SETTING UP YOUR BUSINESS FOR SUCCESS: MARKETING STYLE
Working with a marketing agency/PR firm can be a game-changer for businesses looking to improve their marketing efforts and grow their brand. And when you do your due diligence and prepare for this type of collaboration, the results are beautiful.
But many businesses and nonprofits don’t prepare. We can’t fault them for it - when you’re first starting out, you often have a small team, a small budget, and are just trying to get things to work good enough to function.
However, what that looks like when you grow and hire an external team is a wee bit of a… hassle. Over the years, we’ve had to unravel complicated Facebook login issues that defy logic, track down defunct domain hosts and access information, and spend precious time and money building things from scratch.
Most of the articles you’ll find about setting your business up for marketing success will focus on things like defining your goals, understanding your target audience, managing your budget, and setting expectations. Not this one. Let’s get into the nitty gritty of what you really need to set yourself up for success now and as your business grows:
Collate and store a master list of all of your logins - website, email, social media, resources, etc. Update them every time you have to change a password. Include your security questions and the answers. Some business owners find it easier to assign one person to this task. Others prefer to have the document open and available so people can update as changes take place. Either way, make sure this list stays somewhere secure, easy to find and share, and is updated regularly.
Consider turning off two-factor authentication. Hear us out - we know it’s technically more secure. But having two-factor authentication on everything can get tiresome quickly. If you do choose to leave it activated, please use the main business phone line or email or the owner’s phone line or email. Do not send your verification codes to your external web designer’s phone number, or your summer intern’s email address. Please. [Some platforms allow you to add additional users, though that may come with an additional fee.}
Set up a business Facebook account. Don’t use a personal account. If you have a business account, it allows you to easily add your marketing team as admins so they can post and run ads on your behalf.
Set up a business-specific Instagram account. Don’t link your business Instagram account to your personal one, unless you want your social media manager to have full access to your personal page.
Use a domain-based email address. You’ll want to implement something like we do: hello@rbcollaborative.com. This keeps your look professional, but, more importantly, it opens the door to compliance with email platform requirements for newsletters and other marketing emails. Gmail accounts are great, but take the extra time to set up a domain-based email.
Invest in systems and automations. This is a controversial one. We know that project management systems, workflows, automations that link multiple platforms, etc. can be pricey. But you will spend more money on switching softwares and staff time if you continue to reinvent the wheel. Invest wisely in the beginning and you’ll save both time and money later!
Have a deep understanding of your budget. Alright, we lied. We said this wasn’t on the list, but it’s actually really important. When you work with an external marketing company, one of the top things they need to know is what you can afford. You don’t have to be able to afford everything, but you need to know what money is available. From hiring photographers and videographers, running ads, and creating and sending print materials, marketing costs money. It saves everyone a lot of grief if you know what you can spend before we get started.
When it comes down to it, we and other marketing firms are happy to walk you through this and help fill in the gaps when needed. But time is money, and we want to help you save both! If you’re ready to get started, or ready to hand over the tangled web you’ve woven, send us an email at hello@rbcollaborative.com.
