The Future of Work is Specialization
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIn the booming gig economy, it seems digital marketing is catching up to all other professions where specialists are starting to overtake the generalists. There’s an expert for everything, especially in digital marketing: SEO, social media, digital campaigns, and the like. What business leaders are asking themselves is: What can these experts do for me? There are pros and cons to specialists, but do the pros outweigh the cons? Our view on this topic is an absolute yes.
The con side of things:
What is the problem you want to solve?
If you partner with a specialist, then you are going to get that specialist’s skills, regardless of the problem you are trying to solve. In other words, if you pick someone that is really good with a hammer, then every problem looks like a nail. The time where this becomes concerning is where you are uncertain of your actual problem that needs to be solved and you jump to the wrong specialist to solve it.
What businesses need to be cautious of in the booming gig economy is leveraging the right resources at the right time. Companies make mistakes in investing too much in an area that shouldn’t be the focus of the next phase of growth. Find the right partner for your problem who understands how to look at the lifecycle of your product(s) and assist accordingly to scale.
The pro side of things:
The right resources at the right time
It’s time to turn the con into a pro. If you know the problem you are trying to solve for, then partnering with a consultant or company that’s expertise is solving that problem can skyrocket a business. There are many factors to look into when partnering with a business that’s perfect for your organization. A partner with your business’ best interest in mind will understand your objectives and goals, as well as know how to implement practices to scale as you work towards them. Knowing what resources to invest in at the right time is key to effective growth.
Cost effective
One of the biggest lures to businesses to work with consultants and/or agencies is cost. Partnering with either is a massive cost savings to hiring full-time internal resources. Plus, businesses run the risk of hiring the wrong resource at the wrong time if not partnering with an expert for the phase they’re currently in.
Another perk in working with a consultant is that organizations skip the on-boarding process that comes with a full-time employee. One of consultants’ competitive differentiators is that they can come in and almost immediately execute to drive results. Work with your consultant, or even a company advisor, to determine which phase of growth your business is in so you can allocate costs to resources appropriately.
What’s next: Find your match
Has your business determined which digital marketing resources to invest in? Or, does your business need to work with a consultant expert to figure out the problems you need to solve?
Shawn Herring is Chief Marketing Officer at Torchlite Marketing. Follow at @Torchlite for more digital marketing tips.