Benefits of an outsourced marketing professional

Small to medium-sized businesses (SMEs) face a variety of challenges. One such challenge is marketing their products and services effectively which can include tasks such as creating content, managing social media accounts, running advertising campaigns, and conducting market research. Many businesses struggle with limited resources, a lack of marketing expertise, and staying up-to-date with the latest marketing trends and technologies. This is where an outsourced marketing consultant can be a game-changer.

Reduced costs

One of the most significant benefits of outsourcing to a freelance marketing professional is reduced costs. Hiring an in-house marketing team could include a marketing director, a graphic designer, a content writer, and a social media manager which comes with a heightened responsibility and high cost to the business. Outsourcing marketing and social media management allows businesses to pay only for the services they need when they need them allowing for an opportunity to save money on salaries, benefits, and training costs.

Targeted one-to-one attention

Freelance marketing consultants should ensure that they build a relationship with their clients very quickly and become familiar with their business and marketing objectives. This personalised attention ensures that all marketing efforts are tailored to meet the specific needs of the business. The best outcome would be for the chosen individual to become an extension of the team unless the relationship is on a project-by-project basis. 

A different way of thinking

A freelance marketing consultant can offer a fresh perspective on marketing strategies and provide a new way of thinking. Companies can unknowingly become stuck in their ways and fail to innovate their marketing techniques. A freelance marketing consultant can offer a different viewpoint, bringing new ideas and strategies to the table because of the variety of companies and industries they have worked with. Having a fresh pair of eyes, and looking in on the business could be a company's ticket to success and growth. 

Multiple sector experience

As mentioned above, companies that work with freelance marketing professionals will gain access to a wealth of experience from a variety of sectors. This experience can be invaluable in helping a business to stay ahead of the competition and achieve its marketing objectives. 

This blog's aim was to look at some of the benefits of outsourcing the marketing function to someone just like me!  If you are an SME struggling under the pressure of wearing all hats, get in touch to discuss how I can support your business. 

Exploring the new partnership between AI and human creativity

As technology continues to develop, I am witnessing how artificial intelligence (AI) as a tool, is changing how we generate, curate, and optimise the content we use on websites, social media platforms, and in our day-to-day working lives. AI is opening up new possibilities and opportunities for businesses, marketers, and content creators. Is this a good thing or is it just a bit lazy? Let's take a look. 

In all honesty, I have only been delving into the world of AI for a few months and trying to understand where it sits in my business (and with me.) I've listed some main areas, but I am acutely aware there are many more. 

Social media

Social media is a crucial component of marketing and staying active and relevant on the various platforms is essential. Staying on top of content ideas, and coming up with catchy captions, hashtags, and content ideas can be challenging. AI tools are assisting many content creators and marketers by analysing a brand's tone, voice, and target audience to generate engaging social media posts to share with their followers. 

Blog posts

Yes, we know that video is king, however, blogging is still a powerful content marketing strategy to establish authority, provide value to your audience, and drive traffic to your website. But consistently coming up with fresh and engaging blog post ideas can be daunting. The power of AI can create relevant topic ideas for your audience, write posts in your tone of voice and also add in some good old-fashioned search engine optimisation (SEO) for fun! 

SEO

I just touched on the subject of SEO and AI can certainly help content creators here as well. SEO is another fundamental aspect of digital marketing, and having optimised website content is crucial for ranking higher in search results. Yep, you've guessed it, AI tools can help you. Here's how. They can identify relevant keywords, analyse your competitor's content, and optimise your website copy to improve your SEO generally. The main aim for any marketer is to ensure the website is search engine-friendly and attracts organic traffic, gaining higher visibility and increased conversions. 

Time-saving

Blog posts, long-form copy, emails, social posts and calendars, website copy, and the list goes on. Content creation is time-consuming and resource-intensive. Businesses need to commit to having a plan for their content and also the resource to create and execute that plan. AI has the capability to save time on these tasks by using automation to generate ideas, analyse data and optimise content. This could encourage businesses to shift the marketing team's time to focus on other strategic initiatives, such as crafting creative campaigns, analysing performance metrics, and building relationships with their audience.

I am just exploring the benefits and limitations of using AI as a marketing professional. Is it my friend or foe? There is no getting away from the fact that it is and will continue to be a part of marketing and content creation. I can't say that I enjoy the 'blank page panic' when I sit down to write some copy, however, I definitely feel accomplishment when I have worked through my ideas and created the content afterward. Maintaining creative thinking and not relying on a computer program to come up with my thoughts is top of my list, but also allowing AI to assist me in making my work as sharp as it can be, is not to be discounted. 

Tell me about your experiences with AI. Do you use it, are you afraid of it? What is your AI tool of choice? Pop a comment below and let's discuss. 

Until next time. 

Ally 

Embracing imperfection and finding freedom!

This is quite a dramatic title, but I like it. 

I've been thinking of writing this for some time, so let's get into it. 

Perfectionism can be both a positive and negative trait. It can motivate people to strive for excellence, set very high standards, and achieve their goals. It can also be a source of stress, self-doubt, and anxiety.

I am a self-confessed perfectionist. As I sit here writing this, I am second-guessing everything, re-writing sentences because they are too long, too short not descriptive enough, and so on. Some may say, that is not perfection, that is just trying to get it right. However, when is getting it right becoming a problem and holding you back from progressing?

Perfectionism covers many areas and can hold you back if it leads to:

• Procrastination: When you fear not doing something perfectly, you may put it off or avoid it altogether. 

• Self-doubt: Perfectionism can lead to excessive self-criticism and doubt, making it harder to take risks or make decisions.

• Burnout: When you are constantly striving for perfection, it can lead to exhaustion and burnout.

• Difficulty accepting feedback or criticism: Perfectionists may struggle with getting constructive feedback or criticism because they may perceive it as a personal failure.

• Strained relationships: Perfectionism can put a strain on relationships because it can make you overly critical of others or make it hard to accept imperfections in others.

Do you do any of these? I know I certainly do and have. I used to think that procrastinating meant I was lazy. I would then speak negatively to myself because ten or fifteen minutes had passed and I had wasted time. It was just that I couldn't bring myself to just start. 

Self-doubt in yourself and your ability is also a real struggle when you are a perfectionist. You have already written yourself off before going for the job, taking on the project, writing the blog post, or whatever action you want to do. It is the feeling of being frozen, of not being able to progress, it's quite debilitating. 

Let us not dwell on the negatives, so what are the benefits of being a perfectionist?

• Attention to detail: Perfectionists will be all over the details and accuracy. 

• Completer/finisher: Being involved from the start of a project and being able to see and be part of the end of it is a must for a perfectionist. 

• Conscientious: Perfectionists want to do the best for themselves and the company. Don't all companies want people like this on their teams? 

• High standards: If you have a perfectionist in your team or as a friend/partner, you will have an individual that has high standards and expects that in return.

So how do you manage these types of emotions? 

Well, as much as I don't want to say it, a lot of overcoming negative feelings of perfectionism involves stretching your comfort zone. Just go for it, don't overthink it. When you succeed and push yourself into situations and follow them through, it helps. I also think that self-reflection is important. Look at your successes, write them down, or just mentally acknowledge them. You will build your inner confidence by seeing what you achieve on a daily basis. 

What we say to ourselves must be positive! You wouldn't say negative things to your friend or work colleague, so why speak to your inner self that way? We are not robots, life and work can sometimes be challenging. Give yourself a break and be gentle to yourself. I certainly find that perfectionism comes in ebbs and flows and at times I can hardly notice it. Other times, it is that devil on my shoulder!

 

To conclude, understanding what level of perfectionism you have, will dictate what actions you need to take. Having a tendency to be a perfectionist is something that can be harnessed for good, both in a career setting or personal life. Managing the negative aspects is the key thing so that it does not stop you from pressing publish on your next blog post or securing your perfect job! We can all find freedom from the chains of perfectionism, it is a case of growing and pushing yourself as well as being gentle when we need to be. We will not get things right all the time, and imperfection is not the monster we think it is. I'm trying to embrace this, and use it to learn how to overcome the cycle of being paralysed by perfectionism.

Please share your thoughts on this and any experiences or tactics you use in the comments.

Allyson

New Year....now what?

 

Happy New Year! I hope that 2023 has been good so far!

I've had a full week back at work and the children are back at school. If I am really honest, having the routine back (as much as it is hard work) is feeling really good. 

This week, I have been thinking about New Years resolutions and what to focus on that is important to me. I would like to set ten resolutions and achieve all of them, but in reality that may not be a possibility. My thoughts have landed at a point where I believe that resolutions are more about growth than just ticking a box in your journal. To make a commitment to yourself to grow and develop.

I have committed this year to:

• Grow my content for my blog 
• Improve my discipline to maintain my fitness
• Improve my discipline to read more books (even 5 pages a day)
• Grow and learn new skills to stay current in my business
• To be grateful and practice gratitude

The last point of gratitude is a very important one. We can always be looking for more without realising what we currently have! My aims for this year seem very tame, however if I can achieve these by the end of the year, I will feel stronger than I did at the end of 2022. 

What are your New Year resolutions if you plan to set them? For inspiration, the following are the 8 top popular resolutions as documented in Fatherly. 

Exercise more (52% of respondents)
Eat healthier (50%)
Lose weight (40%)
Save more money (39%)
Spend more time with family and friends (37%)
Spend less time on social media (20%)
Reduce stress on the job (19%)
Reduce spending on living expenses (19%)

I feel that I would like to do all of them, but what would you choose? Or do you have some different ideas to share?

Whatever your plans for 2023, I wish you a happy and healthy year. Keep an eye out on my profiles and blog to see how I am progressing at maintaining my resolutions!

My Insta is @claritycopy and my Twitter is @claritycopy 

Bye for now, thanks Ally x