Artificial intelligence is all anyone can talk about (at least until the next trend happens), but what does it practically mean for our marketing and business? Do we need to be using AI tools? If so, which ones and how? AI and digital marketing is far more than just another hot topic—it’s a challenging issue to better understand. In this event, we hope to have a positive and productive conversation on how to navigate AI tools and confidently steer your business into the future.
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GreenMellen Announces Series of Community Partnerships
GreenMellen is proud to announce several community partnerships with outstanding local nonprofit organizations during 2023.
These partnerships include sponsorships with MUST Ministries, the Cobb Chamber of Commerce, the Atlanta chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA), and WordCamp Atlanta.
MUST Ministries
A Cobb County-based nonprofit, MUST Ministries serves families experiencing poverty by providing housing, food, clothing, and workforce development programs.
As part of developing a new website for MUST, GreenMellen is sponsoring several of MUST’s upcoming annual fundraising events.
- Gobble Jog – Casserole sponsor
- Cherokee Golf Tournament – Birdie sponsor
- Giving Gala – 1 Star sponsor
“When seeking bids for building our new website, we had to be fiscally responsible amidst a much-needed but enormous endeavor,” said MUST Ministries Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Katy Ruth Camp.
“GreenMellen graciously swapped a significant amount of the cost in exchange for sponsorships at various MUST events. This allowed us to get the best possible website for our clients and donors at a cost that would not impact our mission, while also exposing GreenMellen’s stellar services for our neighbors in need.”
Cobb Chamber Marketers Group
GreenMellen is a long-time member and supporter of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce. This includes being an active member of the quarterly Cobb Marketers group.
This is a group of local marketing professionals who work in a wide variety of industries who meet quarterly to network and share best practices with one another. To support the future growth of this gathering, GreenMellen has agreed to sponsor the Cobb Marketers group.
“My goal for the Cobb Marketers Group’s partnership with GreenMellen is to deliver more meaningful connections and content to our marketing community.” said the Cobb Chamber’s Executive Vice President, Marketing & Communications Amy Selby. “I believe this partnership will make our group a stronger resource for all.”
GreenMellen has been proudly recognized as a top small business in the county for the past three years.
AMA Atlanta Mentorship
The American Marketing Association (AMA) is the nation’s largest professional organization of marketing professionals. The Atlanta chapter is the third-largest local chapter of AMA.
GreenMellen marketing manager, Robert Carnes, is currently serving as the VP of Mentorship for AMA Atlanta. Therefore, GreenMellen eagerly supported the group as the first-ever sponsor of the AMA Atlanta Mentorship program.
One of many similar programs nationwide, the Atlanta marketing mentorship program connects experienced and young professionals to help build networks and expand careers. There are two mentorship programs each year in the spring and fall.
GreenMellen also took home two marketing awards at the 2023 AMYs hosted by AMA Atlanta.
WordCamp Atlanta
WordCamp Atlanta is the annual conference for the local community of WordPress website developers in Metro Atlanta. The 2023 conference took place in October after a years-long hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A long-time supporter of WordCamp, GreenMellen was proud to be a Gold-level sponsor for the event. GreenMellen co-founder Mickey Mellen also volunteered to help organize the event, after being a speaker and organizer for WordCamp Atlanta events in previous years.
A Long-Time Community Supporter
GreenMellen has a long history of serving and supporting local organizations and nonprofits. The team offers a generous discount on projects and services for qualifying 501c3 nonprofits.
“These are among our favorite businesses to work with because they share our values and help to improve the community we live in,” said Mellen. “We’re proud to support local nonprofit organizations and help spread their impact.”
Creating an Effective Marketing Budget
Effecitve marketing requires an investment. For a business, this means creating and spending a marketing budget. But how much should you spend on marketing, and what return should you expect? There’s no one answer, so let’s examine the right approach.
Where do I start with my marketing budget?
- Figure out what you’ve spent to this point.
- Create a document to track everything and work with your accounting team.
- Develop an ideal budget for what you’d like to spend.
- Think big and work backward to what is realistic.
How much should I be spending on marketing?
- There’s no one right answer.
- It’s all about what’s most valuable to your business.
- This is much more than just advertising.
What categories should I consider?
- Marketing software/tech stack
- Content creation
- Advertising
- Networking events
- Sponsorships
How do I expand my marketing budget?
- Measure the ROI for what you’re seeing in return.
- Determine your most effective channels and increase there first.
- Look at the spend as an experiment—try something new and see if it works.
- Get your leadership’s buy-in so they understand the value.
10 Best Practices for Writing Business Social Media Content
In today’s digital age, social media is at the forefront of most businesses’ marketing plans. Companies use this indispensable tool to connect with their audience, build their brand, and promote their products or services. While that may seem straightforward, developing the content for your social channels may not always be so cut and dry.
To stand out in the ever-expanding sea of social profiles, you need to set some guidelines that will help you craft engaging, relevant, and authentic content that resonates with your target audience.
In this blog post, we’ll explore some essential best practices for writing business social media content.
1. Know Your Audience
Before you begin brainstorming social media content, you should have an in-depth understanding of who your target audience is.
- What does your ideal client look like?
- What are their pain points?
- What questions do you think they may have about your industry?
- What social media platforms will they look for you on?
You likely already have developed an in-depth buyer persona for your business, but if you have not, this is the perfect time to start. Knowing your audience and what they are looking for will help you create content tailored to their needs, specific interests, and concerns.
2. Set Clear Objectives
Now that you understand your audience and what they are looking for, let’s dive into what you want to achieve with your social media content. Some high-level ideas of what you might be looking to accomplish are:
- Increase brand awareness
- Drive traffic to your website
- Generate leads or boost sales
When creating these objectives, ensure that you aim for SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound). SMART goals will allow you to have attainable objectives for your content and give you a tailored direction to take your message.
3. Consistency Is Key
We now have established goals for reaching our target audience and hitting our business objectives. Next, we need to develop a clear brand voice. You will maintain this voice across all social channels—as well as you should remain consistent with the visual look and feel. This consistency provides a sense of familiarity and authenticity to your brand.
Another important part of consistency is sharing posts frequently. You can use platforms such as Sprout Social to schedule your posts. Scheduling content allows you to have regular posting and to build a content calendar that flows with your business—from holidays to sales. You can share timely content in a way that makes the most sense for your company.
4. Easy On The Eyes
Another thing to consider when developing your social media content is what type of posts usually catch your eye. Aim to share posts with visual appeal—either an eye-catching graphic, photo, or video.
Social media is a visual platform, and your profiles should reflect that. At GreenMellen, we suggest using high-quality images of your team or business frequently. We also encourage using graphics to share information about your services or products.
If you do not currently have those assets available, we highly recommend investing the money into a professional photographer who can capture the essence of your business. A picture truly is worth a thousand words.
5. Add Value
The ultimate goal for the content you are posting (or at least one bucket of it) should be adding value. Valuable content can take many different forms consisting of:
- Blog posts
- Podcasts
- Infographics
- Q & As
- Videos
- Sale offers
The main things a consumer looks for when they adventure to your profile—meaning the content you are sharing is intentionally meeting the needs of your audience. This approach not only establishes you as an industry expert but also helps to keep your followers engaged.
6. Encourage Engagement
Speaking of engagement, this is also something your content should be actively pursuing. You will see more traffic to your page when you are producing content that is thought-provoking and encourages people to comment, like, share, etc. Some forms of content you can share to boost engagement are:
- Polls
- Asking questions
- Discussion prompts
Engagement is a two-way street on social media, and you should actively respond to comments and messages to maintain the relationship. By engaging with your audience, you will build a sense of community, trust, and value.
7. Ever Evolving
Similar to the fact that the digital space is ever-evolving, that is also the case with social media trends. And I do not just mean trending hashtags or dances—I mean the platform updates that regularly occur on social media.
For example, when Instagram introduced Reels, it opened the door to a brand new type of content on Instagram. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn are constantly launching new updates, and by exploring those, you may find that one of them helps you to better connect with your target audience. Don’t be afraid to adapt and experiment with these new changes.
8. Test And Test Again
While we are on the topic of experimenting and adapting, you should be testing your content consistently to see what performs best. A few different ways you can test your content performance are:
- Posting at different times
- Posting on different days
- Posting different types of content (eg. evergreen content buckets)
- Posting with different calls to action
By trying out different things, you will identify what works best for your specific audience. Use each time you test something as an opportunity to refine your data until you can nail down a plan of action.
9. Over Analyze
You’ve probably never heard someone say it is a good thing to overanalyze—but social media is the outlier in that equation. Each platform gives you access to detailed data analytics.
When we talk about monitoring trends to see what performs well, those statistics will be easiest to follow along with when using data analytics. For most platforms, you will be able to review these metrics:
- Reach
- Engagement
- Click-through-rate
- Profile followers
Use these metrics to help determine the effectiveness of your social media content. The best kind of improvements to your planning are the data-driven ones!
10. Be Authentically You
You probably saw the word authentic in this blog a few times already (4 times to be exact, if you count that last one). There is a reason for that! In the age of social media, editing, and fake accounts, your business must be authentically yours.
Be genuine and transparent, and show that you are human in your content. A few ways to do that is with team introductions to show the faces behind the brand, behind-the-scenes clips, and share stories about why you do what you do.
When you make your brand approachable and trustworthy, you build a sense of community and continue to expand your audience. Creating a sense of connection for your consumers with your brand.
#ThatsAllFolks
So there you have it—creating social media content for your business requires careful planning and commitment to be successful.
By taking the time to understand your audience, setting clear objectives, maintaining consistency, and ensuring you deliver valuable content, you can create content that encourages engagement and deeply resonates with your audience.
By staying updated with trends, closely monitoring analytics, and being authentically you, you will build a strong and loyal online community. Keep these best practices in mind, and you can unlock the full potential of social media for your business.
Have more questions about social media or want to hand the reins over to an expert in the field?
Cami Merges
Planning and organizing are two major attributes that make up Cami. From graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Kennesaw State University to receiving a Google certificate in Digital Marketing & e-Commerce, Cami is a well rounded, creative thinker with strong organizational skills.
Before joining GreenMellen her passions and journey have included digital marketing, web development, wedding planning, substitute teaching, and professional customer service throughout.
In her spare time, Cami enjoys spending time with her husband and Goldendoodle puppy, as well as, friends and family. She and her husband play pickleball, spend time outdoors, and travel.
Capitalizing on Networking Events for Marketing Growth
Digital marketing is useless without personal connections and word-of-mouth referrals. But is networking played out or ripe for you to take advantage of? It all depends on your approach.
How does networking help my marketing?
- Get to know people in a more casual setting.
- Face and name recognition can be as important as brand recognition.
- Build a relationship with people before you begin selling.
- You might also meet people who can help your business.
What kind of events can I network at?
- Conferences
- Tradeshows
- Panel discussions
- Volunteer opportunities
- Business happy hours
- Lunch & learns
What are some networking best practices?
- Attend events where you know who the audience will be.
- Focus on in-depth conversations with a few people.
- Are business cards still worth bringing? Yes, if you have them.
- Digital business cards are cool, but they break my process.
- I like receiving cards more than giving them.
- Follow up with people after you meet them—connect on LinkedIn.
Is it worth sponsoring networking events?
- Take a look at the cost and see if it fits into your budget.
- Determine the why behind your reason for being a sponsor.
- The reason might be exposure or trying to get more leads.
- It’s also good to get visibility in your local community.
What about speaking at events?
- Are you comfortable with public speaking?
- Do you feel like you have something of value to provide?
- What topic do people care about that you can help them with?
- Reach out to a few events that are actively looking for speakers.
Should I plan my own networking event?
- We do quarterly micro-networking events.
- This is with people we already know and want to introduce to each other.
- It’s fun for us and fun for them—that’s the point.
- This helps us to deeper our relationships and say thank you to our fans.
Two GreenMellen Websites Recognized with Annual dotCOMM Awards
ATLANTA—Marietta-based digital marketing agency GreenMellen received two annual dotCOMM awards for client websites launched during 2023.
The Homrich Berg and CroweBuilt Homes websites were both recognized as Platinum winners by the dotCOMM judges in their respective categories.
“We’re excited for this honor, especially because it reflects the great collaboration with our clients,” said GreenMellen co-founder Ali Green. “Every website we create is a collective effort, and we couldn’t get here without the hard work of our entire team.”
A wealth management firm headquartered in Atlanta, Homrich Berg was named the 18th best financial website. CroweBuilt Homes is a custom home builder based in Cartersville, Ga., and their website was listed as the 28th best in the professional services category.
The dotCOMM Awards annually honors excellence in web creativity and digital communication. One of the most highly recognized honors in the marketing industry, dotCOMM evaluates thousands of entries from more than 135 countries annually.
GreenMellen has already received other awards during 2023, including two AMY Awards from AMA Atlanta and being named a top Cobb County small business for the third consecutive year.
About GreenMellen
GreenMellen is a digital marketing agency located in Marietta, Ga. It’s our mission to build a brighter web by providing marketing solutions that help other businesses shine.
We provide website, branding, design, and messaging solutions to make your company’s digital presence meet today’s expectations. By uncovering the unique personality of each brand we work with, we can create a digital environment that personifies those characteristics and refines the user experience.
Our 6 Least Favorite Marketing Channels
There are plenty of great and effective digital marketing channels, but there are just as many bad ones. Or at least good channels that tend to be used poorly by lazy marketers. These are our six least favorite marketing channels.
Robert’s 3 least favorite
- Direct mail: because it’s usually useless and hard to track.
- Billboards: because no one looks at them while they’re driving.
- Twitter: because it’s been officially run into the ground.
Mickey’s 3 least favorite
- Spam email: Email marketing can be great, but it too often isn’t.
- Bogus LinkedIn connections: Don’t connect with me if I don’t know who you are.
- Unsolicited text messages: Texting should be personal, so stop bothering me.
Marketing Humor: How to Make Your Brand Funny
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Your brand.
Your brand who?
Your brand could benefit from using some humor in marketing.
OK, that’s a terrible joke. But in all seriousness, humor can add plenty of value to your business. However, that’s much easier said than done. Being funny isn’t easy and it can be risky. But if you’re ready to give it a try, here are some things you should know.
First, know that I’m not a licensed comedian, so please lower your expectations. The point of this blog post is not to make you laugh (although, that may happen). The purpose is to help you learn something about what makes people laugh. And maybe you’ll be able to be funny, too—maybe.
The Bad News about Humor & Marketing
OK, do you want the good news or bad news first? That was rhetorical because of course you’re getting the bad news first. Who wants good news first? That one’s not a rhetorical question—I seriously want to know. Anyway, here are three potential pitfalls of using humor.
- Being funny is hard. Comedians make funny look easy, but it’s not. Making your marketing funny takes work. Just don’t panic.
- Being funny is a risk. Humor can backfire. Quickly. Spectacularly. Sometimes that’s funny, too. (For everyone else.) Just be careful.
- Being funny takes humility. The best brand humor is self-deprecating. But that might just undermine your brand’s integrity. (We said it was a risk.)
The Good News about Humor & Marketing
Yikes—that was indeed some bad news. Enough to scare you away from reading the rest of this article. Good thing we included that GIF to distract your attention. The good news is that it’s time to talk about the good news.
- People remember funny. Humor helps your brand stand out because businesses are boring by default. Don’t be boring.
- Humor gives a brand personality. Humor makes you more approachable. You just have to be unique and genuine. (Easier said than done.)
- People share funny. Who doesn’t love to laugh? (That’s a rhetorical question.) The funny stuff gets shared online more frequently because we all need to laugh more.
What brands use humor?
Curious what this actually looks like in practice? Plenty of businesses try to be funny—with occasionally disastrous results. Thankfully, there are some genuinely laugh-worthy examples of brands who have successfully managed to use humor in their promotional efforts.
- KMart ships their pants. The retailer used a simple, repeated phrase to creatively focus on a feature of the business.
- Tushy Bidets aren’t crappy. The toilet sink company knows how to lean into their low-brow humor. That takes being very self-aware and knowing lots of puns.
- Savannah Bananas go wild. The minor league baseball team embraces the crazy to entertain their fans.
How can marketing be funny?
It’s time to get practical with our humor. Working funny into your marketing can be a challenge. The key is to find a few small places where it’s appropriate and practice. Here are some tips for making that happen.
- Humor is the unexpected. Every kind of funny involves some element of surprise. Learn what people assume. Then break those patterns.
- Find the line. Figure out what’s appropriate (and what’s not). Decide how much edge your audience is willing to tolerate. Push the envelope—just don’t burn it.
- Humor is like garlic. It adds flavor, but it can be overpowering. It’s not for everyone or every dish. Use it sparingly and specifically.
- Start small. Find some non-threatening places to your humor. Keep your expectations low. Remember you’re not a comedian—and even they need to practice.
- Get diverse input. Ask some people for feedback. See what they think is funny and appropriate. Be quick to pull the plug—sometimes it’s just not worth the risk.
Where the #@$% can I be funny?
Ready to put those excellent, practical tips into practice? Finding the right places to blast your humor ray into the universe can be tough. These are a few of the right places where you can start small and make humor happen.
- Website 404 Pages. Give the error pages on your website a sense of humor. Turn an error into a smile, and a disappointment into a chuckle. Taco Bell’s is pretty good.
- Out of Office Auto Responders. Vacations don’t need to come with boring responses. Think outside of the (text) box and add some humor to your auto-response.
- Sprinkle funny into your marketing content. Try one joke in your: blogs, email copy, social posts, etc. Use some GIFs or a more casual tone. Remember to start slow.
- April Fools Day. It’s the one day when humor is socially acceptable—especially if you’re Google. Even if it’s predictable.
Humor and Marketing Resources
Funny Books
- Humor Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life by Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas
- Outrageous Marketing: The Story of The Onion and How To Build a Powerful Brand with No Marketing Budget by Scott Dikkers
Funny Websites
Articles About Funny
7 Essential Questions to Shape the Perfect Website Sitemap
Today, a well-structured website is more important than ever, and the first step to building this foundation is your sitemap.
A sitemap lays out all the pages your website needs (with most of them being accessible in the navigation). Whenever we create a website for our clients, we take careful measures to plan the flow of content to make sure their target audience can find the information they need quickly.
Whether you’re interested in revamping an existing site or creating a brand-new one, asking the right questions makes all the difference in building an effective website sitemap. Let’s delve into the essential questions you must ask to create a sitemap that serves your users and goals.
1. What Are Your Website’s Objectives?
The first step in building a successful website sitemap is to clarify your website’s objectives. Ask yourself questions like:
- What do you want to achieve with your website?
- Are you looking to generate sales, provide information, build brand awareness, or offer a combination of these goals?
- If you have an existing website, what is currently in place to help achieve these goals?
Understanding your objectives is crucial because it influences the structure and content of your site. For instance, an eCommerce site will have a different sitemap structure than a service-based or non-profit organization’s website. Knowing your objectives helps you prioritize content and design accordingly.
2. Who Is Your Target Audience?
This is a question you constantly have to ask yourself with any marketing effort, and your website’s sitemap is no exception. Ask yourself who your website is intended for. Different audiences have different needs, and your sitemap should reflect this by prioritizing content accordingly.
Consider demographics such as age, gender, location, and interests. By understanding your audience, you can make informed decisions about how to organize and present your content to meet their expectations.
For example, if you have more than one major target audience, maybe it makes sense to separate your pages by these client bases. Immunize Colorado does this under the Get Info section of their website and clearly lays out all the information a person needs.
3. What Content Will Your Website Include?
List all the pages you plan to include on your website. This could encompass a variety of content types, including pages, blog posts, product listings, videos, photo galleries, case studies, and more. By creating a comprehensive content list, you can organize it into categories or topics, helping you shape the sitemap’s structure.
4. How Will You Organize Your Content?
Once you’ve listed your content types, decide how to organize it effectively. This can involve creating categories, subcategories, or using a hierarchical structure. Your content organization should reflect how your target audience might naturally navigate your website. Logical grouping of content can make it easier for users to find what they’re looking for.
For instance, an online clothing store might categorize its products by type (e.g., shirts, pants, shoes) and then further classify them by gender or style.
Keep in mind that it might take a few rounds of brainstorming before finalizing the way you move forward, which is perfectly fine (and recommended)!
5. What Is Your Content Priority?
If all of your content is a priority, none of it is, so don’t treat it all equally. Some pages or sections are more critical to meeting your goals than others, so it’s important to identify which content is most important and should be easily accessible from the primary navigation.
Key pages, such as the homepage, product pages, contact information, and about us sections, should be prominently featured. Secondary content can be second-level pages underneath the main navigation or combined.
6. How Important is SEO for Your Business?
The answer here should be VERY important! Search engine optimization (SEO) is vital for visibility; ranking high on search engine results pages (SERPs) will give your website a fighting chance to be seen by new visitors. Because of this, SEO needs to be at the forefront of your sitemap development.
The first step here would be to go through a keyword research process, where you uncover search terms your audience uses to find businesses like yours. Once you have a list of solid keywords, you can incorporate these specific web pages into your sitemap.
Related, ensure your sitemap incorporates other SEO best practices, such as optimizing URLs, using descriptive titles and meta descriptions, and using H1/H2/H3 text wherever possible.
7. Do You Plan to Expand Your Website in the Future?
While planning your sitemap, consider the future growth of your website. A website is a never-ending project, and just like any other industry, your website should evolve with what’s important to your audience. Thinking ahead can save you the headache of restructuring your sitemap in the future.
Ask yourself if you will be adding new content regularly (blog posts, videos, case studies, etc.), introducing new product lines, or expanding into new markets. By noting this now, it will help you with your hierarchy and categorization so it’s easier to grow these areas of your website.
By asking these seven essential questions, you’ll be well on your way to creating a sitemap that aligns with your objectives, serves your target audience, and enhances user experience.
If you need assistance with reworking your website’s sitemap or are not sure where to start with your website, contact the GreenMellen team today!
Building Your Business Marketing Stack
Technology can make marketing easier for your business. The various software tools your company uses for marketing combine to make a marketing stack. But what tools should you use and how do you build the right marketing stack?
What is a marketing stack?
The set of tools and technologies that you use to plan, execute, and measure your marketing efforts.
What are the different categories to consider?
- Website content management system (CMS)
- Domain name registrar, DNS, and Website host
- Customer relationship manager (CRM) database
- Email marketing platform
- Social media management
- Survey & feedback tool
- Graphic design software
How do you choose the right marketing software?
It’s the classic battle of “all in one” (like Zoho) or the best of each different piece.
I lean toward the best of each piece but certainly combine when I can.
How do you set a budget for your software?
In most cases, for a small business, time is a bigger issue than cost.
The cost for most of these tools doesn’t exceed perhaps $30/user/mo, but it can add up.
Do you need digital tools for everything?
YES! At least that’s our opinion.
8 Approaches To Convince Your Boss To Hire A Marketing Agency
As a marketing professional, you understand the immense value a marketing agency can bring to your company. However, convincing your boss to invest in one may require a well-structured approach.
Here are a few steps and persuasive strategies you can use to convince your boss to hire a marketing agency effectively.
1. Assess Your Current Marketing Challenges
Before making your case, take the time to assess your company’s current marketing challenges and opportunities. Identify areas where your in-house team might be struggling like:
- Limited expertise in certain digital marketing channels
- Stagnant growth
- Difficulty reaching your target audience effectively
Concrete examples and data-driven insights will help illustrate the areas where a marketing agency’s expertise can have a significant impact.
2. Highlight Industry Trends and Competitor Analysis
Research and present comprehensive data on industry trends and your competitors’ marketing strategies. Demonstrate how your competitors successfully utilize marketing agencies to gain a competitive advantage.
Show how these agencies have helped other businesses in your industry achieve remarkable results. By showcasing these success stories, you can build a compelling case for your boss to consider following suit.
3. Emphasize Cost-Effectiveness and ROI
Address your boss’s concerns about the cost of hiring a marketing agency head-on. Present a detailed cost analysis that compares the expenses of an in-house team to the potential return on investment (ROI) from a marketing agency’s services.
Emphasize that agencies offer flexible pricing models, allowing you to choose specific services that align with your budget and objectives. Stress the long-term cost-effectiveness of outsourcing marketing efforts compared to maintaining a full in-house team.
4. Showcase Agency Expertise and Specialization
Detail the specific expertise and specialized skills that a marketing agency can bring. Highlight the diverse range of talents the agency possesses, including digital marketing, content creation, SEO, social media management, and more.
Focus on how these collective skills can enhance your company’s marketing campaigns and lead to more impactful results. Share case studies and testimonials from other clients to demonstrate the agency’s competence and proven track record.
5. Present a Scalable Solution
Position hiring a marketing agency as a scalable solution that aligns with your company’s growth objectives.
Remind your boss that an agency can adjust its services based on your changing needs, allowing your marketing strategies to evolve as your business expands. This flexibility is particularly beneficial for companies experiencing seasonal fluctuations or periods of rapid growth.
6. Stress the Importance of Fresh Perspectives
Explain the benefits of bringing in an external agency’s fresh perspectives and creative ideas. Demonstrate how an agency can objectively evaluate your company’s strengths, weaknesses, and unique selling points.
This approach can lead to more innovative and effective marketing campaigns that resonate with your target audience. Encourage your boss to consider the agency a valuable addition to your existing team rather than a replacement.
7. Address Time Efficiency and Productivity
Address your boss’s concerns about potential disruptions to internal processes. Highlight that hiring a marketing agency can improve time efficiency and productivity within the company.
By allowing the agency to handle marketing tasks, your in-house team can focus on other critical aspects of the business, such as product development and customer service. This division of labor can lead to a more productive and well-rounded organization.
8. Propose a Trial Period
If your boss remains hesitant, consider proposing a trial period with the marketing agency. Suggest starting with a smaller project or campaign to showcase the agency’s capabilities and demonstrate tangible results. A successful trial can provide the evidence needed to justify a more significant investment in the agency’s services.
Are You Ready to Convince Your Boss?
Convincing your boss to hire a marketing agency requires a well-researched and persuasive approach.
By carefully assessing your company’s marketing challenges, highlighting industry trends, showcasing cost-effectiveness and ROI, emphasizing agency expertise, and addressing time efficiency concerns, you can make a strong case for the added value a marketing agency can bring.
Remember to be prepared with concrete data and success stories to support your arguments and show how a marketing agency can be a valuable asset in achieving your company’s growth objectives.
The 7 Top Skills Every Marketer Must Have
We’ve talked about several skills marketers need in previous podcast episodes. Now, let’s bring it all together and give an overview of the seven most important skills we all need to hone. Which ones do you need to work on?
- Planning: Just going out and “doing it” will likely end poorly. Get a strategy.
- Writing: It’s the key to great communication and creating great content.
- Consistency: Pushing hard on social media for a week won’t do much. Keep it up.
- Learning: Marketing is always changing, so you must stay infinitely curious.
- Testing: Some things work well, and some don’t. It’s vital to know the difference.
- Analyzing data: Scale your marketing by uncovering the patterns in the data.
- Acceptance: GA4 and AI are coming, like it or not. Know they’re coming and get to work, because hiding is fruitless. Be adaptable.
Related Podcast Episodes
Why You Should Have a Strategy Before Doing Ongoing Marketing
In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, having a solid digital marketing strategy is crucial for businesses of all sizes. It provides a roadmap for success and ensures that your marketing efforts are aligned with your overall business goals.
Let’s explore the importance of having a strategy before engaging in ongoing marketing activities.
Defining Digital Marketing Strategy
Before delving into why a digital marketing strategy is essential, let’s clarify what it entails. A digital marketing strategy is a comprehensive plan that outlines your objectives, target audience, tactics, and key performance indicators (KPIs).
It’s a guiding document that helps you make informed decisions and achieve desired outcomes.
The key to a successful digital marketing strategy is continuous monitoring, analysis, and optimization. As technology and consumer behavior evolve, it is crucial to adapt and refine your strategies accordingly to stay ahead of the competition and drive sustainable business growth.
Alignment with Business Goals
Having a strategy ensures that your marketing efforts are aligned with your overall business goals. It enables you to identify the specific objectives you want to achieve through your digital marketing campaigns, such as increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic, generating leads, or boosting sales.
With a well-defined strategy, you can prioritize your marketing initiatives and allocate resources effectively.
5 Major Advantages of a Digital Marketing Strategy
1. Targeted Approach
One of the key benefits of having a digital marketing strategy is the ability to target your audience effectively. By defining your target market, understanding their needs, and analyzing their online behavior, you can tailor your marketing messages to resonate with them.
This targeted approach increases the chances of attracting qualified leads and converting them into loyal customers, resulting in a higher return on investment (ROI).
2. Consistency and Cohesion
A digital marketing strategy provides a framework for maintaining consistency and cohesion across your marketing channels. It ensures that your brand messaging, visuals, and tone of voice are aligned, creating a seamless experience for your audience.
Consistency builds trust and strengthens brand recognition, which are crucial for long-term success in a competitive digital landscape.
3. Data-Driven Decision Making
A well-defined digital marketing strategy is based on data and insights. By conducting thorough market research, analyzing customer behavior, and monitoring campaign performance, you can make informed decisions and optimize your marketing efforts.
Regularly reviewing key metrics and KPIs lets you identify what works and what doesn’t, enabling you to refine your strategies for better results.
4. Save Marketing Budget
Without a strategy in place, you may end up wasting resources on ineffective marketing tactics. A digital marketing strategy helps you prioritize your activities and budget efficiently.
By focusing on the most impactful channels and tactics, you can maximize your ROI and minimize unnecessary expenses. This cost-effective approach is especially important for small businesses and startups with limited marketing budgets.
5. Adaptability and Agility
The digital landscape is constantly evolving, and having a strategy in place allows you to adapt and stay ahead of the curve.
With a clear understanding of your target audience, market trends, and emerging technologies, you can quickly adjust your strategies to capitalize on new opportunities. This adaptability and agility are essential in today’s dynamic digital marketing environment.
Do You Need Help with a Marketing Strategy?
A digital marketing strategy is a fundamental component of a successful marketing campaign. It provides a roadmap for achieving your business goals, enables targeted messaging, ensures consistency and cohesion, promotes data-driven decision-making, optimizes costs, and allows adaptability and agility. By investing time and effort in crafting a robust strategy, you set yourself up for long-term success in the competitive digital landscape. Connect with us at GreenMellen to learn more about how we can help with your business’s marketing strategy.
Measuring Marketing: What Metrics Matter Most?
Does measuring digital metrics feel more like a chore than an advantage? Feel like you’re drowning in meaningless numbers? Confused about what KPI and ROI even mean for your business?
Digital marketing allows us to make data-driven decisions but also requires business leaders to understand the ever-changing landscape of marketing metrics.
You don’t need to feel lost or confused because we’re here to walk through some data basics and best practices. Join other local business marketers for an interactive conversation on what to measure, how to measure it, and why it matters.
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