Should You Hire a Full-Service Brand Manager or Just a Website Designer?

web-design-brand-managementA couple of posts ago, we talked about how to be your own brand manager for your small business.
One of the first tasks in launching your brand is to set up a self-hosted and professional website. As a business owner, you can hire a web designer, and then do everything else yourself after your website is up and running.
However, after working to build a business, not every business owner will have the resources needed to take on the myriad tasks involved in brand marketing. While there are advantages to doing everything yourself, it may not always be feasible for everyone.
There are times when hiring a full-service brand and communications manager is best for your business. A full-service brand manager takes care of everything your business needs to attract more customers, establish and maintain a robust online presence, and present a consistent and professional company image.
This includes tasks such as creating a custom website, setting up social media accounts, providing content for webpages, blogs and newsletters, and providing consultation when needed. Some brand management companies, like Connection Group, even offer additional services in advertising and print communications such as corporate brochures and any item that communicates your brand message to your customer.
Today we’ll talk about how to evaluate whether it would be best for you to be your own brand manager, or if you should entrust the tasks involved in marketing to someone else. Some of the factors you need to consider include your available time, resources, expertise, interest, ability, and skills. We’ll take a look at three of those factors below:
Do You Have the Time?
Time is one of the most valuable resources of a small business owner. Many entrepreneurs put in far more hours than a full-time worker. What many don’t realize is that managing a brand (not just a company) requires a huge investment of careful thought and time.
Are you able to put in the hours needed to build a website or Facebook page, write press releases, blog articles and social media posts, craft newsletters, create visual displays, and monitor customer engagement? These are just some of the tasks that a brand manager can do for your company on a regular basis.
Do You Have the Expertise?
Launching an effective marketing campaign requires specific skills and knowledge. If you’re going to build your brand from the ground up, for example, some of the skills that you will need are website development, search engine optimization, graphic and print design, familiarity with social media, writing, and marketing ability.
If you don’t already have this type of expertise, ask yourself whether you are able to spend the time required to study and gain the skills you need.
Do You Have an Interest in Marketing?
Having a passion for your business and having a passion for marketing your business are two different things. In the same way that the skills required to make a product or provide a service are different from the skills necessary to spread the word about that product or service, your excitement over what your company offers may not translate to excitement for the type of marketing needed to reach and cultivate new customers.
As a business owner, one of the decisions you have to make is to weigh the benefits of investing in a skilled brand manager versus putting in the time to do it yourself. How many hours are you willing to spend on marketing every week? Do you have the knowledge, skills and interest to carry it through to the long-term?
If you would like to know more about what a full-service brand manager can do for your company, contact us today. Connection Group offers a free initial consultation. We can assess where you are in your online brand and marketing efforts. If all you need is a professionally-designed website, we can do that for you too. Remember, that first consultation is on us!

3 Comments
  1. I’m in the process of launching my book. I plan on building s brand with a website and several more books… Can you recommend a company that’s good?

    • We help authors and professional speakers build their brands online and print. Please give us a call or send your contact information. We can discuss your goals and see if we can be a good fit for you.

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