If you're looking to hire a small business marketing firm, you might need help when it comes to knowing who to hire. Not all marketing firms provide the same level or quality of help. If you aren't sure what type of help your small business needs from a marketing firm, it can be confusing. Here are two of the tips that may help your small business find the help it needs.

The Right Small Business Marketing Firm Will Help You Build the Right Strategy

There are many different kinds of small business marketing needs where a firm can help. Different marketing firms have other skills, and a good firm will start with your business goals and marketing strategies. For example, Marketing Insider Group writer Michael Brenner wrote about outsourcing content creation. It's a great example of all specialties that a content creator can provide.  

It's also an excellent example of how easy it is to get confused if you don't have a strategy in place. The first and most important question you should ask yourself is, how important is content for achieving my business objectives? This is vital for some small business owners, but it's not universal. Taking a strategic view of what it is you need to succeed will dramatically improve the likelihood you will find the right small business marketing firm to help.  

Once you have a strategy, it easier to see if the services of a marketing firm will meet them.

The Right Strategy Will Help Dictate How Much You Need to Be Involved

One of the key things to consider is how much involvement will be required from you. Depending on your marketing strategy, that can vary from a little to a lot. A small business marketing firm can help you, but without the right support from you, it's unlikely to be as successful as it could be.  

If the small business marketing firm starts selling from the start, move on. The same applies if the firm doesn't clearly explain why something they mention is noteworthy. Finally, if they don't ask you what your marketing strategy and business goals are, then you're in the wrong place.

Hubspot writer Matthew Creswick spoke about this in his post "When You Should (and Shouldn't) Outsource Marketing." The most important point he makes regards involvement. Some small business owners will outsource everything; others will want to keep everything in-house. Then, some small business owners will want to use a combination. The strategy you choose, first and foremost, will help decide the level of involvement and help a small business marketing firm should provide. We've shared our thinking on this subject in our post DIY or outsource digital marketing.

To Conclude…

Once again, here are two things to remember when hiring a marketing firm to help your small business.

1. Set your marketing strategy first. Your marketing strategy guides everything else. Without it, you’re driving without GPS. You might get to your destination, but there are no guarantees. But, it's a given that you'll get their faster with a GPS.
2. You cannot set it and forget it. It's tempting to do so, but it's not likely to turn out well. The degree of involvement is highly dependent on the strategy you choose. Some require more. Some less, but all require some.