I recently had a client ask for advice on working with writers. If you are considering hiring a copywriter (either freelance or in-house), here are some leadership pointers to help you get the most out of the engagement:

Review Portfolios Carefully
Make sure you find a writer who has experience in two things: writing the same types of content and writing for the same types of audience. A consumer-focused retail blog is very different from a technical B2B white paper or an email campaign series to onboard a software client.

Manage Your Brand
To ensure brand consistency across all of your company messaging, you should establish brand voice and tone guidelines. These guidelines should be documented and include examples. This can start simple and evolve as you gain experience. Things that you correct or edit out can be added to the guidelines.

Share Your Marketing Plan
You should have a marketing plan and goals that you can clearly communicate to your writer. In particular, the audience and your differentiators will need to be clearly communicated to a writer. Also, don’t underestimate the importance of sharing the big picture with them.

Develop an Editorial Calendar
It helps to establish an editorial calendar, at least on a quarterly basis, so that everyone is on the same page about what is going to happen and when. This can also help with big picture thinking as a writer gets to know you and sees what is on the horizon.

Establish a Workflow and Timelines
You will want to establish a workflow and timelines for expectations on what the process will be. For example, working backward from the publish dates on the editorial calendar – do you need 1 week for a rough draft, one week for your review and 2-3 days for final revisions? If you have employees these timelines are under your control. With external vendors you need to work with them to establish timelines and make sure that they feel they can commit to them.

Get Clarity on Pricing and Estimates
You will want to clarify how long it takes to write certain kinds of content. Sharing clear examples in advance will help make this estimating process more accurate. Will this be a fixed budget or will it be hourly, and what is the hourly rate? Will it include a certain number of rounds of revisions? What would trigger a change order or cause the project to go over the initial estimate?

It Gets Better with Repetition
Working with the same writer will ensure consistency and help shorter the learning curve for the writer so that things get better over time. If you work with a freelance platform or service and change writers frequently, you may feel like you are starting over with each piece which it might suck the life out of you from a management perspective.

Evaluating the Process
It’s a true pleasure to work with gifted and experienced writers. They don’t procrastinate, they add tremendous value to the process and make your organization shine. Working with a poor fit or inexperienced writer can mean the quite the opposite. While you will probably always need to provide some feedback and revisions, you should know by the very first draft whether they are elevating the process or if you will need to pull the project across the finish line yourself. Look for the writer who lightens the load.

If you are looking for help identifying a copywriter please let me know. I can help establish voice and tone guidelines, screen candidates and you set your engagement up for success. 

Over the past 25 years, I have had a front-row seat to some of the biggest marketing mistakes that business owners and managers have made. Sometimes, it’s well-intentioned. Sometimes, it’s ill-informed. Sometimes, it’s downright meddlesome. Check out this list to see if you catch yourself saying any of these phrases.

1. Well, I like… or I don’t like…
It may not be about what the owner likes if the owner doesn’t match the buyer profile. Basing marketing decisions on personal preference and not really understanding the audience profiles, preferences and behavioral traits is a common mistake.

2. I just heard/saw/read… or What about Tik Tok?
We see some business owners change on a dime every time they read a new book or hear a new podcast. We often see this come down as an order backed by very little experience and lacking judgment. We definitely encourage all questions and challenges from the owner, but I would recommend you at least have a discussion to make sure that the decisions make sense in the context of the marketing plan!

3. We have worked with Judy (radio sales rep) a long time.
Sometimes long-term relationships with sales and media reps can lead to a lapse in judgment and complacency on the marketing front. It makes sense to measure success against third-party benchmarks and regularly re-evaluate your strategy.

4. What about a billboard? or We really need a billboard.
Some people really want to see their logo (or face) giant on a billboard or in outdoor advertising. Owners should challenge themselves to evaluate the marketing goal they are trying to achieve and only run billboards as part of a multi-pronged campaign with clear tracking available through other channels or point of sale.

5. Everyone is a potential customer, or We don’t want to turn away business, or I don’t want to lose out on… 
Marketing to a specific group is the equivalent of using the right lure to catch a specific kind of fish. It can make all the difference. It doesn’t mean you aren’t allowed to catch any other fish that decide to bite. Fear of positioning and clearly speaking to specific audiences can lead to a lack of connection with any audience.

6. I “know” who our customer is, I “think” what they really want is, or I “believe” we are about 60% x and 40% y.
We see a lot of off-the-cuff responses to really critical questions. Many small businesses fail to use concrete data to make important decisions. Sometimes the questions haven’t ever been asked. The data is often challenging to pull or requires manual clean up or re-coding. The analysis may give you a one-time snapshot, but ideally it will be the beginning of a new infrastructure to help better manage your business moving forward.

7. Lisa (Marketing Director) can’t take us to the next level… 
We see shocking expectations from owners about what their solo in-house marketing person should be capable of. A single person should not be expected to design, write, plan, budget, analyze, promote and lead your organization to success, especially if you aren’t providing: ongoing education/training opportunities, time to participate in industry trade organizations/peer groups and the option to enlist additional experts/resources.

8. David (Marketing Coordinator/Manager) thinks we need to be focusing on Twitter followers.
Sometimes, we see owners taking the advice of the internal marketing person even when that team member lacks the experience to be developing the strategy. Owners may not hear the advice and recommendations of other experts because they don’t want to upset the internal team. It’s important to make sure that you are always evaluating the mediums you select based on the target audience profiles.

9. We are really a sales-driven organization, and advertising hasn’t ever really worked for us.
For some businesses who have had success with direct sales, there is often a misunderstanding about how marketing activities can provide awareness and generate warm leads, data and credibility to convert leads faster, sales support to shorten the sales cycle, aid retention, etc.

10. We don’t really have a plan… or We don’t really have a marketing budget… 
It’s surprising how many businesses are lacking a marketing plan and don’t even have a line item for a marketing budget. It’s real hard to improve your marketing program when you don’t have it documented or have a way to compare year-over-year performance.

11. Well last year we spent about 220K… 
The majority of established businesses are simply running off of last year’s budget as a framework for the marketing decision-making instead of basing the marketing plan on a strategy that is expected to generate results.

12. We have always… 
Many business owners cling to antiquated marketing methods because that’s how the business was originally built, or something that worked in the past even if it is no longer working. Meanwhile, competitors and startups are capturing market share with modernized methods and tactics.

13. I know my friend Johnny (business owner) got great results from… 
We hear a lot of owners who think that a program a fellow business owner bragged about is 100% accurate and will work for them as well. They cling to the idea of a silver bullet despite the businesses, audiences and positioning being entirely different.

14. They always think the owner is always the best spokesperson… 
There are some owners who make the perfect spokesperson for the business. There are others who do not resonate with the audience, don’t realize it and don’t seek useful feedback. Owner-spokespeople should use impartial methods to solicit feedback from the target audience to ensure they are resonating.

15. I know, but… or What you have to understand is… 
Sometimes business owners don’t heed the advice of experts or internal team members. These CEOs are usually struggling, unable to clearly process the information from the expert, struggling to trust, and not willing to listen with an open mind. If you find yourself using these phrases with experts, take a deep breath and practice listening.

16. We are known for our quality, or We have the best customer service in the industry.
Our follow-up question is always, “why?” or “how so?” A lack of differentiation is a typical problem among small companies. It takes work to fully understand the competitive landscape and to authentically position your company to appeal to specific audience(s), but it will lead to more effective marketing and sales.

17. I saw the XYZ company is doing…
Some small businesses focus too much on the competition, playing follow the leader or reacting to their advertising. Instead, they should be developing their own unique positioning and memorable branding.

18. We don’t really have any competitors… 
Sure you don’t… Even the status quo and complacency are competitors to be addressed.

19. We can’t change the logo…
Failure to do a regular brand audit to ensure that the branding/positioning is appealing to the target customer and unique among the competition will catch up with you eventually.

20. We hear all the time… 
Using anecdotal information to make critical business decisions instead of surveying your audience to make sure that you are using a data-driven approach. Yes, the squeaky wheel on social media needs a response, but it would be a mistake to adjust your entire business to appease them.

Are you guilty of any of these?
If any of these phrases sound familiar, I would encourage you to take a 10,000-foot view to try to identify where the behavior is coming from. It is most likely a mindset that is rooted in a past experience or belief that may or may not be accurate or informed.

When in doubt, solicit advice from a business advisor that you can trust to deliver impartial and even ruthless feedback. Your business (and your marketing team in particular) will thank you.

SMB leaders are continually looking for ways to level up their marketing. They often turn to the latest expert, a bestselling book or a new platform, but the best way to level up might be by investing in your current team. There are some concrete actions you can take right now to give your marketing team an injection of new ideas and energy.

Time and money for training
Training is going to seem obvious, but you need to be proactive about planning it, because it isn’t just going to magically happen. Investing in training will help young marketers learn from more experienced professionals and will help seasoned marketers stay abreast of the ever-evolving technology and tools. Each year, I recommend you do these three things:

1. Identify critical training needs
2. Determine a specific budget for training
3. Actually put dates on the calendar or block it off by quarter

Formal training can range from $3500 or more to attend a conference to $50-250 for an online course. There are also tons of free resources on the internet for people who are good at self-based training (not everyone is good at this, and not all free training on the internet is good…so beware!)

Training courses can also differ significantly in their time commitments. They might be over the course of a three-day weekend, every Tuesday night for months or a one-hour lunch and learn.

The training may include intermittent assessments, final exams, projects and even certifications. If you are working with a new employee, I would recommend finding training that has an assessment component to evaluate how well they respond to these opportunities.

I like people to be excited about their training, so I coach them on specific company goals or needs, but then have them do their own research to identify training opportunities. I ask them to find a variety of options in terms of both time commitment and cost. This empowers them to take control of their own advancement and leads to a higher level of commitment. I listen for enthusiasm or sparks when they go over the options. More than once that has swayed me to buy into longer or more expensive programs.

Training isn’t the only way to help your team grow and develop. There are several additional ways to get help by simply encouraging staff participation in certain types of “outside” activities.

Industry trade organization membership
Industry trade organizations are also great resources for your marketing teams. They usually include monthly meetings with timely topics and educational speakers, the opportunity to build a peer network to share ideas and challenges, competitions and awards to help benchmark and level up, as well as leadership opportunities.

There are too many organizations to list here, so I’ll just start with the ones that I participated in when I was starting out: American Advertising Federation (AdFed), American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), and American Marketing Association (AMA). These are large, national organizations with local chapters. You will also find smaller, local groups that vary from place to place.

It is also worth looking into industry-specific groups, some of which may have marketing-specific opportunities.

Mentorship
Mentors are another great way to help your team grow professionally. While mentor relationships can be a naturally evolving arrangement, there is a lot that business owners can do to encourage staff members to find a mentor.

To begin, talk to your employees about mentorship, what it means, and how it works. Describe any mentor relationships that have helped you grow and evolve in your career. Then encourage or aid them in identifying possible mentors and allow them time to meet with their mentors on a monthly basis.

You can help your marketing team look for mentors both within the company and outside the company. An internal mentorship can help a new or less experienced person get to know your company, your culture, your brand, your operation and your team. They don’t need to be in the same department. There is great value in helping someone ramp up quickly. If your team is large enough to have junior and senior roles, providing a junior team member with a senior team member (who is not the direct manager) can help them more quickly advance in their role-specific skills.

External mentorship becomes more valuable at higher manager and director levels because it helps your middle management leaders gain access to outside perspectives. It provides them with a sounding board to talk through the more challenging aspects of management, as well as a seasoned second opinion on tactics and programs.

Peer groups & meetups
There are a variety of industry-specific, design-specific and marketing-specific peer groups. They typically meet monthly and have anywhere from 6-12 members. If you can’t find a local group in your area, you may be able to find one online that offers virtual meetings.

This places your people in a group of peers to share challenges and grow. It helps them build a network and provides an extended team to share tools, training, tactics, and experience. Over the years, I have solved numerous business challenges with a quick email or slack message to one of my peer groups.

Meetups vary in their attendance from one to the next, and attendance isn’t mandatory, so you won’t have an instant network the way you would with a peer group, but for a personable person with interpersonal skills, meetups can be a great way to develop their own peer network.

Peer groups vary in cost depending largely on the host organization. Meetups are typically free or very affordable. The gift of time to attend these is critical from employers.

Encouragement to volunteer on a nonprofit marketing committee or board
For mid-level marketing employees, another great opportunity to develop leadership skills and gain extra experience is to serve on a nonprofit board or committee. Marketing and communications committees are regularly seeking volunteers, so these opportunities abound.

By encouraging this participation, which may require time during business hours, you can strengthen a corporate relationship with a nonprofit that you support as a business, or you could allow the employee to serve an organization that is deeply meaningful to them personally. Either way, you are strengthening important bonds both with your employee and the community.

At the board level, your employees will gain a front-row seat to the interworking of an organization from finance to HR to marketing and strategy they will have the opportunity to expand their leadership skills, preparing them for deeper levels of participation in your business.

With committee-level participation, your employees will have the chance to develop peer connections and will also typically have more hands-on tactical opportunities. If they have limited work experience, this can help them grow exponentially. They can get double the hands-on experience, expand their skillset, refine existing skills and have twice the data and reporting to compare and contrast. They will also be learning from their peers on the committee.

Budget to hire experts
With limited budgets, it can seem like a good idea to keep as much as possible in-house. If you have a seasoned team or can devote time to learning and experimenting, this can work out just fine. However, if you need results quickly, give your team permission to work with outside experts. They will get a front-row seat to the processes and tools. They will get the chance to interact with people who they can learn from.

Permission to experiment and fail
This last one is hard. As a business owner, you NEED to have an expectation of results, but new marketers experience a learning curve before they can consistently return repeatable results. They will need to have coaching to continually test, evaluate and improve their performance. Starting out, consistent management is key to their growth.

Once marketers have solid experience, they should be able to operate more independently. They should also be able to clearly communicate whether initiatives should have predictable outcomes (and what they are) or whether there will be a trial or testing period. Owners should be able to manage risk during testing periods with clear up-front communication. If you can establish some agreed-upon budgets, benchmarks and review periods, everyone should start and remain on the same page.

How many of these opportunities are you providing to your marketing team? Are you investing in their growth and seeing a return? Do you have creative ways you are inspiring your teams and helping them advance? I’d love to hear about them in the comments.

About Robot Creative
Robot Creative provides fractional CMO services, marketing plans, branding, an outsourced marketing team and consulting advice to small and mid-sized companies. If you are looking for leadership or staff augmentation, please reach out for a consultation.

About Lara August
Lara August is the Founder and CEO of Robot Creative. She writes, speaks and consults with clients to improve their branding, marketing and marketing team development with the ultimate goal of business growth.