--- title: What’s the Rush? Why You Should Wait to Hire a Marketing Services Firm description: Preparing your business strategy before hiring a marketing firm provides a roadmap so providers you eventually hire know where to focus their expertise. image: https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/hubfs/Blog_images/woman-5762754_1280.png --- [![White Space Marketing Group](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ws-logo-header.png?width=253&height=80&name=ws-logo-header.png "White Space Marketing Group")](https://www.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/) ![blogbanner](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/hs-fs/hubfs/blogbanner.png?width=1500&name=blogbanner.png "blogbanner") [Gray Matter at White Space](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com) [B2B Marketing Strategy for Small and Mid-Sized Companies](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com) # [What’s the Rush? Why You Should Wait to Hire a Marketing Services Firm](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/whats-the-rush-why-you-should-wait-to-hire-a-marketing-services-firm) ![Ilene Rosenthal, CEO](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/hubfs/IHR%20BioPIc%20643x703.jpg) by [Ilene Rosenthal, CEO](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/author/ilene-rosenthal-ceo) on Jun 2, 2021 - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) I’ve seen businesses rush to spend time and money on hiring outside marketing firms before they're ready. They come to the table asking: “What should I spend on marketing?” That’s just backwards. If you’re hiring for marketing, and you’re still asking that question, you may not be ready to outsource your marketing activity. ![woman-5762754_1280](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog_images/woman-5762754_1280.png?width=350&name=woman-5762754_1280.png) Actually, check that… you [aren’t ready](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/what-went-wrong-saying-yes-to-the-gaps-in-your-marketing-strategy) to outsource your marketing activity.  The hope is that outside marketing firms will deliver a return but often they fail to meet your expectations. Why? Because, there may not be a direct line between the business realities you’re facing  and marketing services you’ve hired.  One Strategy Lab CEO calls this “Marketing by accident.”   A strategic marketing plan will help you focus on your most urgent needs *first*, so your marketing activity is poised to handle your biggest priorities--[not everything at once!](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/a-sum-of-marketing-tactics-doesnt-add-up-to-strategy) Until you’ve got that sorted out, you’re not ready to put marketing dollars on the line. [![Watch the Webinar: How to Avoid Random Acts of Marketing ](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/176305/c0a8861d-5ee5-4a56-895e-0f843dafb7f6.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/176305/c0a8861d-5ee5-4a56-895e-0f843dafb7f6) ### **First Things First: What Marketing Strategy Is--And What It Is *****Not*** Contrary to what many think about marketing strategy, it’s not just a “theory” sitting on a shelf collecting dust. Today, it’s a living, breathing document—your go-to for data and guidance at every step. A marketing strategy helps you prioritize what you need to do *first,* focused on the right audience, messaging, and marketing channel. Implementing a single tactic is *not* the same as having a strategic marketing plan. Set-it-and-forget-it schemes are more folklore than anything else. Every business is unique and requires its own strategic plan to drive measurable results and sustainable business growth. ### **For Your Consideration: Is It Time to Change the Channel?** The concept of a channel strategy is anchored in where your most viable prospects are on the buyer journey. But, companies will often select a marketing path that’s based on a channel they’re comfortable with, instead of the channel best poised to reach an audience where they are in the consideration process. > “*One Strategy Lab CEO calls this Marketing by accident.*” For example, they may rush to spend on paid search to expand reach, or outbound email marketing to find new leads--when other channels may be better suited to a first-tier audience that’s most likely to buy. Here’s where we ask business leaders to take a step back and assess. If you have an existing email database ready for nurture, email may be the best first step. Conversely, if you have an 18-month purchase decision cycle for your B2B brand, expecting immediate results from paid search may be the* last *channel you should select. ### **Stop: You Shouldn’t Execute without a Plan** Building a plan that embraces this type of focused approach gives you a competitive advantage. Selecting the right service providers *based on that plan* means you'll spend wisely, generate a return, and be ready to invest in the next step. Start by concentrating on three questions: - What drives your definition of business success? - How can you focus on discrete growth priorities (vs *all *growth opportunities)? - What will resource needs and a timetable look like for your business? Preparing your business strategy *before* hiring a marketing firm provides a roadmap so providers you eventually hire know [where to focus their expertise](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/question-of-the-hour-who-should-drive-your-marketing-strategy). ### **Don’t Waste Resources on the Wrong Marketing Services** Trying to execute marketing tactics without a well-laid marketing plan is like attempting to build a house without a blueprint. Unless you want a stove next to the toilet, it's a bad idea. Like builders, most marketing firms know all the "tricks of the trade" and are great at executing, as long as they have a guide to follow. Let the [Whitespace Marketing Group’s Strategy Lab](https://info.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/the-marketing-strategy-lab) show you how to build your own marketing blueprint for your business.   [![watch the WEBINAR: how to AVOID random acts of marketing ](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/176305/c5f63d26-b091-48d9-822b-8e8904eecef0.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/176305/c5f63d26-b091-48d9-822b-8e8904eecef0) Topics: [marketing strategy](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/topic/marketing-strategy), [strategy](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/topic/strategy), [marketing](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/topic/marketing), [business strategy](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/topic/business-strategy), [CEOs](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/topic/ceos), [B2B marketing](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/topic/b2b-marketing), [Founders](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/topic/founders), [B2B](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/topic/b2b), [small business](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/topic/small-business) About The Author ![Ilene Rosenthal, CEO](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/hubfs/IHR%20BioPIc%20643x703.jpg) [ Ilene Rosenthal, CEO ](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/author/ilene-rosenthal-ceo) Ilene Rosenthal is the CEO of White Space Marketing Group, fulfilling her aspiration to bring hybrid marketing expertise to the mid-market. With a dee... [read more](https://blog.whitespacemarketinggroup.com/author/ilene-rosenthal-ceo) [![watch the WEBINAR: how to AVOID random acts of marketing ](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/176305/c5f63d26-b091-48d9-822b-8e8904eecef0.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/176305/c5f63d26-b091-48d9-822b-8e8904eecef0) Search this site on Google Search Google ## We're glad you're here. We write about our marketing passions: building digital brands, digging deep for customer insights, tracking marketing effectiveness and ROI for better results. 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