The next big thing is always just around the corner and if you don’t master it…your business will suffer. Or will it? This, as well as things like budget, resource and need, tends to put people off committing to marketing activities.

When talking to our prospective customers, we run into a lot of questions and misconceptions about what marketing is and isn’t – spurred on mostly by these three prevailing myths:

You started your business based on an idea, a product, a service. It most likely fills a gap in the market, or competes with other products, and addresses a need that your ideal customer has. How, then do you communicate with potential customers? How do you reach your target market?

The answer: marketing.

Marketing is definitely worth it because without it, the odds of finding your customers, growing your business and fostering long-term success are very slim.

However, bear in mind marketing is so much than just social media or emailing prospects. And there is no such thing as a quick fix – a campaign here for boosted lead gen, or a paid social programme there to boost sales.

For us here at Brevity Marketing, we believe that marketing forms the very foundation on which to build long-term success. Our approach is based on five principles, personality, people, performance, personalise and purpose, getting all those elements to work together in an ongoing concert of improvement. Yes, we do social media, content marketing and SEO, but it’s all part of a wider strategy.

Let’s say we’ve convinced you; your business does need marketing.

How do you afford marketing? Looking at myth #1 that we’ve successfully dispelled, the real question is can you afford not to.

Here’s a simplified solution: meet Charlie, your virtual marketer.

No, we’re not suggesting outsourcing it to AI.

We suggest looking at your marketing spend like you would an employee – i.e. Charlie. Allocate a salary to Charlie (either based on the average salary of employees at your company or a defined percentage of your budget) and put that money away each month for a set period of time, say six months. At the end of the period, if you haven’t needed that money, you can afford to hire a real Charlie. Or outsource your marketing to a team of Charlies.

The good news is (if you bust myth #2) now you can afford marketing. What’s the next step? Who is going to do it?

The reality is that not just anyone can do it. It does require, experience and expertise.

If you’re a business owner, the temptation may be to do it yourself or give it to someone else in your team. But it will most likely take a back seat to running the business, which is your focus. You do have other options – hire a junior to execute your strategy, post on social media, email your customers, update your website. But… marketing needs experience and it typically needs more than one pair of hands.

Another option is to hire someone more senior – good with strategic thinking but time is in short supply when it comes to tactical implementation, especially as they will be responsible for everything from updating your website and creating content, to social media strategy and campaigning.

There is a third option. You could outsource it – either to complement the skills you have in-house, help your marketing junior optimise your strategy, help your senior marketer with tactical executive, or outsource it as a complete service.

What are the benefits of outsourcing? Consider Brevity as an example: the team has a diverse range of skills, from marketing strategy, SEO and CRM experts, to dedicated copywriters and sustainability specialists. And as a client, you have access to all of those skills.