To DIY or not to DIY, that is the marketing question...

If you go on Facebook, you might notice stories of DIYers that have managed to 'hack' marketing and build their business successfully. That's not what happens to the majority of us.

If you're a start-up it can be a complex mine field; often because of limited assets and resources whether it's time, money or expertise. If your business is already growing, you can always improve, make tweaks or grow faster. There are certain aspects of small business marketing, like blogging and social media that you can save money on and do yourself. New Zealanders like to think DIY is in their DNA, but should you always DIY your marketing? Or should you outsource, even just the more technical aspects?

The first question you should ask yourself is; what are your assets? Here we'll cover your assets in terms of expertise, time and money.

1. Expertise

Does marketing come naturally to you? If it does, perfect.

Or do you get overwhelmed thinking about advertising, content and social media? If you still want to go it alone, you'll need to figure out what percentage of your time and budget will go to learning the basics.

2. Time

The big one.

Here are a few questions to think about;

- Do you have the time to execute your marketing? This includes writing content, social media posts, creating online campaigns, sending newsletters... the list goes on.

- How much time out of your workday can you spend researching marketing and staying up to date on marketing techniques?

- Can you spend some of your free time to research marketing?

- Do you have the time to build a marketing plan or strategy? This is important as you don't want to be ad hoc in your approach.

3. Money

Don't take your worth for granted. Every minute you spend on a task has a dollar equivalent. The time you take on your own marketing could take away from your profits. Outside help, especially for areas that you need upskilling in, or that take a bit of time, could increase your return on investment.

So what will it be?

It really is down to your expertise, time and money. Once you've worked out your resources, check it against what your business needs in terms of marketing. Do they match up?

If you do go down the total DIY route, don't forget to choose your marketing focus based on your customer, not what you like to do. You also need to keep yourself accountable when you say you're going to do things. We often see small businesses know they need to do parts of their marketing and have the skills to do it, but instead are busy doing their work and push marketing to the side.

Remember, it's ok to reach out. Agencies can be brought in for the more technical stuff you're not familiar with, or the marketing you don't like to do yourself. It doesn't have to be an all or nothing situation. We find the best outcomes are when it's a collaborative relationship. Your agency should be an extension of your team, saving you from hours of guesswork and getting you the results you need.

Ready to go that next step from DIY Marketing? Let's talk.