What Is a Virtual Marketing Director? (old)
Every business owner gets to the point where they need outside help. The problem with spending money on marketing help is there are too many "do-it-yourself" platforms out there that make marketing look easy. You use a template, plug in your information, and voila! Marketing done.
But it never works just like you had hoped. Something is a little off, or you don't have the time to optimize it just right.
Either way, your cost-saving solution just ended up wasting a bunch of your precious time.
The Problem
The problem is you don't have the budget to hire someone full-time to run your marketing strategy. The average full-time marketing manager or marketing director expects a salary between $50,000-$70,000 per year. That doesn't include all of the other benefits, including health insurance and 401k matching. All of this for someone to run your social media strategy and update your website?
Now I am not trying to minimize the benefits of a great marketing director. Still, most small businesses can not afford to hire someone full-time to manage their website, develop new marketing strategies, and lead a team of creatives.
A virtual marketing director can do all of these things plus so much more, and they are a fraction of the cost. But first, let's define what a virtual marketing director is.
VMD Defined
A virtual marketing director is an individual who works for you but is not on your payroll. They have a vested interest in your business' success because you keep them employed in the same way a virtual assistant works. If they make your life easier and benefit the company, you will keep them around. So they work hard to get to know your company, your culture, and your systems so that he/she can work within the structure you have already created.
A virtual marketing director leads a team of other professionals who will help create your digital marketing content, build and maintain your website, craft and deploy sales funnels, and manage your social media. They act like a conductor leading a digital marketing symphony. They oversee and direct all aspects of your digital marketing to ensure everyone is speaking the same language.
Speaking of language. Your virtual marketing director will have a background in copywriting. They will also be a Certified StoryBrand Guide trained in copywriting.
A virtual marketing director benefits you, the business owner because you only have to work with one person. You do not need to coordinate a copywriter, a graphic designer, a web developer, a social media manager, and an SEO expert. You get to work with one person and get reports from one person about your projects' progress.
Now we have covered what a virtual marketing director is; it is time to talk about all of the things they can do for you.
Your Marketing Pro
Every business needs a clean, clear website. We all know this. Yet very few websites are built for speed and clarity.
Often this happens because small business owners hire a web designer who ends up writing their copy. This person may be great at designing websites, but they pull the wording from your old website (sound familiar?).
If you are taking the time and energy to create a new website for your business, it is critical to craft the words on your website carefully.
People are in a hurry. When someone comes to your website, it needs to load fast and communicate what you do immediately. You need to list a benefit or two and tell them how to get started. It is essential to communicate this in the first 5 seconds of someone coming to your website. If you don't, they will click the back button, and you will never see them again.
A virtual marketing director has access to a full team. A team that includes copywriters, graphic designers, web developers (not just designers but actual coders), SEO strategists, social media managers, and business coaches who can help create a marketing strategy that complements your business.
If you need a new website, a virtual marketing director can help you. If you need to create a sales funnel to build your email list, a virtual marketing director can help you. If you need to create Google Ads or Facebook Ads, a virtual marketing director can help you.
If it uses words or images to help you sell your product or service, a virtual marketing director can help you.
VMD Versus a Traditional Agency
So how is a virtual marketing director different from hiring a marketing agency?
Most marketing agencies are large and expensive. They do have teams of great people who can help you create great content, but they are not often available to small businesses. Big marketing firms also work on an hourly basis. As a small business owner, you need to know how much things are going to cost you. You don't want to get stuck paying a massive bill because your project took longer than you expected.
A company that specializes in providing virtual marketing directors, on the other hand, is built to be efficient and to save money while still providing agency-level quality content. Many virtual marketing directors can work remotely and on virtual teams.
On top of that, an excellent virtual marketing director will price your project based on the deliverables you want. You should know precisely what it is going to cost to build your website, create a sales funnel, and create your on-going SEO campaign.
So to review so far: A virtual marketing director can create any marketing collateral you would need. They have access to a vast pool of talent at a fraction of a large agency's cost. They provide written proposals with exact prices for your deliverables. Some companies may even spread those costs out over time, making the investment even more reachable for small businesses.
At The Virtual Marketing Directors, we have been building successful content, websites, sales funnels, ad campaigns, and SEO strategies for businesses just like yours.
Our VMDs have access to a comprehensive team of designers, developers, web strategists, and writers. Our team of trained professionals is at your disposal to create anything you business needs. We know that every business is different and has different needs.
You may need an entirely updated website that includes a sales funnel.
Or you may have a well-established website that is not getting the traffic you expect. So an SEO campaign may be right for you.
Maybe you need help simplifying what you do. You need a professional copywriter to create the words that will get people to engage with your website.
One of our favorite things to do is teach business owners about how their websites works.
The web has become a complicated place once you get past basic searches and checking your email. Google's algorithm for displaying search results is sophisticated. It takes many different components into account when it decides which websites to show. While keywords were the key to search about 5 to 10 years ago, much has changed.
There is a lot of confusion around digital ads too. Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and even LinkedIn Ads all have different pros and cons that need to be understood before you invest in them. It is crucial to know how much money you need to spend to get a return on your investment.
If you want to learn more about how digital ads work, click here.
We Know Small Business
We know small businesses because we are a small business. You want to offer the best products and services to your clients. There are so many tools, websites, and resources out there that can help you. It can be hard to know which resources and programs are worth your time.
That is why we have compiled a brand new resource for you. This guide provides 30 different tools, tips, and resources for small businesses. Whether you are looking for ways to improve the way you communicate or you are looking for a new project management tool, this guide is for you.
Almost everything in this guide is something we have used or are using right now to grow our business. As a digital agency, we must continue to offer better products and services to our clients (that is you). We are always looking for ways to innovate and be more efficient. Only when our clients succeed, do we win.
If you have been considering hiring a marketing position for your team or looking for a marketing agency to help you grow, consult with a Virtual Marketing Director today.
We offer a free marketing analysis to answer any questions you have about your current marketing strategy. This phone call can be an excellent opportunity to get some free advice about where to spend your marketing budget this year (even if it is not with us).
Click the button below to schedule a free marketing assessment with one of our Virtual Marketing Directors at a time most convenient for you.
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