FAQS
If you know you need some marketing support but are unsure what is the best service to suit your needs, either contact us and we can talk you through the options, or browse through our FAQs.
Making your decision
Could I speak to someone before deciding on which level of support I would need?
Yes. We actually encourage it. We are more than happy to learn about your business and the specific marketing challenges you face and advise accordingly.
Why do you always take a strategy first approach to marketing?
From our experience, most SME’s don’t work from a marketing strategy – which is why they find marketing difficult. Before starting any activity, it is important to make sure that you understand your offering, your positioning, and your target audience. This will in turn impact your messaging, and the types of marketing activity that we would recommend doing. What this means is that ultimately your activity will deliver a much greater return on investment.
What is the difference between how you go about marketing and what you teach in the online course?
Nothing. We go through exactly the same process. The main difference is the speed at which you arrive at your marketing activity plan. Our Fast Track Marketing Plan is turned around within 4 weeks (with 1 day of input required by the client). The Strategic Marketing Mastery course is released as a module per week over a 10-week period which you have to work through.
I already have someone at a junior marketing level within the business – what would you recommend?
If you already have someone at a fairly junior or inexperienced level then we would recommend them taking the Strategic Marketing Mastery online course. This would really help with their personal development and enable them to think more strategically. What they learn on that course will help them through their whole career. We do also offer mentoring as well which is another good option.
Putting the strategy into practice
What would you recommend if I don’t have a lot of time to dedicate to marketing?
We would recommend the Fast Track Marketing Plan and then some form of ongoing retainer package to help turn that plan into action. This will take up one day of your time and you know that marketing activity is taking place on an ongoing basis.
Why would I pay to train myself when I can get someone experienced to do it for me?
One of the main reasons would be cost. The online course is around 25% of the cost of working directly with a consultant. The other main reason – is self-development. The content of the course will teach you how to think like a marketer and make better strategic business decisions. The course may be a good option if you have a keen interest in marketing.
How do I know whether my consultant will have any experience in my industry?
You can speak to us first if you feel it is important. From our perspective industry experience is irrelevant. The process we go through is exactly the same irrespective of the business size or industry they are from. We actually prefer working from a blank sheet of paper with no preconceived ideas. You get a completely different perspective – from the outside in.
How does a marketing consultancy differ from a marketing agency and which do I need?
The main difference is the strategy first approach. Most marketing agencies focus more on the creative output of marketing activities. If you already understand your offering, positioning, target audience and messaging and know which marketing channels to use then you probably just need an agency. However, if you are not 100% sure on any of these elements then we would recommend using a marketing consultancy to get the underlying strategy right.
Supporting Information
What happens once I have got my marketing strategy?
We will review it together and recommend the best course of action to make it happen. This will depend largely on what it is in the plan, your existing resource, the required outputs and the speed at which you need it to start generating results. The options include working with us ongoing on a retainer basis to project manage implementation (like a marketing manager would), assigning it to someone internally or recruiting someone internally with a sole marketing focus, or taking the plan to another marketing provider for implementation.
How long will Opportunity Marketing support me after the strategy phase?
This entirely depends on you. We work with some clients for many years, whilst others we work with a few months to help them get the processes, systems and people in place to deliver their marketing ongoing independently. All of our implementation support packages are flexible and work on a rolling monthly basis with no long-term commitment.
How do I know if my marketing strategy is working?
Our top implementation retainer packages track all key performance indicators within the business so we know what is and isn’t working. We test and measure everything. If we are not retained, we recommend best practice in putting the mechanisms in place to track your own figures.
What sort of results can I expect from my marketing?
At this stage it is impossible to say as there are so many variables. It also largely depends on how you approach the implementation phase. Marketing though should be generating you a positive return on your investment – otherwise what is the point. We can only report on those clients who have retained us to deliver the strategy. These clients, though vary from case to case, on average deliver a 400%-500% return on investment.
