what you would like to achieve, such as:
- Number of new clients
- Target revenue
- Preferred promotion methods
- Your ideal clients
- Your willingness to create different types of content
- Platforms you are familiar with and can publish content on regularly
- Your role models and competitors.
If your digital marketing expert does not ask for these details, chances are that you will get a generic funnel or they simply don’t care. Alternatively, they might think that they know everything.
At LMNts Marketing, our catchphrase is as follows:
“We might be very good at marketing, but you know much more about your industry, market, and customer than us. So you will have to help us out here!”
We have introduced a couple of great collaboration tools in our business so we can understand and represent the business to the best of our ability.
Collaboration Is the Key to a Winning Digital Marketing Strategy
In the 21st Century, companies that just go away and don’t listen to their customer before providing a service or delivering a product are not going to stay in business for too long. This is not only true when it comes to a digital marketing expert. It is the case across the board.
Let’s say you go to see a hairdresser or barber for an appointment and want a specific look. What if they think they know better and you end up with a look you absolutely hate? You wouldn’t be best pleased, would you?
Or what if you hired a wedding band and they played what they thought was appropriate instead of the playlist you gave them because they didn’t ask or care? It would certainly ruin your special day, wouldn’t it?
At LMNts Marketing, we don’t start working with a new client until we have done their Marketing SWOT analysis and the ideal client exercise (this cost comes off the package price). Even if it is a simple social media marketing campaign, we always send over a questionnaire where we ask about their goals, ideas, brand persona, and clients. That’s how collaborative marketing can make a difference for brands big and small – in our books.
ROI of Working with an Online Marketing Expert
Generally speaking, the more custom your funnel is the higher return on investment you will get. So, if you don’t want to lose money on your advertising budget, you might consider engaging with an online marketing expert.
It does make sense that you get a better return on investment, as your campaigns and targeting are fine tuned, and you are not just trying to get “any lead”. You will focus on the right type of leads; the ones that are more likely to convert because they are motivated.
Another reason why you will get better results from working with a funnel builder who is also an online marketing expert is that they will put in the effort to find out as much as possible about your market. They will test and tweak your campaigns until you get the results you are expecting. They will know how to do AB testing and choose the best creatives for your ads. This is a process we call: “losing the losers and keeping the winners”.
Generally speaking, we are aiming at a 200 percent ROI for our clients. This means that for every pound they give us (including ad costs) we give them at least 2 pounds back. That’s to guarantee that they will want to do business with us over and over again.
Indeed explains Marketing ROI (MROI) in a simple way: it is basically a comparison of your marketing spend and the revenue from the marketing activities. Generally speaking, your marketing ROI should be positive, or you will probably end up losing money on your campaigns.
That stated, some bigger brands can afford to front-load the marketing cost, so they can make the money on the back end. So, if you are selling an eBook for £50, and you spend £60 to get a sale, you will be temporarily out of pocket. However, if you present people with an upsell offer (higher value), and only 10 percent buy, you can turn your marketing ROI into a positive one. Mind that the above strategy is not recommended if you can’t afford to swallow the cost, and you will definitely need a funnel to add the upsell to your marketing strategy.
It is important that you have a clear understanding of the customer acquisition cost and add all of the following up (list adopted from Neil Patel)
- Cost of advertising
- Cost of creatives
- Sales and marketing team overhead
- Outsourced marketing cost
- Publishing costs
Marketing Funnel Plans Launched for 2023
We spent the end of the year brainstorming new ways we could support our current and future clients. From what we saw in 2022, many companies now prefer done-with-you solutions which are based on collaboration.
That’s why we decided to launch a few brand new plans. Here are the details:
Full Funnel Strategy Roadmap
This service is great if you have already decided that you need a funnel, you are ready to cash in, but you don’t know where to start. We will go through all the details with you, create a map, an action plan, and guide you through the process. So, basically you will get a full funnel marketing blueprint ready to implement in just a week or so. This package also comes with an optional follow-up sales funnel coaching service, to make sure that you are on track.
Build Your Funnel In House with Our Team
This is probably the best offer if you want a funnel implemented in weeks, not in months. You will get the support of an online marketing expert and they will literally build your funnel collaborating with your team in-house. They will spend a full day at your premises and this will be followed by four 2-hour sessions to make sure everything is going to plan. Apply for a place (only 3 per quarter available) here.
Great Discount on Bespoke Online Marketing Strategy in January
In January, 2023, we have introduced the above strategy packages to benefit those who are clear on their business goals, but don’t really know how to get there. To help them get started, we are offering 50 percent off our Marketing SWOT and Ideal Client packages. And they come with a money back guarantee, too.
The first 10 businesses will also receive a 20% discount on our new, bespoke funnel strategy service when ordered in January.
Here’s to a successful 2023 to all our readers and current/future clients.
Sources:
https://uk.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/marketing-roi
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