Category Archives: Small Business

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Small Business Owners: Who Should You Hire for Marketing?

Small Business Owners: Who Should You Hire for Marketing? written by Jordan E read more at Duct Tape Marketing

When it comes to marketing, small business owners have a big decision to make: who should you hire to get the job done? The options are varied, each with its own set of benefits and challenges. Let’s break it down.

Table of Contents
1

In-House Marketing Team

2

Outsourced Marketing

3

The Hybrid Approach: Best of Both Worlds

4

Making Your Decision

5

Choose Your Adventure

In-House Marketing Team

Bringing marketing in-house means you get total control over everything. You can give real-time input on strategies, tweak campaigns as needed, and stay in the loop on daily tasks. Plus, your team is 100% focused on your business, so their efforts are super tailored to what you want.

Sounds great, right? Well, here’s the catch—this setup can get really expensive, really fast. Small businesses often can’t afford to hire senior-level marketers, let alone build an entire team of specialists. For example, just hiring a Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), Marketing Director, or VP of Marketing can set you back anywhere from $15,363 to $29,732 per month. And that’s just one person!

If you want a full team (think SEO pros, content creators, web developers, designers, etc.), you’re looking at an average of $6,348 per specialist per month. Ouch.

Key Roles & Costs:

  • CMO, Marketing Director, or VP of Marketing
    • Monthly Cost: $15,363 – $29,732
    • Pros: You get a seasoned marketing expert who’s fully dedicated to your business. 
    • Cons: The cost is high, and for many small businesses, it’s just not practical.
  • Marketing Implementers
    • Monthly Cost per Specialist: $6,348
    • Pros: With dedicated specialists (like social media managers, SEO experts, or designers), you get quality work in specific areas.
    • Cons: Costs add up quickly. Plus, without a unified strategy, you might end up with a marketing team that’s not always on the same page.

Outsourced Marketing

Outsourcing your marketing can be a much more budget-friendly option. You get access to outside experts without needing to hire full-time employees. But be warned: finding the right partner is key, or you could end up wasting time and money on a setup that doesn’t fit your business.

Fractional CMO (fCMO)

  • Monthly Fees: $5,000 – $10,000
  • Pros: A Fractional CMO brings that high-level marketing expertise but at a fraction of the cost of a full-time CMO. They offer strategic direction and leadership, which can really boost your marketing efforts.
  • Cons: It’s a shift in mindset for many businesses. You’ll need to get used to a part-time leader, but with the right fit, this model can work wonders.

Marketing Agency

  • Monthly Fees: $5,000 – $15,000+
  • Pros: Agencies give you a team of specialists who cover everything from strategy to execution. You get a diverse set of skills, usually at a lower cost than hiring in-house.
  • Cons: Some agencies use a one-size-fits-all approach, which means they might not tailor their strategies to your specific needs.

Bar graph showing Chief Marketing Officer Salaries for 2024 with Caption: Chief Marketing Officer Fractional vs Full Time. Average monthly salaries shown are $5000 per client for a Fractional CMO, $15373 for a Marketing Director, $23759 for a VP of Marketing, and $29732 for a CMO. Source: Salary.com (March 2024)

The Hybrid Approach: Best of Both Worlds

If hiring a full in-house team seems like overkill but you’re not sold on outsourcing everything, the Fractional CMO Agency Model could be your sweet spot. This setup combines the senior-level expertise of a Fractional CMO with the flexibility and cost-effectiveness of outsourcing.

Here’s why it’s worth thinking about:

Fractional CMO Agency

  • Monthly Fees: $5,000 – $15,000+
  • Pros:
    • Top-Tier Expertise: You get a senior-level marketer without paying a full-time salary.
    • Cost-Effective: It’s way more affordable than building an entire in-house team.
    • Full Execution Team: The agency fills in any gaps in your team, covering all aspects of marketing.
    • Integrated Strategy: With a Fractional CMO guiding both your in-house and outsourced teams, everything stays aligned with your business goals.
    • Clear Metrics: You’ll get measurable results, so you’ll know exactly what’s working (and what’s not).
  • Cons: Switching to this model requires a bit of a mindset shift, but with the right partner, it can be a game-changer.

Making Your Decision

At the end of the day, the right choice depends on what your business needs, your budget, and your goals.

Whether you go all-in on an in-house team, outsource to the pros, or find a balance with the hybrid approach, it’s all about finding what works best for your business.

Take some time to weigh the pros and cons of each option, and find the perfect fit that aligns with your strategy and resources.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Fractional CMO Agency Model and how it could help your business, check out my post on Leveraging a Fractional CMO for Growth for more insights.

Still unsure? Let’s talk! Book a free discovery call and we can figure out what makes the most sense for you.

Choose Your Adventure

Business Owner

OR

Marketing Consultant?

Business Owners:
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Get the Ultimate Case Study for Hiring a Fractional CMO & the Marketing Audit Checklist so you know exactly where to focus.

Agencies & Marketing Consultants:
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Get the ultimate ebook to growing a Fractional CMO practice & learn our proven system.

Get your hands on our FREE Marketing Success Toolkit, which includes:

  • Discover if hiring a Fractional CMO is exactly what your business needs to increase revenue and how to hire an in-demand fractional CMO
  • The Marketing Audit Checklist: Gain crystal-clear insights into your current marketing state

Business Owners


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Get instant access to the Fractional CMO eBook, jam-packed with:

  • 50 pages of concentrated, no-fluff content featuring a proven system to generate over 6+ figures in annual recurring revenue
  • Over 28 years of proven strategies to scale your agency and earn back your entrepreneurial freedom

Agencies & Marketing Consultants


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Charting Profits: How a Clear Vision can Amplify Your Marketing Results

Charting Profits: How a Clear Vision can Amplify Your Marketing Results written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

A company’s vision is its roadmap for the future. It encompasses the organization’s long-term goals and aspirations and lays out its desired destination. Experience tells me that a successful vision is more than just an aspirational concept. It’s a practical, actionable plan that should guide every decision and action within your business, including your marketing strategy.

Understanding the Role of Vision in Marketing Strategy

In the realm of marketing, your vision takes on an especially significant role. It provides the framework within which your marketing strategy operates, informing decisions about audience targeting, channel selection, messaging, and more. If you’re a small business owner, it’s vital to grasp this connection and ensure your marketing strategy is steeply aligned with your overall business vision.

Charting Profitable Growth Goals

Armed with your vision, you can begin setting realistic and profitable growth goals. This requires translating your vision into tangible, measurable objectives. It’s not enough to say you want your business to grow. Make your goals SMART – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound – to increase your chances of success.

Maximizing Impact with a Robust Business Vision

Your vision also defines the kind of impact you wish your business to have. What image do you want to project in the market? How would you like your customers to perceive your brand? The answers to these questions should be reflected in your vision. And this vision, in turn, should shape your marketing strategy, guiding you to attract the right customers and establish a strong brand identity.

Tips for Crafting an Effective Vision Statement

A vision statement encapsulates your aspirations and paints a picture of your company’s future. It’s more than just a series of words, it’s a communication tool that tells your employees, shareholders, and customers where your company is heading.

For crafting an effective vision statement, keep the following tips in mind:

  • Keep it succinct: The best vision statements are concise yet powerful.
  • Make it future-oriented: Your vision statement should look ahead, projecting where your company aspires to be.
  • Ensure it aligns with your values: A good vision statement is in sync with your company’s values and culture.
  • Make it inspirational: Your vision statement should inspire and motivate, both internally and externally.

Making Your Vision an Integral Part of Your Business

Your vision shouldn’t be a statement you craft and then forget. It must be a living, breathing part of your everyday business practices. From product development to customer service, every aspect of your business should be guided by your vision. The more consistently you align your operations with your vision, the more powerful your marketing strategy will be.

 

Is your vision driving your marketing efforts?

Embark on a journey to uncover your business’s untapped potential with our Gap Analysis. Turn chaos into clarity and see your vision come to life, driving your marketing strategy and propelling your business toward success.


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Having a clear, well-articulated vision is not a luxury—it’s a necessity. It’s the compass that steers your marketing strategy, helping you navigate the challenges of the business landscape and stay on the path to success.

Why A Small Business Needs A Responsive Website

Why A Small Business Needs A Responsive Website written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

Responsive websites are a necessity in today’s digital marketplace. That isn’t surprising when statistics state that 51% of time spent online in the United States took place from a mobile device, rather than a personal computer. Your website should be mobile-friendly and responsive any time a user visits. Otherwise, you’re turning business away at the first click.

What is Responsive Web Design?

Though it is a common business marketing term, many small business owners still wonder what a responsive website really entails.

A responsive website, aptly named, means that the site’s web design has been developed to adapt and respond to the different forms of technology that your audience uses to view your site.

If you’ve ever opened a website on your mobile phone that seems to have you scrolling horizontally more than vertically, leaving you piecing together cut-off sentences and large photos, you’ve viewed a website that is not responsive. On the other hand, a responsive web design ensures that your visitors have a seamless experience while on your small business’s website.

What Are the Benefits of a Responsive Website?

Strategic business marketing includes many tactics to help your small business reach your goals, both online and offline. Responsive web design is a key tool, offering many valuable benefits to your online marketing efforts.

Faster Web Pages

Countless statistics indicate that internet users’ attention spans are becoming increasingly short, with more distractions than ever pulling your audience away from your site. With responsive web design, your site will be optimized. Optimization and faster webpage loading times mean that your website users will be able to more easily navigate your site, rather than getting frustrated and clicking away.

Higher Conversion Rates

With easier navigation and shorter loading times, website visitors are more likely to stay on your website and find information easily. Once your visitors are able to find your services, they are much more likely to decide on contacting you. Furthermore, a responsive web design ensures that your website remains consistent and recognizable for return customers who are using different devices to find more information about your business.

SEO Ranking

Undoubtedly, you’ve heard the term SEO. Though the term can seem vague at times, the important aspect of SEO to remember in terms of your web design’s responsiveness is that Google prefers those who have a mobile-friendly and desktop-version of their site. Even better, if your site can configure to all the tablets, large phones, and everything in between, your website will be ranked even higher in search results. Better SEO means better traffic to your website!

Less Website Upkeep

Rather than choosing a responsive web design, many small business owners choose a website with a mobile version and a desktop version. A problem arises with that solution. With the changing sizes of mobile phones and tablets, only two versions of a website prove to be a challenge. With a responsive site, an optimal layout is available for any screen size, thanks to fluid grids. Less time spent updating the sizing and layouts to keep up with technology trends means more time on what you do best!

Determine Marketing ROI More Efficiently

A responsive website provides an additional benefit to your small business’s analytics and reporting. Rather than managing multiple versions of a website, a responsive site allows you to track your audience, conversions, and traffic sources much more simply. Similar to Google awarding you through better SEO ranking, Google Analytics now caters to the responsive web design model to deliver consolidated information that gives you the whole picture on your marketing results.

A Unified, Memorable Brand

One of the key benefits of a responsive website is the ability to design one site that is applicable to all internet users. As a result, a single design delivers your brand’s look, personality, and voice in a unified fashion. Though this may seem surface level, business marketing best practices indicate that a unified brand builds loyalty and recall, which then directly converts to repeat customers.

Effortless Business Marketing

At Outreach Local Marketing, we believe that with a responsive website, your small business will be a marketing machine! Our process for website development centers around Google best practices, taking keywords, SEO, social media, and content into consideration. In the end, our goal for your responsive web design project is to create a website that ensures your business is putting your best digital foot forward. Forty percent of internet users have stated that they exclusively search on their mobile phones, so don’t let your small business fall behind the times!

About the Author

David Gersh is the founder and president of Outreach Local Marketing, a digital marketing agency based in Westlake Village, CA. Through his agency, he helps local businesses build a marketing machine that attracts leads & customers by implementing a strategy first marketing approach.