Part Time Marketing Person

tarmon

I'm running a small activity based business in Roscommon. I'm struggling with the marketing side of things. Just wondering if anyone has any experience of hiring someone for say one day a week to work on marketing strategies? I have a limited budget (who hasn't!!) so want to get the best bang for my buck so to speak.
Thanks for any insight you can provide.

Buttercake

Summer is almost here and you could easily get a marketing student to work as an unpaid internship for 3-months when they finish college.

Mrs OBumble

Buttercake wrote: »

Summer is almost here and you could easily get a marketing student to work as an unpaid internship for 3-months when they finish college.

If you go that, make damn sure that they keep good records for what they ahve done, and that you get the passwords for any on-line accounts they have used (or ownership of pages etc transferred to you), before they go.

Also - are you struggling 'cos you don't know what to do (intern = bad idea, they need supervision), or because you don't have enough time to do everything needed (intern = good idea, provided you can supervise them enough).

A happy go lucky students can destroy a brand easily enough, if not closely supervised.

Axwell

Buttercake wrote: »

Summer is almost here and you could easily get a marketing student to work as an unpaid internship for 3-months when they finish college.

The point of an internship is that they come in and gain experience in a business they are interested in. They need to be supervised, they are there to learn as they work, not as cheap/free labour for an experience role in a business.

The OP is looking for someone to deal with the marketing side of the business which they are struggling with. If its an area they dont know well an intern isnt going to learn anything from them and effectively will be the head of marketing from day one and left to their own devices, if the OP doesnt have time to manage it but has the knowledge then they can maybe guide an intern but they are still going to have to invest time in managing the intern as Mrs O Bumble said.

Duckett

what is the job description and what sector are you in?

tarmon

Thanks for the replies everyone. Its a case of not having the time and also not having the skillset. I don't have a marketing background. I am learning as I go but I don't have a lot of time to invest in it. I didn't want to go the intern route because as Axwell and Mrs O'Bumble said that will require time in training them and supervising and ultimately they wont learn a whole lot from me.
I guess what I'm looking for is someone who could do a day or half day a week on a marketing strategy. It would need to be specific, targeted and measurable to ensure I'm not just throwing money at it.
What I am interested in knowing is does anyone have experience of going this route? What costs are likely for a day or half day per week?

Thanks,
T

M.T.D

Your marketing strategy is one of the main factors affecting how your business will progress.
Do not let a student or part time dabbler direct your business.
Have chat with someone that can analyse your market and business and produce for you a "Marketing Plan/Strategy".

If a potential client that has a budget for marketing this is what we do first.
This "Marketing Report" tells you what the existing market, competition, etc. are doing, summaries where/how you have said you want your company/business to progress and recommends a strategy based on this information.
Generally there will be things you can do yourself, some a member of staff can do and some that it is more cost effective to outsource.
Getting the report done first gives you the information to make informed decisions and will save both time and money that would otherwise be wasted by doing ineffective marketing.

Triangla

OP - You could get in touch with a professional marketing company. Use Google for a list.

Let them know your objectives and goals, let them also know your budget. Between the two of you should find some kind of solution that is appropriate.

As per previous posts, marketing is not something to let a dabbler in charge of. It's your business and you're only as strong as your weakest link.

Duckett

Have you contacted the Roscommon Local Enterprise Office - they may be aware of individuals you could consider. Does the person need to be local?

pedronomix

OP, at least you recognise that you have a marketing deficit, a start at least. You say it is an "activity based" enterprise but what does this mean? Is it a farm/park/lake or river based "experience" games etc?. If so you are looking at a Brennan Brother type " At Your Service" marketing plan. First you need the plan and only then find a way to execute it within the available budget

KBR

Hi Tarmon, I'm with Buttercake I would say get a marketing student in RIGHT NOW. They are getting their 3rd year placements now - you may be too late but look up what RTC has these courses within the region - they'll have a work placement co-ordinator. Then go a bit further afield - maybe the Dubln colleges and ask have they any students that come from roscommon. I have taken 1 on maybe 4 occasions - have one right now & they are brilliant.
You sound like a small company so what do you really want? - someone to make your brochures look good? someone to manage your website images/text/news? someone to create an email marketing campaign? All can be time consuming so you put them off but they're relatively simple things, and can be very low cost.
The student won't destroy your brand - what I find destroys it is inactivity. Just get your message out, try the student and I'll bet they'll look at things a bit different sometimes and give you new ideas.
I wouldn't be too hung up with a strategy - you're not Microsoft - of course you need one - but just start out simply - what did I do last year/5 years? What would I like to do next year / 5 years? How will I do it? It's going to change as opportunities present themselves anyway.
The student will be delighted to get good practical experience.
Best of luck & feel free to PM for ideas when you get started with this.

Gareth Sherry

Hey Tarmon,

some good advice on the thread. In my experience, I struggled with interns and I do have good marketing skills. In general interns need a lot of handholding. Sitting them at a computer for the day is a waste of their time and yours.

Marketing is one of the most important drivers of success in your business. Don't shrimp on the investment in this area. A skilled marketer could double your sales and teach you critical lessons for the long term promotion of your business. Get the very best talent you can afford.

thanks

Gareth