Many Central Florida business owners think they only have two options when it comes to marketing:
- Hire outside freelancers and develop a team that can execute on all your marketing goals
- Build an in-house marketing team that will constantly work on your marketing exclusively
Naturally, there are weak points to both these approaches.
Freelancers have a tendency to be inconsistent. Even if they have the basic skills they need to work on your marketing strategy, they may not use industry best practices. They might or might not have access to the best marketing technology, let alone the ability to apply it to different challenges.
Constructing an in-house marketing team might seem like the obvious next step when it’s time to scale. Some Florida SMBs are ready to make that commitment, but they should do so knowing the drawbacks.
It can take months to fill each role within an in-house team – the more senior the position, the longer it requires. The overhead from each new hire is significant. Worst of all, the team spends much of its first year reinventing the wheel. Processes and procedures need to be designed, tested, and refined.
Once things are consistently moving in the right direction, it may still be another year before you secure consistent results. All in all, your most diligent efforts to launch an in-house marketing team probably won’t deliver the outcomes you expect for about 24 months.
And that’s if you start today.
What’s the alternative? Managed marketing services from a Central Florida digital marketing agency you know you can trust. A marketing agency “near me” offers you all of the advantages of an in-house team with none of the issues that can add so much drag to your finances.
What Are Managed Marketing Services All About?
A marketing agency needs a certain combination of experience, skill, and talent to offer true managed marketing services. At New York Ave, we use this term to mean the gold standard of “done for you” marketing, representing a full stack of the most effective techniques in a strategy tailored to you.
Don’t be misled: The term “managed marketing services” doesn’t mean you do a little bit of everything and see what sticks. It also doesn’t mean you pay for a bunch of stuff you never use.
On the contrary – a marketing agency with managed services should be able to provide the complete menu of digital marketing options, then narrow it down to what will help you reach your goals. All you need to do is bring your vision for the business, communicate it, and leave the execution to the pros.
You can be as involved (or not) as you wish, but you’ll never be left wondering what’s going on.
Managed marketing services in Florida typically include:
The Managed Marketing Model Is Easier, Less Expensive, and More Efficient
Compared to companies building their own in-house team (and often spending hundreds of thousands in the process) a marketing agency gets more done for half the cost. It typically costs around $3,000 to engage an agency’s services, compared to $7,000+ to hire a marketing director.
One of the best elements of managed marketing is just how easy it is for you.
You don’t have to worry about recruiting a team of freelancers, managing their workflow, keeping them on task, or replacing them when they inevitably disappear. While some freelancers will certainly charge less than an agency, they often deliver 10% or less of what an agency can, too.
You also don’t have to go on a hiring spree, craft employee retention plans, beef up your employee benefits and compensation, set aside money for ongoing training, allocate even more funds for a barrage of pricey software tools, or deal with any of the other issues that come with hiring.
What happens instead? The workflow looks something like this:
1. Setting Expectations
The opening meeting sets the tone for the whole relationship. In the past, we’ve always encouraged our first-time clients to visit in person. A friendly chat over coffee and a chance to meet the office dog make a real difference. After all, a relationship is all about the people behind it.
During this phase, we answer all of your questions – then start the important work of getting to know you and what makes your business different. Based on your goals, we’ll architect a complete managed marketing services plan with a clear timeline to get you from Point A to Point B.
It can take about three months for a new digital marketing strategy to gain traction, but you will start to see results from the very beginning. Plus, you can rest assured your digital marketing project manager is always just a quick call, email, or text away. We are with you for the whole journey.
2. Reviewing Updates
Sometimes, a marketing agency will dump a bunch of raw data on you and call it good.
We go a step beyond the standard approach by making sure clear, actionable lessons are surfaced in every report. A monthly meeting gives us the opportunity to show exactly the progress you’re making and respond immediately to questions or concerns.
After a new marketing approach takes hold – whether it’s email, social media, or anything else – it should consistently deliver improvement in key metrics. For instance, email lists need subscribers or your message won’t connect. We’ll show you what your monthly gains are and how you got them.
3. Making Adjustments
No plan is perfect, and there’s bound to be lessons learned along the way. You might discover that your audience is much more active on Facebook than Twitter, for example, and decide to give the bird the old heave ho. Each adjustment makes your campaigns more powerful, efficient, and cost-effective.
Now, that’s real growth hacking.
Because changes to your marketing are always data-driven, you never have to worry that your budget is going to more art than science. Our goal is to prove our value every month and show you the milestones toward the big, game-changing outcomes you defined back at the beginning.
4. Reaping the Windfall
With managed marketing services, you can take a completely hands-off approach if you wish. In some industries, it’s a great idea for the business owner to be present in video storytelling. In many others, you can simply leave it to your Central Florida marketing agency.
Once your marketing mix matches your goals and resonates with your customers, you’ll usually find yourself investing a consistent amount each month – no surprises. The goal of any honest marketing agency is to deliver many times the value of your money.
At New York Ave, we’ve been doing exactly that for years.
With our help, Central Florida businesses just like yours have grown and scaled to the next level without the headache of in-house marketing. Contact us today and discover how it can work for you.
