Q: What exactly does a marketing person do?
A: A marketer’s job is simply to get you more customers. Of course, this should occur naturally by satisfied customers telling their friends about their terrific experience with you. But that doesn’t always happen, and it can be a very slow way to grow your business, waiting for folks to come to you.
A professional marketer’s job is to accelerate your business growth by reducing the amount of time, money and available resources, in the most efficient way possible, to reach your target market, making it easy for them to buy from you. And the more efficient your marketing is, the more profits you make!
Q: What does a good marketing person cost? $500? $5,000? More?!
A: It is a ‘you get what you pay for’ business. More money = more carefully designed strategies and campaigns to bring in more clients. As an independent consultant it is common for my clients to want a quarter to a half of full time work. And to a certain degree the results are corresponding: you’d get a quarter to a half more customers. But it does take time to build the new client base.
Marketing results are not overnight. There is no magic silver bullet. Obtaining good results is more like long-term investing. Jump in and out of the market, you’ll get poor results. Remain steady in your strategy and your returns are dramatically improved. I do, however, try to steer my clients to the marketing tools that will get results sooner rather than later. We don’t have time to wait for the economy to turn around, do we?
Q: How much should I budget for marketing?
A: It’s a highly personal choice that must dovetail with your own business goals. I’ve seen companies spend from 0.5% of gross sales to 20% (!) of gross sales on their marketing budgets. The good news is that once you build a large enough customer base, it provides a larger repeat and referral base than a new company so that you can reduce marketing expenses as a percentage of sales.
The bad news is that if your goal is to build a whole new business from the ground up, it will take considerable marketing investment up front to begin to develop your Return on Investment (ROI). You will need to spend more up front before you can begin trimming your marketing budget.
Q: What expectations should I have of you?
A: You should expect (and receive!) a fabulous experience, growing your brand, adding new clients to your business and learning how strategic marketing efforts can result in predictable actions by your customers. You should expect that I’ll answer your questions and concerns completely to your satisfaction.
You should expect me to map out strategies, tactics and a scope of work so you know where we are in the process of completing any one project, and expect me to meet the deadlines we set together.
Q: Can you bring ideas to the table?
A: You may have noticed the name of my company: Cornucopia Creations. I am highly creative and have bountiful ideas that flow and flow.
But that’s not enough. I strive for realistic ideas. Skywriting is an idea, but it may not be practical for your business. Wrapping a public bus in an ad campaign may be a great idea – but also may not be within your budget.
Please note that it’s very important for you to participate with feedback on my ideas. Think of it as pairs’ tennis; we are on the same side of the net!
Q: Are there other resources I should be looking at?
A: My website contains a wealth of marketing, design and copywriting knowledge which is free for you to peruse. You may review back issues of my blog on these topics (and many others) by searching the Cornucopian archives or resources pages. You may also wish to subscribe to my free weekly newsletter which contains tips and advice for small business owners on marketing, design and writing. I comment on current marketing trends, digital developments and more. You may opt out at any time.
Q: Why should I hire you to help grow my business?
A: Answer these questions first (because no one buys any product or service without answering “yes” to these questions). Do you think our personalities mesh? i.e. Do we seem to get along well? Do you trust me and my advice? (Without that step you won’t go any further here.) Finally, do you believe I have the expertise to do the job? This is the same order with which all of us make decisions about hiring staff or other consultants.
You should hire me because I provide high quality products and services at the best possible prices. My expertise ensures your tasks done right the first time without costly mistakes.
If you’re stuck on one of the questions above, perhaps you should take a look again at some of the testimonials shown on this site? Or perhaps you’d prefer to speak to one of my satisfied clients. (Just ask!) Either way, it’s important that you satisfy all your concerns before proceeding. So if any questions remain, I urge you to give me a call at 707.721.1095, or send me an email, to resolve outstanding issues.
Q: Where do I start?
A: Give me a call at 707.721.1095, or send me an email, to get started! Lots of my clients are just slightly overwhelmed at the outset: What do I need? Which project should I tackle first? Should I focus online first or my traditional media needs? We can discuss all of your options, goals and imminent deadlines first to determine where our efforts should first be directed. I guarantee you’ll feel infinitely more relaxed once we review this information!
Q: I have a question that is not answered here. What should I do?
A: Please give me a call at 707.721.1095, or send me an email, to answer any questions I haven’t addressed right here.
