11 principles for one-day-a-week marketing success explained

1. Find a good all-round marketer 

Hire a marketer that is a good all-rounder and that you can really trust. Those with lots of experience tend to be much more considered about giving advice and recommendations because they know how many variables and considerations there are. They'll also be happy to tell you what they're not an expert in too.  People who don’t know much about marketing tend to be incredibly confident in their opinions. Don’t mistake that confidence for genuine expertise. 

2. Help your marketer to be an expert on your business

Teach them as much as you can about your business and industry as quickly as possible – that includes the good, the bad, and the background to anything that might skew your prioritisation and decision making. 

3. Invest time in setting up good foundations 

It’s understandable to want lots of outputs and tangible progress when you first start working with a marketer, but a good strategy and solid brand are essential. Get them right at the start and success will follow. Get them wrong and you’ll struggle to get the results you want and waste time and money in the process.

4. Agree on realistic deliverables

Marketing is an ongoing process, and success tends to come as a result of lots of incremental improvements, and small wins combined together. Agree SMART targets and don’t expect dramatic changes in your pipeline overnight. Avoid getting distracted by new ideas and suggestions that may come from your team if they’re not of critical importance. 

5. Don’t be too hands on

Get your marketer to tell you what they should be doing with their time and let them get on with it. If they don’t have a clear idea of what needs doing, don’t hire them. If you don’t trust them to lead your marketing without you looking over their shoulder, don’t hire them - either you or your marketer is not a good fit for one-day-a-week marketing.

6. Don’t be too hands off 

Get progress updates and make sure your marketer gives you some details on the specifics of what they’ve done for your business and why. If they try to avoid doing this, you should see it as a red flag. 

7. Keep your marketer up to date

If you’re looking at making changes in your business, or there are any potential developments affecting your business or industry, let your marketer know in real time. They may be able to use it as a marketing opportunity or give you advice, ideas, or just a neutral perspective on the subject. But if they don’t know about it, they can’t do anything about it. 

8. Protect your marketer’s execution time

In the one-day-a-week model, time is the most valuable asset. Try to avoid your marketer having to chase people for approvals or info. You want your budget to be spent on getting results not on admin.

9. Absorb the expertise 

Marketing can seem like a pretty simple discipline but it’s a lot more complicated than people think. A good marketer will help you to understand the ‘what’, ‘why’, ‘when’ and ‘how’ so you can improve your marketing knowledge. This should help you to have a better and more efficient working relationship. If they’re not interested in helping you to develop a better understanding, see it as a red flag. They either don’t know enough to be able to explain or don’t care enough about your business’s success to help you develop crucial knowledge that will support future decision-making.

10. Collaborate and listen

Give your marketer your ideas but don’t expect them to always act on them. You know your business and industry better than your marketer does so don’t be afraid to share ideas or interesting things you’ve seen other businesses do. But if they advise against it, listen to their reasons why. Their recommendations will usually come from past experience and will be in your business’s best interests. 

11. Focus on the big picture

Don’t sweat the small stuff.  Focus the time you have on things that will have a real effect on your pipeline. Not small things that it's likely that no one will notice. 

If you're interested in hiring me for a one-day-a-week marketing service, you can find my pricing here and you can either book a call with me or send an email to emma@herkessmarketing.com. 

If you're not sure you need marketing support, I offer a free marketing audit to help you understand your marketing strengths and weaknesses.