When to hire marketing help (and what kind)

The question usually comes up in a moment of tiredness: maybe I should hire someone to handle the marketing. Sometimes that is the right decision. Often it is a way of passing someone a problem nobody has defined yet, and paying for it.

First: what problem do you want to solve?

Before thinking about who to hire, name the problem. Don't you have time to execute? Don't you know what to do? Do you know what to do but not how? Those are three different problems, with three different answers.

If you don't know what to do

You need decisions, not hands. A diagnostic or consultancy helps you understand what is holding things back, what comes first and how to measure it. Hiring execution at this stage means paying someone to do things quickly that perhaps shouldn't be done at all.

If you know what to do but not how

You need to learn. Hands-on training, applied to your business, gives you autonomy and saves money in the medium term. It makes particular sense for people who work alone or with a small team that will keep doing the marketing.

If you know what to do but have no time

Then it does make sense to delegate execution: a freelancer for content, someone for ads, an agency if the volume justifies it. Delegating works when you already know what to ask for and how to judge the result.

If you need everything at once

It happens. In that case, order matters: decisions first, then execution, with someone who follows up and adjusts. That is what ongoing support is for, rather than a package of tasks.

The time you will need to give

Any kind of help needs your time, especially at the start. A diagnostic needs conversations, access to data and decisions. Training needs time to apply what you learn. Execution needs quick replies and content approvals. If you have no time at all, start with the help that gives you time back fastest, not the one that gives you more to keep track of.

Signs it is too early

It isn't yet time to hire execution if:

• You can't describe your offer in one sentence.
• You have no way of measuring enquiries or clients.
• You expect someone to handle marketing without you having to decide anything.

Signs you should already have asked for help

On the other hand, you should already have asked for help if:

• You have spent more than six months trying things without knowing what works.
• Marketing stops whenever you have work.
• Money is going on ads or tools without you knowing the return.

How to tell whether the help is working

Whatever kind of help you choose, ask these questions along the way:

• After a month, do you know better what to do and why?
• After three months, are numbers moving: enquiries, bookings, sales?
• Are you deciding more easily, or depending more on someone else?
• Can you explain what is being done and why?