Let’s face it, many business owners are Type A personalities. I’m one of them and that carries over to every aspect of my life. We all have one major problem: letting others take over our projects. But, how many of you “control freaks” are feeling overwhelmed in your job? Your responsibilities continue to grow, lists get longer and frankly there’s just not enough time do everything.
You Can’t Do It All
I’ve recently had several conversations with small business owners who have said that they are overwhelmed. They’ve gotten to a point where they have to let some of their responsibilities go. Besides running their business, they are trying to do Public Relations, marketing, social media, blogging and maintain their website. Even if they have another employee doing some of the work, they can only do so much and are not educated in the ever changing social and marketing world.
As I’ve said in many of my blogs, social media and video continues to becomes a major part of business marketing strategies. Not only do many small business owners have to handle their marketing, but they need to keep up with the latest trends. For example, how many of you know that video posts double your organic reach on Facebook? According to Socialbakers, native Facebook videos get more organic (unpaid) reach on average than any other type of post on the platform. Click here for the full article. Is this news to you? If so, that’s okay, that’s why it’s time for you to let go.
Take the First Step
Once you make the decision to relinquish some of your responsibilities, it really does get easier. First, figure out if you want to hire someone in-house and is it in your budget. Or do you want to hire a Marketing and Public Relations firm? Believe it or not, outsourcing a firm of professionals is much more cost effective, and you’re getting a team of experts. Do you want to know how I knew about the videos increasing organic reach on Facebook….because of our good friends at the Silent Partner Marketing. They’ve been telling clients that for a while and have been proving it through effective marketing campaigns that incorporate video. Read Kyle Reyes latest blog about this here.
You Have Options
Even if you hire a Director of Marketing, you may still need some outside help. For example, not everyone is an expert at video production or social media campaigns. If you hire someone in-house, don’t stress if they can’t do everything. You have options…that’s what PR and Marketing firms are for.
Prioritize
What does your budget allow you to do? You’ll need to figure out what’s most important to your business. If Public Relations is key, make sure your website is up-to-date and your social media outlets are well established. If your PR team is pitching you to the media, you want to make sure you business looks established. Perception becomes reality. If your website is out-of-date, you will want to start there. Get a team to design and launch your website and incorporate videos. If they are done right, the videos and website can help draw in more business. You bring in more business, then there is more money in the budget for additional marketing projects.
Partnership
Letting go is hard, very hard. By delegating some of these major jobs you aren’t relinquishing control, you are just taking a step back. Whether it is an in-house marketing team or a firm, make sure you establish a partnership with them. You will still have control, but will not be bogged down by all the work. Letting go will be the best thing you can do as a business owner. Prioritize your goals, have the right team in place, and take a step back. Now, you can focus on your main job, which is to grow your business.