If you're running a small business, then at some point you may be faced with the problem that you want to gear up your marketing in order to grow the business, but at the same time you're afraid of getting it wrong and losing whatever you invest in it.

Whilst large businesses can afford to throw large amounts of money at campaigns, and absorb the losses if their marketing doesn't work, small businesses need a return on every pound they spend. They need some level of certainty that the money and effort they invest is going to produce good results. Otherwise, what can happen is that they keep doing what they're already doing (which probably isn't working that well), or they blow a load of money on advertising or marketing solutions that don't work, and then lose faith in outside help or marketing altogether.

If you want to avoid wasting money on marketing and advertising, or getting burnt by marketing consultants then you'll want to minimise your risks and invest your money in solutions that work for you.

As you read this article you'll discover 5 options for learning how to do your own marketing or recruiting outside help, and the advantages and disadvantages of each option.

5 Options for Learning Marketing Skills or Getting Help with Marketing

1) Learn how to do it yourself through reading books, attending workshops, using audio programmes etc.

The obvious advantage of this is that it's the cheapest option, plus as you learn to do things for yourself, you retain control of your marketing programme. However, the major drawbacks are that the learning curve is very steep and it may take a long time to learn what works, plus you may end up learning a lot of generic information that doesn't directly apply to your business or that doesn't give you an actual step by step plan. You may learn what to do, but not how to do it or the exact steps you need to take to implement what you've learnt.

2) Use a marketing consultant/agency

The advantage of this is that you effectively hand over the problem to someone else who deals with it on your behalf, leaving you to get on with what you do best. The disadvantages of this option are that you don't learn what works for your business and you are no longer fully in control of your marketing function - so you won't know why some things work and others don't.

Also, this is probably the most expensive option, and some marketing consultants have got a tendency to prescribe their pet solution, before even diagnosing the actual problem and the situation. Not only that, but if your problem is, for example, lack of sales, and you decide the solution is PR, and then hire a PR consultant, they will work to your brief. In other words, you've diagnosed the problem and precribed the solution. However, PR may not be the best solution to your problem, and a proper analysis of your target market and your current activities, budget and opportunities is required before forming the conclusion that a PR consultant is the answer.

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