Rumour Has It You Need Help - When Is It Time to Hire a Marketing Agency?

How many hats are you wearing today - Social Media Manager, SEO Specialist, Content Writer, Financial Advisor, Bookkeeper? Your closet must be brimming with the many titles you wear each day.

But hey, if you run your own small business, juggling hats is just one of the perks. Right? 

Or is that just what everyone has told you?

You’ve got your hands in every aspect of your business, but are you slowly losing sight of the reason you started it in the first place? 

Are you tired, burnt out, unmotivated and losing the passion that got you here?

Are you running out of time in the day to do the things that really bring you joy?

If so, there’s no doubt about it - you need help. 

5 Signs That It’s Time to Hire a Marketing Agency

There are many tell-tale signs for needing to hire a marketing agency. 

On one hand, your business could be excelling in the market - exceeding your expectations and creating more work than you have time for. 

On the other hand, you could be grasping at straws - unable to find good leads in today’s changing digital landscape.

Whether flourishing or struggling, one thing is obvious - you can’t keep doing it all on your own. 

And thankfully, you don’t have to! 

Hiring a marketing agency can: 

• Help free up your time, 
• Give you the expertise you need to move your business forward, and
• Help you secure lucrative sale opportunities!

Still not sure whether a marketing agency is something you need to invest in? Keep reading! Below are 5 reasons why hiring a marketing agency might be the best decision for your business right now. 

1. You Can’t Keep up with Increasing Demand 

Not being able to keep up with increasing demand can be a good thing! It means your business is growing. But it also means that it’s time for you to grow with it. 

Have you noticed a lack of internal resources recently? Not having the available time or manpower is a dead giveaway that you need some help. 

A Marketing Agency Can Help You:

• Free up your time,
• Delegate your workload, and
• Focus on what you’re good at. 

It’s easy for marketing to go on the backburner when you’re trying to keep up with things that offer immediate ROI (return on investment). But if you don't work on things like brand reputation, lead generation and website traffic, your business can quickly lose momentum. 

Hiring a team of marketing experts can help keep marketing a top priority while freeing up your own time to do the things you love! 

2. You’re Not Getting the Results You Want 

Are your results failing to match up with your projected progress? Have your marketing efforts fallen flat?

Marketing is constantly evolving, especially in the last two years. Small businesses have had to continually pivot just to keep up with the changing marketing landscape. 

Has your business made the necessary changes to adapt to the changing landscape?

A Marketing Agency Will:

• Identify your specific market (target audience, niche etc.).
• Create and implement a unique strategy that works in today’s market.
• Track your success and pivot efforts accordingly. 

The result? Measurable and actionable results! 

3. All You Can Find Are Dead-end Leads

Is your sales team coming back to you less-than-impressed? Your marketing efforts may have gotten the traction you wanted, but if it’s with the wrong people, you’re wasting both your sales team’s time and your marketing dollars. 

Instead of taking a shot in the dark with your marketing, you should know:

• WHO you’re talking to
• WHY you’re talking to them 
• WHERE to find them
• WHEN to approach them 
• And WHAT HAPPENS next (aka your sales funnel).

A Marketing Agency Will Work With You In Creating:

• A strategy that creates real business results
• A sales process that aligns with your internal marketing strategy
• A constructive sales funnel that successfully leads your prospects forward.

4. You Have No Idea Know What You’re Doing or How to Do It

Imposter syndrome or unqualified? 

You may have become a true “jack of all trades”, but as we’ve all heard, a jack of all trades is typically a master of none. You don’t need to do everything yourself!

As an entrepreneur, you hear the term ‘imposter syndrome’ quite a bit. Those feelings of inadequacy are all too common for big dreamers and doers. But, there is a difference between having imposter syndrome and not having the necessary expertise to do a job well. 

Are you amazing at photography, but lack the skills needed to build a high-traffic website?

Are you an exceptional baker, but lack the knowledge needed to showcase your talents on social media?

Are you a trained massage therapist, but lack the education needed to write and optimize high-converting content?

You started a business so that you could do the thing you love. The thing you’re really, really good at. But to make a successful business, there are many shoes that you need to fill.

A Marketing Agency Has:

• A specialized skill set,
• Qualified personnel, and
• Readily available resources.

All of which are going to give you:

a) The freedom you need to do the things you’re good at, and 

b) Peace of mind knowing that the rest is in good hands.

5. You’ve Become Stagnant

Have your sales come to a grinding halt, regardless of booming interest in your product? Are you unknowingly using outdated marketing tactics, selling to the wrong people or using the wrong platform(s) to showcase your product?

A Marketing Agency Brings:

• Fresh perspective,
• Modern strategy,
• Current trends, and
• Up-to-date market research.

This boost of fresh creativity, knowledge and experience can launch your business forward!

Looking for a Local Digital Marketing? Get in Touch with the OSM Team in Belleville, Ontario!

As a small business ourselves, we understand both burnout and growing pains. It’s these moments of discomfort that encourage us to lean into the next season of our business. Without them, we would miss out on some incredible opportunities!

Are you looking for a local marketing team in the Quinte region to help grow your business this year? Get in touch with our team at OSM! 

You can reach us at 613-969-0626 or learn about our Digital Marketing Services HERE!

How To Start Your Own

Podcast - 5 Easy Steps!

MYTH: You need to be an established content creator in order to start your own podcast.

TRUTH: As long as you have a voice and something to say, you have the power to launch an incredibly successful podcast! 

Did you know that more than 8 million Canadian adults listen to podcasts at least once a month? It’s incredible how quickly podcasts have grown and become such a prominent piece of our daily education, advertising and entertainment. In fact, “what podcast are you listening to lately?” is almost as common a question as “what Netflix show are you watching lately?”.

So, why are podcasts so popular? 

1. Podcasting is the multitasker’s best friend 

2. Podcasting is an easy and convenient way to absorb information 

3. Podcasting is a great way to engage with, communicate and amplify your message 

4. Podcasting = Brand Personality 101 

5. Podcasting is FREE for listeners - meaning ANYONE can access ANY podcast!

Why Should You Start A Podcast For Your Small Business?

Podcasts are an incredible tool for small businesses and here’s just a few reasons why!

Brand Identification 

During the pandemic especially, people are looking for connection and relationship - someone they relate to, trust and can have a good old fashioned conversation with! This is where your podcast comes in! What better way to share your brand personality and voice with the world than to TALK ABOUT IT. Your podcast is your opportunity to share your life, your passion and your authenticity with someone who honestly wants to hear it!

Community Building 

Podcasting is such a great way to build a natural connection with your audience. You can read every single one of our blogs and social media posts, but do you know what we sound like when we laugh? Probably not (unless you’re watching us on TikTok or our recent Instagram Live!). 

Podcasting is your key to building that personal connection! It gives you the opportunity to build on running jokes or themes, to engage with what’s happening in your life in the moment, to connect with other people in your area of focus and to really SHOW UP for your audience. 

Content Marketing 

Remember when you thought you could only start a podcast if you were an established content creator? NEWSFLASH! If you run a business and are, in fact, the voice and passion behind that business. You are a content creator! All you have to do now is get that content out to the right people. 

Authority Building 

Do you ever find yourself saying, “Oh I could talk about that for hours! Just hand me a mic!”? 

DING DING DING - this is your chance!

Podcasting is a great strategy to use when identifying yourself as an expert in a given topic or industry by providing real, authentic content on that given topic. 

Networking

Did you hear our recent podcast episode with @fourcornerscollective where we talked about Being A Mom & An Entrepreneur at the same time? It’s GOLD! And the best part? We got to network with an AWESOME brand doing AWESOME work in a similar industry as us! This, my friends, is called networking - and we love it! 

Podcasting presents an opportunity for you to connect with other people in your genius zone and start to have those impactful conversations that leave you, and your audience, feeling inspired!

Here Are 5 Steps To Starting Your Podcast Today!

1. Create a vision for your podcast and understand the audience you want to reach/impact.

2. Create 5-8 themed questions to ask each guest.

3. Choose the platform(s) you want your podcast episodes to be accessible on (Youtube, Spotify, etc.)

4. Utilize tools like Zoom for recording your episodes.

5. Have fun with your podcast and use it to have the conversations that are really meaningful to you!

So what are you waiting for? If you’re looking for a social media platform that gives you the freedom to show up authentically, to increase brand awareness and connect with your audience all at once - this is the answer! 

Here’s How We Use Zoom For Our Podcast!

Click Here To Install The Zoom App

Step 1 

Record your episode on Zoom. 

Step 2

Download the recording to your computer and move it to your phone using a USB cable.

Step 3

Download the video editing app Powerdirector.

Step 4

Edit your video and export as MP4.

Step 5

Upload MP4 to YouTube (or other streaming platform) and add a thumbnail cover! 
 

Stay In Touch With Our Team At OSM!

“Marketing is really just about sharing your passion.” - Michael Hyatt 

It doesn’t have to be elaborate with perfect video or sound quality. It doesn’t have to be planned down to the second. And it doesn’t have to be the best thing you’ve ever created. 

In fact, it can be awkward, a little choppy and a lot uncomfortable when you first start - ours was! 

But that’s the beauty of it. Because people aren’t looking for perfection, they’re looking for connection. 

So start sharing your authentic, passionate, REAL life...

And then tell us how it goes!