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HIRING A MARKETING EXPERT
1 Contact a marketing rm for a con- sultation. Small business marketing expert Maureen McCabe says it will likely be over the phone and take 30 to 45 minutes.
As you get to know the expert, she’ll ask about your practice to de- termine whether she wants to work with you. Be prepared to answer questions about how long you’ve been in business and how many employees you have.
2 Schedule an in-person preliminary meeting. In this hour-long session, you’ll de ne what you’d like the mar- keter to accomplish. The marketer will help you prioritize your goals.
For instance, would you rather they write a prospect outreach plan or set up a LinkedIn page?
3 The marketer will then get to work. Most charge between $100 and $150 an hour, though an advisor could also buy a block of time, says McCabe.
“Most people go for 10 hours,” she says, for which she charges a bulk rate of $900.
4 How far a package stretches also depends on how much an advisor is willing to do, adds McCabe. She can tell an advisor how to set up a Twitter account and tie it
to his rm’s website, or she can set those up for you. It depends on the advisor’s budget and time constraints.
5 The marketer will manage any graphic designers, video producers, web developers and other specialists required for your project, and bill you for their work.
She’ll use that time to review
existing marketing materials, re ne
the practice’s value statement, de-
sign an outreach plan for clients and
prospects, and establish a social
media presence. Marketing
Source: Maureen McCabe, McCabe
21
Of ce administrator Sandra McKercher started the rm’s LinkedIn account a few months ago. It’s their only social media account.
What the expert says
We connected Fitzgerald with small business mar- keting expert Maureen McCabe, who’s designed marketing plans for advisors and is familiar with the industry and compliance rules. She advises
the 46-year-old Fitzgerald to plan her succession before rebranding the rm.
Retirement is at least a decade away, but Fitz- gerald has determined she’ll eventually want to sell the rm.
In that case, says McCabe, a corporate-style name is easier to transfer than one with a surname.
McCabe offers several pieces of advice for choosing a name.
1 Use “wealth management” or a similar phrase to tie the name to the industry.
2 Shorter company and domain names are easier to remember and design.
3 Consider whether the name suggests an image that can be used as a logo, or a tagline phrase.
4 The name must be available as a web address, which can be checked through a Canadian domain registrar.
5 Check the name’s availability on Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, LinkedIn and You- Tube as well; ideally, your handle would be the same across platforms.
6 Ask clients, staff and mentors what they think.
Fitzgerald’s team should also build community visibility, McCabe says.
That’s already out of the gate. Earlier this year, the of ce participated in a charity run for local cancer hospitals and hospices. They also sponsor local children’s sports teams.
And keep the ideal client demographic in mind when choosing new boards or charities to volun- teer with or sponsor, McCabe adds.
In Fitzgerald’s case, that would be a business owner or professional, between 40 and 60 years old, who is accumulating assets. He or she would have grown children who could also eventually become clients. She’s reluctant to narrow it further because, in a small town, advisors must serve a variety of clients.
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