On average, businesses in the United States spend approximately 11 percent of their total budget on marketing.

When it comes to marketing, there are a lot of different places a company can spend its money. One of the best places to invest, though, is in on an online marketing specialist.

There are a lot of benefits that come with hiring a professional to handle your marketing, especially when it comes to promoting your business online.

Read on for some tips that will help you find the best online marketing specialist to help you grow your business.

Why Hire an Online Marketing Specialist?

There’s a lot you can do on your own when it comes to online marketing for your business, especially when you’re first getting started.

At some point, though, it’s best to bring in a professional to help you take things to the next level.

When you hire an online marketing professional, you and your company will experience the following benefits:

Gain Access to Industry Experts

Hiring an online marketing specialist gives you access to someone who understands online marketing inside and out.

They know how to grow your business, how to help your website show up on search engine results pages, and they know what your competitors are doing.

An online marketing specialist will give you insider information and help your business continue to grow and thrive long-term.

Increase Your Sales

When your business grows, your audience expands, and your search engine rankings improve, all of this helps to bring new customers to your business.

This, in turn, will lead to more conversions and an increase in your sales.

What business doesn’t want to see their revenue increase, especially when they’re putting such a substantial portion of their budget toward marketing?

Save Money and Time

Hiring an online marketing specialist might not seem like a smart decision if you’re running your business on a tight budget.

It can actually help you save money, though.

It’s cheaper to hire a marketing specialist than it is to hire an in-house marketing professional. It also frees you up to focus on other aspects of your business that will help you earn more money.

Hiring the Right Online Marketing Specialist

In order to experience all the benefits that an online marketing specialist has to offer, you need to make sure you’re working with the right one.

The following are some tips that will help you sort through all the potential candidates and hire the best person for the job:

Ask for References

One of the first things you need to do when you’re searching for an online marketing specialist is to ask for references.

If they’re worth hiring, they will have plenty of references readily available. If they try to get around putting you in touch with past clients, that’s a huge red flag.

Once you have these references’ names and contact information, be sure to reach out to them. Ask them what their experience was working with this company and whether or not they’d work with them again in the future.

Ask for a Timeline

It’s a good idea to ask how long it will take for you to see significant results after working with this professional.

Keep in mind that it takes time for a new marketing strategy to yield results.

If a marketing professional claims that they can provide you with overnight success, you ought to run the other way.

If they’re making these kinds of claims, they’re either using questionable methods to help you see results, or they’re lying altogether. Either way, it’s not good for your business.

In most cases, it takes several months to see significant growth and improvement.

Avoid Specialists Who Have “Tricks”

Steer clear of marketing specialists who tell you they have “tricks” to help your business rank higher in search engines or bring in more customers, too.

There are no marketing “tricks” or “hacks” out there. If there were, businesses wouldn’t have to spend so much money to get their products in front of the right audience.

If a specialist is trying to draw you in with grandiose promises, you’re likely going to end up disappointed.

Request an SOW

Be sure to ask the marketing professional you’re considering hiring for an SOW. An SOW is a Statement of Work.

This is a document that covers all the details of the project for which you’re hiring this marketing professional. This includes the purpose of the project, how long you’ll work with them, and your acceptance criteria for the project.

This document holds your marketing specialist accountable and helps you ensure that the specific work you’re looking for actually gets done.

Consider Your Budget

Of course, your budget matters, too. Price is not the only thing that matters when it comes to hiring a marketing specialist, but you do need to take it into account.

Ask for the specialist’s rates right away and find out whether or not they offer any kind of package deals.

You don’t need to pay an arm and a leg for marketing expertise, but you also shouldn’t necessarily be looking for the person with the lowest prices. Remember, you get what you pay for.

Consider Industry Expertise

It’s best if you can find a marketing specialist who is an expert in marketing within a specific industry.

For example, if you run a church, you’ll want to hire a marketing specialist who works with other churches and religious businesses.

You can read more here about church marketing and how it differs from other types of marketing.

Get More Marketing Advice Today

As you can see, there are plenty of reasons to invest in an online marketing specialist to help you grow your business.

Keep this information in mind so you can make sure you’re hiring the right specialist for the job.

Do you want to learn more about marketing? Do you want to make sure you’re keeping up with the latest marketing trends? If so, check out some of the other articles on our site today.

This article on promoting your eBay store is a great place to start.

Even if you don’t run an eBay store, there’s still plenty of helpful information that can apply to your business’s marketing strategy.