How to find your ideal marketer

Marketing is as much a creative pursuit as it is an organisation of resources. I’ve seen big business marketers step back to smaller businesses and work wonders.

I have also seen SMEs get dragged down by the big-business mindset. So where should you, as a soloist, source the best marketing help for your business?

Big-business marketers typically have greater knowledge, appreciation and skill in the art of building a brand.

Dealing in a world where the word brand can be heard spoken dozens of times in every marketing meeting places your big business marketing person at a big advantage when it comes to making a name for yourself.

Still, an appreciation of branding is not enough. Many marketers struggle with the transition to working with smaller businesses, underestimating their vastly different environment.

As a marketer, there are four main differences between promoting a start-up or small business to a big brand:

• You’re the go-to-guy – You probably won’t have a graphics department, media agency, board of executives, team of interns or a company table tennis table.
• You’re constantly under scrutiny – Sure, you can be under a great deal of scrutiny at a large business, but there’s no one in which to pass blame. You’ve got a challenge on your hands and it’s up to you.
• You won’t have the resources to win by outspending – Where you may have relied upon bought repetition, you have to rely on a more effective
• You have to be on the pulse – Small businesses don’t have layers of management to go through so you must be aware of what’s going on around you and quick to execute. You don’t have subordinates to help keep track of the market. It’s all on you.

Start-ups are in a special situation. You’re desperate to prove yourself, demonstrate how you’re improving the market and build a brand that is to become recognized and respected.

There are several qualities that a marketer will need in order to succeed in a small business environment:

1.            Creative

2.            Savvy

3.            Resourceful

4.            Confident (ballsy even)

5.            Driven to make a lot out of a little

6.            Accountable

7.            Organised

If your chosen marketing consultant has many of these skills, is up for the challenge and has the experience to match, you may have just found yourself your new marketer!