Why You Should Hire a Marketing Strategist in 2024
Bringing in and hiring help for your small business can be one of the most overwhelming but beneficial factors to your business. We don’t always know when it’s the right time to hire someone and we might not even know who to hire for our needs at the time.
In my opinion, a marketing strategist is one of those highly beneficial investments you can make in your business and the majority of businesses could benefit from one… but if you’re marketing savvy, you may not actually need one!
So let’s explore what a marketing strategist is, what they can help with, why you might need one in 2024, and how to know if a marketing strategist is the right fit for your needs.
What is a marketing strategist?
A marketing strategist is responsible for identifying marketing opportunities and developing innovative concepts and campaigns for an organization based on research and data to help achieve specific goals across various channels, methodologies, approaches, buyers, and industries.
We look at the client’s target market (or help develop this!) and identify which marketing avenues a company should use to reach that market (for example, Instagram vs. LinkedIn or email marketing vs. direct marketing — or both!). Then we develop a similar high-level strategy for each of those avenues that can then be utilized in a marketing plan (the specific steps to take to execute your marketing).
What can a marketing strategist help with?
A marketing strategy can help you create a comprehensive high-level marketing strategy or just various elements within your overall strategy. The biggest benefit of a marketing strategist is that we help put all the pieces of the puzzle together to create a crystal clear picture of your brand and marketing efforts.
So yes, a marketing strategist’s main job is to create a high-level marketing strategy for your company but here are a few of the key areas that a marketing strategist helps with:
Identifying, understanding, and finding the right target market
Identifying competitors and what makes you different
Building a brand identify/strategy that will connect with them (not all marketing strategists help with this though)
Developing messaging to connect with target market
Developing your entire marketing strategy
Why should you hire a marketing strategist in 2024?
A lot can change and shift from year to year so having a marketing expert on your side can help alleviate a lot of the pressure and second-guessing in the adjustments you need to make to keep up with those changes. I’ve noticed a lot of changes since the pandemic and if you haven’t figured out how to adjust your strategy over the last few years to get the results you want, then you likely need a marketing strategist.
1. Marketing platforms and strategies are rapidly changing.
What worked for you in 2022 might not still be effective in 2024 and what worked in 2021 or before is highly unlikely to work. The marketing principles typically stand the test of time but the tactics used shift dramatically.
Think about how much just Instagram has changed over the last year or two. It went from being a photo sharing platform primarily to now being a video sharing platform primarily. Yes, you can still share photos to the platform but you likely no longer see the same results you once did. If you shared that same type of content (the marketing principle) but just in video form (the tactic), you’ll likely see better results.
A marketing strategist can help you determine what fundamental principles to keep in your strategy and what tactics needs to be adjusted. Plus, they can come up with some innovative solutions to help you keep up with these rapid changes in various marketing platforms and strategies.
2. As your business grows, the marketing strategies you use will change.
But how do you know which strategies to integrate as you grow?
This all comes down to your business, your target market, and the industry you’re in. It’s a marketing strategist’s job to identify the strategies that will help you grow now and in the future.
We can also help you hone in on any changes in your target market and what changes need to be made to your current strategy to reach them.
3. Buyer’s behaviors are changing.
If you’ve been in business since before the pandemic, you’ve likely noticed that buyer’s behaviors are changing and that means you need to keep up with that… And this could be very specific to your target market.
For example, my target market is much more likely to work with brands that share their core values and are incredibly transparent than they previously had been. Because of this, I’ve started a monthly email to my list called “what’s working and what’s not” detailing the good, the bad, and the ugly of my own business and I don’t shy away from sharing my beliefs (yes, even my political beliefs!).
For you, maybe the lead time between clients reaching out and signing has extended because your target market is more conscious about money. Or maybe they’re comparing the value they’ll get between you and your competitors much more closely than before. These changes cannot be ignored, especially if you’re seeing a lower conversion.
4. Your target market has shifted.
As you grow and evolve in business, your target market will likely shift (or you’ll simply get to know them better). It may shift drastically or it may shift subtly. Either way, you need to adjust your marketing efforts to reach them.
A marketing strategist can help you identify what this shift is (aka build a new client avatar for you) and how you can most effectively reach them and convert them into clients.
What are the signs you need a marketing strategist?
It’s not alway obvious if you need to work with a marketing strategist so here are some signs that might indicate your marketing efforts could benefit from the help of an expert:
Sales are low or have slowed down
The strategies you’ve previously used are no longer producing the same results
You’re getting leads but they’re not converting to sales
Attracting the wrong leads
Who is a marketing strategist good for?
A marketing strategist can help you in a variety of stages in your business but it’s typically best in the following stages:
Businesses just starting out so you can set the foundations and build more quickly
Businesses that are ready to take things to the next level but not sure how to do that with their marketing
Businesses noticing some kind of dysfunction (aka not seeing results) and need help identifying what’s happening and how to fix it
Long story short, if you’re not seeing the results you want and/or you’ve made some changing in your business, a marketing strategist can help guide you and your marketing in the right direction to achieve your goals!
Want help with your marketing?
My Strategy Intensives provide you with a complete brand and marketing strategy based on market research and analysis and your own business metrics.
Not sure what you need but know you could use some support? Reach out and I’ll help guide you in the right direction (whether that’s working with me or not!)
