Hey Reader,
If you've ever wondered whether you should handle your own marketing or hire someone to do it for you, you're not alone. It's a big decision, and (unfortunately) there's no one-size-fits-all answer.
In fact, I recently created an entire video addressing this question! ⬇️
Here's the short answer: you need to be involved to some degree.
When to Do It Yourself (DIY)
Here are the benefits of managing your own marketing efforts:
✅ Cost Savings: When you're just starting out, using tools like Canva, Trello, and other content planning tools can help you create solid marketing without breaking the bank.
✅ Control Over Your Messaging: You know your brand best. By doing it yourself, you get full control to ensure your tone, voice, and personality shine through the way you want.
✅ Building Personal Connections: Direct interaction can help nurture relationships and turn followers into loyal clients. This might look like writing blogs and newsletters, or responding to comments.
The Drawbacks of DIY Marketing
Here are the disadvantages of doing your own marketing:
⏳ Time-Consuming: If you haven't done much marketing before (for yourself or others), learning everything from strategy to execution takes time. Are you willing to build up a new skillset to gain long-term knowledge?
🧠 Lack of Expertise: It’s easy to feel like you need to be everywhere at once. Starting small and figuring out what works (and what doesn’t) can be a challenge, especially if you're expecting fast results.
🔥 Burnout Is Real: Inconsistent content, minimal engagement, and no conversions? That’s a recipe for frustration and it can lead to burnout.
When Does It Make Sense to Outsource?
📈 Your Business Is Growing, and Time Is Limited: If you’re clear on your brand and audience, outsourcing becomes way easier. With a solid brand, it becomes much easier to outsource it to others so they know who you are, what you represent, and how to reach your target people.
🚀 Your Marketing Feels Ineffective: You've done everything you can think of and gave it a fair shot, yet nothing seems to be working! A fresh strategy, new positioning, or audience pivot could be the missing piece.
⚡ You’re Ready to Scale: The best time to automate, delegate, and optimize is when you already know what’s working. Why? So you can stay high level and keep your eyes/ears open for more opportunities without being in the weeds.
What's the Verdict?
Like I said at the beginning, you should always be involved in your marketing to some degree. But how much? That depends. Here are a few questions to get you thinking:
📌 Ask yourself: Do I have the time, skills, and resources to handle marketing effectively?
📌 Are you open to a hybrid approach if you're not sure what to do? Maybe you handle content creation but hire for the strategy or analytics.
📌 If you're really, really unsure of what to do, you can always book a one-off discovery call with someone to get some direction with next steps. Sometimes they'll even give you a sample marketing plan! (Learn More)
Let me know: Are you DIY-ing your marketing, outsourcing, or somewhere in between? Hit reply to tell me what's working (or not) for you!
Onward,
Lauren Erickson
Founder, CEO, & Chief Strategist
