Who to Enlist for Marketing Help

Many entrepreneurs are great at DIY (do-it-yourself) projects. They learn to be a Jack- or Jill-of-all-trades. And many entrepreneurs want to do everything themselves. They simply don't trust anyone else to do work that represents their business. Sound like anyone you know? Maybe even you?

It's great to want to do everything yourself so you can monitor the quality, but if you don't put your trust into other professionals to do their jobs, you (or an entrepreneur you know) will run yourself into the ground. "Jack-of-all-trades, master of none" is a cliché for a reason - it's true. There's simply no way one person can run a business, run an effective marketing campaign, be a great accountant and the other hundreds of tasks that are required of an entrepreneur.

One area where in which you shouldn't try to do something you don't much about is your marketing campaign. Marketing includes everything from public relations to copywriting to media buying. You also need to know about the technicalities - from postcard printing to billboard printing - you need to know which colors work best, what kind of files printers accept, what kind of paper to use … the list goes on.

To support your marketing efforts, there are four main types of marketing support you can hire:

Marketing Agency
A full-service marketing agency will generally be able to take care of all of your marketing needs, from product placement to advertising production to PR to online marketing. This is the most expensive type of vendor, since agencies are generally comprised of experts in a variety of fields that come together to work on one project. The workers charge by the hour, and the prices range from $50 to $250 per hour. To have a full-fledged marketing campaign ran and designed by a marketing agency, you'll need a minimum budget of at least $100,000 up to several million dollars. For all this cash though, all you'll be responsible for is approving the designs and writing the checks.

Media Buyer or Broker
A media buyer will create a media schedule (print or broadcast) and then negotiate rates and contracts on your behalf. They usually get a 15% commission, just as a marketing agency would for any media they purchased for you.

If you only need someone to help you with your direct mail campaign, consider hiring a list broker. A broker will search for the right lists that meet your minimum requirements based on characteristics you choose, and then will negotiate for the list. Brokers generally get compensated by list vendors, so you may not have to pay a commission.

Freelance Copywriter and Freelance Designer
You can find a freelance copywriter or designer almost anywhere these days. Just Google "freelance copywriter" or "freelance designer" and you'll get thousands of hits. Some of these professionals have paired up to create their own small freelancing business, which will save you money because you'll get two creative minds for a lot less than you would have paid a marketing agency. Make sure to see a portfolio of past work and get names of past clients and references to make sure these are people you can count on.

Marketing Coach
This is someone who can mentor you and start you down the right path on your marketing journey. You need a coach who can look at the big picture, including your budget and marketing goals and someone who will work with you to create a step-by-step marketing plan. The marketing coach won't actually implement the plan for you, but will advise you when you need her.