Paying for marketing advice

[JamesBarnsley]

Anyone had experience of paying for marketing advice?

Is it worth it? or is it just a regurgitation of stuff that is already on the web?

 

[Dee123]

Considering I work as a freelance marketing consultant... I would say YES.

However, it is not as simplistic as that. Look at it this way:

1. You receive great marketing advice.
2. It's cost effective

On the above assumption.. Can you execute this plan effectively? If no, then why pay for the advice. If yes, then it's a cheaper method of hiring an agency/individual to handle your marketing for you. I think the biggest piece of advice you can receive is being clear on costs (the actual marketing costs). Small (but effective) scheme can often run up in print/advertising costs etc etc!

 

[Annoying Donkey]

Anyone had experience of paying for marketing advice?

Is it worth it? or is it just a regurgitation of stuff that is already on the web?

Another biased yes
How much is your time worth? How much time would you spend researching on the web for strategies and tactics? Would it be cost effective?
Look for a performance guarantee or ask for one...

 

[Dee123]

Agreed..

Although you have to be careful with performance guarantees.. As various factors can come into play - Seasonal issue, you setting low/high targets, delayed responses etc etc.

But it is definitely worth structuring it in somehow!

 

[Maxwell83]

However, it is not as simplistic as that.

Why does no one say 'simple' anymore? it's a more simple word than simplistic?

Not having a go Dee123, I'm just interested in how the way we use words evolves over time

 

[Dee123]

I guess because simplistic is the adjective... But also because I'm in the habit of using bigger words as people tend to take me more seriously that way lol

 

[JamesBarnsley]

Ok thanks for the input so far.

 

[Maxwell83]

I guess because simplistic is the adjective... But also because I'm in the habit of using bigger words as people tend to take me more seriously that way lol

I laughed but I do it too! I also used to be guilty of 'management speak' when I was in employment, I just sort of 'caught it' (like an infection) from others around me.

I do love the evolution of language though. Just think, if someone from the 50's had a time machine and arrived in Britain today, they would be baffled by 'our' English!

 

[Dee123]

BBC English as it was called!

Though a quick google search showed I did indeed use the correct word... Simplistic, in that it's treating something complex, as though it were a lot more 'simple'!

 

[andygambles]

Anyone had experience of paying for marketing advice?

Is it worth it? or is it just a regurgitation of stuff that is already on the web?

You can get all the marketing advice you can eat on the web.

Get yourself settled in front of your screen and spend the next 500 hours reading about marketing and working out the contradictory advice. Spend your money on advertising and marketing materials to find out what works and what doesn't. No need for anyone else's experience or input.

 

[Simon.P]

There are loads of good books and advice on-line (the most useful book i found and relevant to my line of work was a book by Geoff Burch called "self made me". Well worth a read for self employed people imo) to get you pointed in the right direction. The benefit of paying for someone's time is it will be bespoke to you. So just like you can get an idea about tax, or legal issues in a book - there are times where you would need to consult with an accountant/solicitor.

 

[Dee123]

I think his question was more in relation to advice on its own, as opposed to full campaign management...

I think for some (not all) people, advice on something like marketing can probably do more harm than good at times!

 

[beasty]

The problem with marketing advice on the web

You do not know what to read

You do not know what you have missed

You do not know if it was correct (Face it the internet is 92.5% bs)

You do not know how to apply it

The advice is there for you to take, no one is accountable

It is not tailored to you

Combining terms that sound nice without actually producing anything useful is a disease that people in Marketing have

and to further the above point

at some stage Ethical PR will say, consider your niche, your market, strategy see Marketing Donut for more (Without actually giving you 1 single THING to actually DO)

It takes little time to read a book, read a marketing book, having a structured and professional introduction is something that will help you.

 

[garyk]

Anyone had experience of paying for marketing advice?

Is it worth it? or is it just a regurgitation of stuff that is already on the web?

Yes, but I'm going back 10 years when there was far less content on the web and probably very few self proclaimed 'internet marketing gurus'. My business partner and I used to be part of a mastermind coaching group and would attend a hotel one day a month with other business owners for extremely good advice.

 

[beasty]

Someone proclaim that they are a guru, avoid them
It is a daft term and appointing it to yourself is a red flag.

The only time someone should be referred to as a guru is by happy customers!

If they can misunderstand this, it is quite likely they can misunderstand lots of stuff.

Anyway, I would avoid self appointed gurus like the plague

 

[Annoying Donkey]

You do not know if it was correct (Face it the internet is 92.5% bs)

Don't you mean 102.5% bs...

IMHO any marketing consultant worth their salt should be able to offer some form of performance guarantee...

 

[beasty]

10% taken off for the new Facebook Business Tax, sure they call it a priority service fee but it is a tax

 

[apricot]

Anyone had experience of paying for marketing advice?

Is it worth it? or is it just a regurgitation of stuff that is already on the web?

If you are a start up paying for marketing advice is a 'No' for me but if they are going to do some work for you then it is 'Yes'. Everything is all around the internet and within a week you'll have all the advice you need for free. The important part is whether you gonna have time to do it or not.

If you are an established company and has done some advertising already then you need a bit more advanced search, analyses and analytics done.. so it is a 'Yes' you should pay for marketing advice.

 

[ethical PR]

The problem with marketing advice on the web

You do not know what to read

You do not know what you have missed

You do not know if it was correct (Face it the internet is 92.5% bs)

You do not know how to apply it

The advice is there for you to take, no one is accountable

It is not tailored to you

Combining terms that sound nice without actually producing anything useful is a disease that people in Marketing have

and to further the above point

at some stage Ethical PR will say, consider your niche, your market, strategy see Marketing Donut for more (Without actually giving you 1 single THING to actually DO)

It takes little time to read a book, read a marketing book, having a structured and professional introduction is something that will help you.

Thanks for the ringing endorsement Beasty You clearly think any advice or comments I provide are a waste of space.

Yes sometimes, when the OP hasn't provided enough information or has indicated they haven't done any market research, I do advise people to consider their niche and target audience and from there communications channels relevant to these audiences - it's sound marketing advice. (believe you me, it's as boring for me to keep repeating it, as it clearly is for you to read it).

I have suggested before we have sticky with a checklist of the areas it's useful for small businesses to go through when carrying out market research/developing a marketing plan - but it hasn't happened so far.

Much better than me saying 'buy PR' it's the best thing since sliced bread, even where it might be better for someone to use PPC, direct mail, develop their brand or website or invest in a marketing strategy or plan.

Just as often if the OP has provided enough info, I will provide ideas and practical things they can do.

Personally I think Marketing Donut is a great free resource for small businesses so yes I do recommend it.

 

[tmobileagent]

Anyone had experience of paying for marketing advice?

Is it worth it? or is it just a regurgitation of stuff that is already on the web?

if you are talking about ppc or google adword and if you have a good knowledge then its good for you, other wise money is waste.

 

[XanderMarketing]

If you want to learn 'theoretical' or 'how to' marketing then you can read that on the web, in books or go on a training course.

What is PPC? How to I optimise a campaign? How can I use content marketing in my campaigns? What types of content marketing are there...

However if you want to know what marketing is best applied to your business then that's where an expert can really help. They would (or should...) have worked with a number of businesses in different industries and can very quickly see what marketing can and can't work for your business. Without having years of experience that advice can be valuable for you and ensure that when you do marketing you do it right and cost effectively.

 

[JoeInTheMiddle]

The main problem I feel with researching marketing methods and applying them yourself based on information you find on the web is that a lot of the information out there is either outdated and therefore irrelevant or quite often it's actually just incorrect.
I've found that many articles on topics are people's personal opinions disguised as facts and real data.
When you hire a marketing professional for their aid, you're getting their experience. Of what really works and what doesn't. When you learn it yourself, there's a lot of trial and error, this can often be skipped with a professional marketing consultant.

 

[Peanut Butter Man]

For me it is a cost issue. I realise there is a value to having experienced help in marketing, PR, sales etc but which should I use first and how much will it cost?

This leaves me, as discussed surfing the net and trying to wear all hats (and thats not efficient)

 

[JoeInTheMiddle]

For me it is a cost issue. I realise there is a value to having experienced help in marketing, PR, sales etc but which should I use first and how much will it cost?

This leaves me, as discussed surfing the net and trying to wear all hats (and thats not efficient)

True, but you should still read up on as much as possible, just so you can follow and understand what your agency's doing. Unfortunately, there are agencies and freelancers that will rip business owners off if they think he/she won't realise what's going on. This is why so many people are cautious about consultants & agencies. IMO

 

[Peanut Butter Man]

I agree Joe. I want to understand. but there is a danger of not being able to then move onto paying someone to do the better job.. I stagnate on this a little but will move on... oh yes

 

[rhys_td]

For me it is a cost issue. I realise there is a value to having experienced help in marketing, PR, sales etc but which should I use first and how much will it cost?

This leaves me, as discussed surfing the net and trying to wear all hats (and thats not efficient)

Anybody with real marketing experience should be able to provide you with adequate information for all three of those, and should be included in their cost if they are a "consultant" type.

What is sounds like you need is a business development consultant opposed to a specific niche of business development.

 

[Peanut Butter Man]

Anybody with real marketing experience should be able to provide you with adequate information for all three of those, and should be included in their cost if they are a "consultant" type.

What is sounds like you need is a business development consultant opposed to a specific niche of business development.

Thanks Rhys,

 

[Richard White]

You can get all the marketing knowledge you need for free from websites and youtube etc or buying a book.
The value is in the results you get by correctly applying the knowledge to your business.

Steer we clear of anyone offering marketing advice who does not first clarify the fundamentals:
* Your target audience
* Why your target audience buy from you
* What makes you different from your competition
* How to communicate that to your target audience

And if you cannot answer these questions clearly a good marketing adviser should focus on getting these clarified before doing anything else. A good test is whether you can easily communicate it in 15 seconds or less.

Small businesses waste a huge amount of time and money on "marketing" their business because they dive in without getting these fundamentals right.....(including websites ) and when you do get them right then most forms of "marketing" work much better and closing the sale becomes so much easier.

 

[John Geater]

We get people come to us all the time having tried to market their own business. Most of the time they've done nothing more than post sales messages on Facebook because some 'guru' told them to.

I have several businesses and each one is marketed in a completely different way. Marketing is a specialist area if it's carried out properly and if it were that easy then there wouldn't be agencies.

My advice to businesses is always to concentrate on what you're good at. If you're good at engineering then concentrate on that, be the best you can with the skills you have and let others concentrate on the other things.

Would you take apart your PC and repair it? Would you do your own accounts? Would you print 10,000 leaflets on an inkjet printer and hand deliver them because you can?

The same goes for marketing. Maybe some people are good at marketing as well as running their business but please lets not try and get people that just don't understand marketing properly to do it for themselves. Those are the businesses that end up going to an agency after 12 months of not selling anything and there's nothing worse.