It’s all too easy to jump straight on Google and search something like “marketing agency near me” or “marketing consultant Southampton” and we quickly forget the first, and most obvious port of call.
Back in the day, you might have reached for the Yellow Pages and scrolled down the index looking for something like ‘Advertising Agency’. These days, however, it’s much less about the paper and more about the digital.
Sometimes the best things are often right in front of our nose, and that can be true when trying to find the right people to work with.
In this post, we give you some pointers on where to look for a marketing help. And if you haven’t already we also recommend reading our business owners guide to working with a marketing consultant which gives some great tips on what think about before hiring.
Ask people in your network
Just to be clear, we’re not saying put a post on LinkedIn asking for recommendations, although you wouldn’t be the first to do that and some people find it can work well. The problem with this method is that not everyone will see your plea for help so you’re not exactly canvasing the market so to speak. Also, just to add, depending on what stats you have read or believe, it’s estimated that only 20% of your network will see your post.
When looking for a new supplier (business or personal) you’re always better off perusing a few lines of inquiry.
What we mean is asking the people you are closest too in business and asking them if they can recommend someone or know someone who can. Chances are they will either have previous experience of working with a marketing type or might know someone that has. Whether we like it or not, word-of-mouth or ‘being referred’ is historically one of the best ways to get connected to the right people at the right time. So before you do anything else in your search to the find marketing agency, marketing consultant or freelancer that’s right for your business, ask the people you are closest too in your network. If that comes up with nothing, then by all means put a post on LinkedIn – you never know.
What about asking Google?
Sorry to say the obvious here but it’s worth pointing out that the engineers at Google have spent millions of hours perfecting an algorithm to serve up the most relevant answers to your our queries. Before you start Googling, make sure you have a clear understanding or what type of marketing help you need or what type of marketing consultant you need. For example searching for an SEO consultant is going to give you a list of potential suppliers with a very specific skill-set. Compare this to searching for “marketing consultant” which may offer up suppliers with a wider range of skills. So, have a fairly clear idea of what kind of marketing help you need and tailor your search accordingly. This is the same for larger marketing agencies. Some are what we call in the trade ‘full service’ which means they provide services across the marketing spectrum for example web development, SEO, PPC and conversation rate optimisation. Whereas other agencies are more niche and might just focus on SEO or graphic design.
Hire freelancers online
Whilst finding a freelancer has never been so easy, finding the right freelancer is a different matter all together. Nevertheless, there has been an explosion of freelancer marketplace websites popping up all of the place which make it easy for businesses to find help.
Popular freelancer marketplaces include: PeoplePerHour, Upwork and the classic Fiverr. For businesses looking for virtual support these can be great options to help narrow your search for marketing assistance for things like graphic design or web development. Each platform has a review system and the ability to browse through a freelancers portfolio to further narrow your search.
Final thoughts
There you have it, three lines of enquiry to pursue in your search for a marketing expert: Ask the people closest to you in business, search on Google or give a freelance market place a go. We would always recommend asking people in your network first and then broadening your search depending on the outcome that provides.