Whether you’re flying solo, or leading a large corporation with an established marketing team, we could all use more help. Social Media Marketing, Email, Search Engine Optimization, Funnels and Lead Generation… these areas are as filled with uncertainty as a china cabinet during an earthquake. And they’re just as fragile. Invest in the wrong platform, or utilize the wrong technique, and you could waste tremendous amounts of money and opportunity.
- Is Instagram right for your business?
- How should you be using video today?
- Is blog content still important?
These are the kinds of questions every business has right now, and it’s hard to find the answer without paying for pricey consultants.
Just how much money can you invest into your marketing right now? Can you afford to get help?
You could hire someone else, but that’s both expensive and risky.
According to PayScale.com, the average Social Media Marketer’s salary in the U.S. is $48,970. If you want to hire someone that’s particularly experienced and can provide valuable leadership and industry insight, their salary will obviously be far higher than that. And there’s no guarantee that the person you hire will be the right fit or solution.
You could bring in an outside contractor – a social media expert who can provide individualized advice and recommendations. That’s likely less expensive and less risky than a new hire, but it’s also not without it’s own challenges. You might spend a lot up front only to find that someone’s not as good as they claim, or doesn’t have all of the skills you need. Or, worse, can’t deliver the results you need as quickly as you need them.
Are you better off just trying to figure things out on your own?
Why Is A Marketing Team Important?
If that thought exercise feels familiar, it’s because, like you, many other businesses have gone through the same process. Savvy owners and CEOs recognize the need for good branding and marketing, and see that the entire marketing landscape has been in flux for decades.
Back in the 1950’s, marketing was all about advertising. Marketing agencies would help businesses create compelling ads for newspapers, billboards, radio and television. While it was never easy, the equation was always simple. Create compelling campaigns and pay for as much reach as you could afford. Marketing was all about the message.
“Advertising is based on one thing – happiness.” – Don Draper
Effective marketing today is far more complicated. Businesses can still utilize those traditional marketing methods and advertising mediums, but now also have to understand and employ social media, email, search, content, influencers, micro-influencers, video, podcasts, online ads, artificial intelligence(!), chatbots, click-funnels and more.
And don’t forget how effective it can be to utilize creative direct mail campaigns.
Frankly, it’s impossible for one person to be familiar with all of the above and stay up to date and actually have time to service clients. That’s why there are so many niche marketers. People who specialize in “Facebook Advertising” or “Sales Funnel Optimization.” If someone can spend their entire career doing nothing but Facebook Ads, how can the owner of a business reasonably be expected to figure it out and run effective ads?
That’s obviously where having some help – a team – is the smart play. As your business grows, it’s beholden on you to determine what to focus your own time on – where your strengths lie – and what you need to outsource or delegate. Accounting, Human Resources, Customer Service, Sales – these are all areas that businesses frequently look for help so that they can spend the majority of their time delivering their primary products or services, and marketing is no different.
But that’s not the only reason why having a marketing team in place is important.
When I was first starting my consulting business, I was creating content and sharing it to social networks. I was sharing links over and over again, trying to drive traffic and eyeballs to my content and generate sales. And while my intentions were good, my execution was poor. I was doing nothing more than spamming my networks – and my poor followers – with links.
Fortunately, I had people in my network whom I considered friends, and who were also in the marketing space, who were kind enough to tell me straight up that I was “doing it wrong” and that no one was interested in clicking on random links. I needed to “be more social on social media.” Their advice was spot on, and resulted in a dramatic turnaround for my social presence and business.
They acted as another set of eyes on my business and marketing tactics. They helped me to see what I couldn’t see on my own.
“Marketing isn’t a one trick pony. It incorporates psychology, sales, customer service, branding, trends, and more. So many business owners are overwhelmed when they take on their own marketing in addition to all the other components of their business. Working with a marketing team, that is trained and experienced in all aspects of the field as well as being at the forefront of news and updates, ensures you have the resources to build YOUR business.
No one can tell your business story better than you. No one knows the ins and outs of your business better than you. But the right marketing team can help you deliver your message more clearly, more effectively, and with the end results you desire.”
– JENN HERMAN
A marketing team, whether they’re full time staff or an external resource, will provide you with the help and insight that you need in order for your business to succeed in today’s marketing environment.
What is 360 Marketing Squad?
That’s where 360 Marketing Squad comes in.
We’ve talked about why a marketing team is so important, but we also started off by saying how expensive it can be to hire or even outsource. So what are you supposed to do?
Here’s a different approach.
First, this is an investment in you and your existing staff. Rather than hire additional employees, you’re going to arm yourself with knowledge, resources, and experience, so that you’re spending your time as effectively and efficiently as possible. You will avoid pitfalls and hurdles, and concentrate on marketing tactics that are appropriate and beneficial to businesses just like yours.
Second, this is an ongoing opportunity to both learn and network. Rather than bring in a consultant for a few hours for a month, you’re going to have ongoing access to experts and training so that you can continue to learn and improve and leverage changes and updates to marketing as they occur. You will also get to interact with other business owners who may be able to offer additional insight into your challenges, or perhaps even represent outside investment or business opportunities.
360 Marketing Squad is an exclusive, private membership community where you will have access to a number of industry experts who will be conducting live training sessions on relevant marketing topics, offering additional resources, and who will make themselves available for questions within the community at no additional charge.
And since you’re joining a community of other businesses and marketers who are all working together to learn and grow, help and be helped, the networking opportunities are extensive.
Who Is Part Of 360 Marketing Squad?
You’ve likely seen countless membership communities offered by experts in various industries. Private communities are definitely valuable investments and great opportunities to learn from those experts. But what makes 360 Marketing Squad so different is that it’s not just one expert, but FOUR. Four marketing experts who can’t wait to see you succeed and love nothing more than to geek out with you about whatever marketing questions or needs you have.
Having 4x as many experts available to answer your questions and provide much-needed guidance would be awesome in itself, but that’s not the only reason 360 Marketing Squad is exceptional.
You may have guessed by now that the “Marketing Squad” part of the name comes from the fact that there are 4 marketing experts in the group – a standard squad compliment. So what’s the “360” about?
Well, these aren’t just any 4 marketers. We came together and chose each other specifically because of the expertise we each have separately.
Jenn Herman is the world’s foremost expert on Instagram and is incredibly skilled at providing businesses with complete social media strategies.
Stephanie Liu is a genius when it comes to helping businesses leverage live video marketing, and has extensive agency experience helping businesses with all aspects of their marketing.
Amanda Robinson has a knack for making complex advertising campaigns and analytics perform exceedingly well, yet be easily understood and leveraged.
And me, Mike Allton, I’ve been helping businesses understand the importance of blogging and content for years, and can motivate even the worst writers to publish and succeed.
Together, we’re able to provide a complete three hundred and sixty degree view of today’s marketing landscape:
How To Leverage 360 Marketing Squad
At this point, you no doubt want to know specifics. What exactly does our group offer, and how much does it cost?
First, the cost is just $5 USD a month. Yes, just five bucks and you get access to all of us in a private Facebook Group.
If that’s enough said for you, you’re in, just head over to 360MarketingSquad.com and subscribe. There’s an easy PayPal button at the bottom of the page to get you into the group.
Wait, what? You want to know more? Ok…
- All four of us are in the aforementioned Facebook Group where you can post questions and get our feedback.
- At least once a month we will have a private Facebook Live Video broadcast for the group to teach on a desired topic or offer an A.M.A.-style Q&A session.
- Each month additional exclusive resources will be added to the website for members only, such as eBooks, workbooks, swipe files, etc.
We will also routinely leverage our huge combined network to bring in additional experts and perspectives in the form of exclusive webinars.
At just $5 a month, how can you afford not to get the help you need? Join today.
