Welcome to the RoadMap Marketing Blog!

How Much should you Pay for Marketing Services?

This is a common question, especially this time of year when we are planning our time, money and priorities. To help you start, here are average hourly rates for different marketing services with links for more details:

• Writing: As seen in this comprehensive guide to writing rates by project type, writing costs range significantly from $30-$200 / hour depending on the experience of the writer and the expertise required.
• Website programmers / designers: While major development projects are quoted on a per project basis, for basic website updating and tweaking, rates are typically $75-$125 per hour.
• Graphic designers: Most graphic designers will quote their hourly rates ($65-$150) but final quotes are always done based on project.
• SEO or Search Engine Optimization specifics and pricing have changed dramatically in recent years. Hourly rates vary from $76-$200, but most SEO specialists will only initially quote for large projects with monthly retainers and 3-6 month minimums. Because SEO is now so closely linked to Social Media, many projects include services such as blog creation and posting and regular social media interactions with clients.
• Social Media services vary greatly ($75-$200/hour) depending on whether you are looking for help with a higher-level social media strategy or the implementation of blog posts, tweets and Facebook posts. This recent link has some great details on the costs depending on the scope required -
• PR professionals charge from $40-$200/hour depending on whether they are freelancers, with an agency and/or have specialized contacts in your industry. Many have retainer minimums to start as seen in this buyer guide.
• Virtual assistant services can help with anything from culling through emails to telemarketing or basic website updates. Rates are generally in the $25-$75/hour, depending on the expertise required and the number of hours purchased per month.

But of course the only truly important number should be your end ROI or the return you get after investing in these services. Next week I’ll share some tips on how to how to evaluate and manage marketing service providers so you get the best bang for your buck.

What do you pay (or charge if a service provider)? Share in the Comments section below.

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Running a Business – 5 Sales and Marketing Tasks you should Delegate or Automate

Last post I cited the goal of spending two hours per day in marketing and sales activities. But which specific activities are most important for you to focus on as owner, and which are better delegated or automated? A recent study found that owners claim to spend 50% of their time on administration and sales logistics. With a little upfront planning, many of these time draining tasks can easily be delegated to an assistant or automated. Here are my top picks:

1. Blog posts and newsletters. Unfortunately most blogs and newsletters are published “when there is free time” --- which is rarely. Work with a writer to set up an editorial calendar and an interview schedule. In one batch project your writer can create and schedule blog posts, newsletters (with links to the blog posts), Facebook posts and Tweets (linking back to these same blog posts). You will then have a communications system in place so you are freed for focused follow-up with growth clients and partners.
2. Setting up Sales Calls. Hire a sales assistant to set up appointments with prospects, customers, and partners. Not only will you save time, your company will give an efficient, professional first impression.
3. Researching Prospects and Customers. Before any sales or customer call, have an assistant pull a standard search on any recent developments, customer service issues and purchases. You will then be prepared and focused on the needs of that client/prospect.
4. Following Up on Sales Calls. The study above also found that owners on average spend 14% of their time following up on information (forwarding e-mails or calling to confirm if a communication was received) and managing unwanted communications such as spam e-mails or unsolicited phone calls. Set up a list of common responses to email and other inquiries and delegate to an assistant.
5. Preparing Key Selling Documents. Rather than creating custom proposals and sales letters for each prospect, work with a marketing person to create templates for key sales documents used from the beginning to end of the sales process. Introductory letters, product/service descriptions, engagement letters, proposals and pitches can be professionally created. You save loads of time and are assured of a quality, consistent message across clients and sales people.

What marketing and sales tasks do you delegate? Share in the Comments section below.

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How much time should you spend on sales and marketing?

In a recent study by TD Bank, small business owners cited spending more time on sales and marketing as their top 2012 New Year’s resolution.

But how much time?  Here are a few simple pointers that may help:

• Block out 2 hours per day for growth activities. A study by SunTrust Bank a few years ago found that owners of growing businesses (20% or greater revenue growth per year) spend at least 20% of their time on sales and marketing activities.  Each day schedule in time for reviewing your prospect list, reaching out via social media, or working on that marketing campaign.  Make marketing and sales the first thing on your calendar; otherwise you’ll find yours sales (and revenue) pipeline dry.
• Do the tough stuff first. It is difficult to call a new prospect, hire a new sales person, focus on that new email outreach program.  Resolve to do the most difficult, most uncomfortable tasks first.  Business owners who adopt this practice claim to feel energized the rest of the day, knowing they did first things first.
• Hot leads are always at the top of the list. With the increasing frenetic pace of business, the most responsive vendor often wins.  If you are frequently away from your desk or not so digitally wired, hire an assistant who will scan for hot inquiries and get your attention for immediate follow-up.

How much time do YOU dedicate to sales and marketing activities and how do you keep your discipline?  Share in the Comments section below.

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The most important page of your business plan

A few weeks ago I shared a coffee with Hal Shelton, SCORE mentor and one of the wisest people I know.  The conversation shifted to business plans - why they are important... and why they rarely get done.

Hal looked at me and asked, "Do you know what I always advise as the most important page of your business plan?"  (Coming from a deep background in finance, I was expecting Hal to emphasize the profit & loss statement, sales forecast or even cash flow.)

"The owner's biography. Any investor has to first believe in the owner, his training, his experience, his vision, his commitment. The rest is just the nitty-gritty details."

Interestingly I find with every website analysis I do for clients, the "About Us" page is usually the first or second most visited page. So what makes a good business biography?:

• Weave the important "whys" into your text:
  • Why did your start the business? What was your dream? How did it evolve?
  • What do you support? What are you against?
  • What are you proud of and why?
• Include the important highlights of your background:
  • What unique skills and experience do you bring as owner?
  • What outside, independent "credibility" markers illustrate your expertise? (formal education, years of experience, prior work with well-known companies, past clients, awards...)
• Who's on your team to fill in the holes, and support clients?
• What products or processes are the hallmarks of your company?
• Use real photos of you and your staff - no stock photos or avatars!

Write from the heart, not from your head. This is less a resume and more a reflection of your personality, beliefs, passion and experiences.

Have a good example? Share your biography or About Us page below.

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The One Page Marketing RoadMap: Executing

“Organizations are successful because of good implementation, not good business plans.” Guy Kawasaki, The Art of the Start

Now that we have out one-page marketing roadmap, how do we hit the road and stay on course? An implementation plan is THE most critical activity – yet it is often overlooked. When we leave our planning session and get mired in the day-to-day activities and emergencies, it is easy to delay, or even forget, our growth initiatives.

Assemble your working group for a dedicated meeting of at least two- hours. Assign each marketing initiative to an “owner” who will champion the program and be responsible for getting things done. Each owner (with the help of the team) should detail the following:

• Task descriptions and length of time required
• Ownership and resources (internal and external) for each task
• Due date

These tasks can then be color coded by initiative and laid out on a planning time horizon (see picture). You can then easily see where there are gaps or too many activities and spread out the work accordingly.

It is also critical to get on the calendar regular review sessions for the year. Here each owner will report on the status of his/her initiative. The team can also review your progress vis-à-vis the marketing goals you developed in your one-page marketing roadmap.

You are now set up for success for the new year!

Next Week: The most important page of your business plan.

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