(Reposted from: emarketer.com)

Top execs slower than employees, customers to view social media as communications channel

All men may have been created equal, but not all men are the same — or, all women.  When it comes to marketing, there are three types of women, according to a study conducted by Mediative.

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When it comes to marketing a business the frequent complaint from small biz owners is that marketing rarely works or just isn’t worth the expense. For those business owners I offer the reasons below as to why that may seem to be true.

1.)  You Try to Do It Yourself.

Yeah, I know, you’d get marketing help if you could trust it, or afford it. Yes, it’s true that many marketing firms are beyond the financial reach of many small businesses. However, if you truly believe in the benefits of smart marketing there are professional resources that your small business can afford. You just may have to invest the time to find and qualify them. And, the better you’re able to qualify them, the more you’ll be able to trust them.

One business owner who knew the value of investing in marketing expertise was Steve Jobs. Apple incorporated on January 3rd, 1977, and within the year was running ads created by an outside agency. Great, creative marketing has been a driving force behind Apple’s stellar success ever since. As Anita Campbell, Founder of Small Business Trends, says:

“Business success is all about finding the right outside service providers and using them wisely. You can’t do it all yourself.”

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  The fact about many marketing experts is that they really aren’t. To call yourself an expert today you really need to know your stuff. Too many just don’t. Which is why so many businesses have less-than-great experiences with marketing firms and experts. That’s not a reason not to seek outside help. It’s just a reason to be smart about it. The way to do that is “go behind the curtain”… like Dorothy did.

The point is that if you’re needing marketing help you can’t settle for a slick pitch or even a reference. References do help, but it still takes some “going behind the curtain” work after you get one. This “How to Choose the Best Help” article will help you do that. You can also listen to my recent BlogTalk Radio interview. After all, every business deserves the very best marketing help they can get.

“Getting good marketing help is one of the biggest challenges facing small businesses today,” says Anita Campbell, CEO and publisher of Small Business Trends. In this interview marketing expert, John Follis joins Anita to share his “10 Ways to Qualify Marketing Help.”