
What Is a Virtual Marketing Director and Should You Hire One?
by Josh Biggs in Marketing on 31st October 2020Most companies need overseers for each department to make sure the operations are running smoothly. The virtual marketing director (VMD) service is for companies that like the idea of working with a marketing director but don’t see the need to hire that person full-time.
So, what is a virtual marketing director and how could one benefit your business? Here are good reasons to hire an experienced virtual marketing director.
What Is a Virtual Marketing Director?
A virtual marketing director is a person who works for you (they help with your digital strategy and design) but is not on your payroll. Virtual marketing directors know what works, who to work with, and how to get it done.
VMDs possess broad categories of skills. They can work with remote teams to create a successful website, content, sales funnel, on-going SEO campaign for your business and much more. You’ll find some ways they can help elevate your company below.
Reduces Costs Significantly
When it makes sense to outsource or groom an in-house team, many businesses make comparisons and choose the latter. But you eventually realize that outsourcing to a virtual marketing director is less costly.
For small businesses, in particular, the cost of hiring multiple staff to market their brand can be too expensive. Part of the reason hiring a virtual director is more affordable is they do not operate from physical offices. Because of this, they charge you a commission or retainer.
You can also lower training costs by hiring virtual experts. When you hire a first-time employee, you’ll need to devote a significant amount of resources to training them for the job.
On the other hand, you won’t need to worry about training a virtual marketing director. This is because many of them only work on specific jobs that they are already experts at.
Another cost-saving aspect is that you don’t need to subscribe to online marketing tools. Most VMDs have them. Virtual agents pass these benefits over to your business through lower fees.
Saves You Time
As a business owner, you spend a lot of time performing managerial tasks. As such, it can be difficult to set enough time aside for marketing efforts. A virtual marketing director is dedicated to establishing and growing your online presence.
Business owners and in-house employees deal with tons of non-core activities like internet search, data entry, and sending emails. A virtual marketer can handle all these, letting your employees focus on core competencies.
A virtual marketing team can handle lots of your business needs or work with you to put your ideas into action. This way, they save valuable time to address the critical tasks only you can execute.
As you come to trust your VMD’s expertise, you’ll increase productivity by spending less time reviewing what they do. You also won’t need to stress out worrying about where your money is going.
Help With Content Marketing
Content marketing is a crucial piece of the online marketing puzzle. For this reason, you need a virtual marketing director who understands the basics. They can help you understand the different types of content you can create, create blogs, and manage all content-related tasks with an eye for detail.
Avoid Too Many Failed Strategies
Many businesses outsource their marketing efforts when they need results as soon as possible. You may be making a big mistake by hiring an entry-level in-house marketing director to do your marketing plan for your company.
An inexperienced employee is more likely to fail to implement the right strategy than a seasoned virtual marketing director. Often, this is because they aren’t sure what works and what doesn’t. Online marketing directors know what they are doing from the start, as they have already learned from the past.
Experience an All in One Staffing Option
Having a solo in-house marketer is great but their expertise might be limited to one industry. They may as well be limited to a single type of outreach. So, when your business ventures into a new marketing medium, your marketer may find it difficult to lead the effort effectively.
Your VMD can certainly groom someone to take over your marketing. Then again, not all VMDs can help you find and recruit the best in-house employees. That said, expert VMDs are sure to know other like-minded people and trusted individuals they can bring onboard for specific assignments.
When you hire a virtual marketer, you get a wider range of expertise. Many VMDs have experts in almost every functional area—from copywriting to PR to strategy.
They’ll have a network of sales professionals, designers, search engine optimization experts, and other specialists. This gives you access to a wider network of professionals you can work with on various aspects of your overall marketing strategy.
Broadens Your Scope
Hiring people to work in a physical office confines your scope to a particular area, whereas outsourcing to a virtual marketing director can dramatically increase your capacity. Working with a virtual team allows your organization to collaborate with eligible employees from any part of the globe.
Working with a trained virtual team gives you a competitive advantage. It will ensure you are up-to-date on the latest tools, trends, and technologies. You’ll also save on staff training and salaries.
For example, your virtual employees might not ask for higher pay due to countries’ exchange rates and living costs. This saves you money while allowing you to discover best practices you can utilize accordingly.
Offer 24/7 Customer Service
Most companies have clients spread across the world. So when your staff and business are only located in one region, coping with global needs and international time zones can be challenging.
Thankfully, virtual marketers are based remotely. You can hire from any part of the world to cater to different time zones. This can help your in-house employees maintain a good work-life balance while still attending to customers 24/7.
Take Advantage of a Virtual Marketing Director for Your Company
Partnering with an outside marketing expert you trust is an incredible weight off your shoulders. A virtual marketing director can work with your team in driving your business to ever-greater sales success.
By outsourcing your marketing to an online marketing director, you are essentially paying for what you need, when you need it. If you’re looking for more business hiring advice, check out the rest of our blog.