Divisions of Labor: What to Do with You, Your Marketing Coach, and Your Virtual Assistant

So you have hired a marketing or public relations professional to help you in your business, but you have no idea what you have actually asked them to do. If they're the real deal, you want to max out your value, and keep them focused on the results you want to achieve, and focus their attention on the strategies you need to implement in your business to achieve those results. You also want to tap their expertise to measure your successes, tweak, and test to get those results faster. That's where the value lies: in their expertise and knowledge about the flow of communication, turning strategy into planning, and creating or increasing your client engagement across platforms.

You do not want your strategist to do tactics. That is, you don't want them up to their eyeballs in the nuts and bolts of the technology. That's like being unable to see the forest for the trees. Now, if they're worth their salt, they know the ins and outs of the major online platforms, can operate them for themselves, understand the nuances and differences each medium brings to the table, and how to take advantage of those features. But that's not where their value lies.

To get the best value and results, consider dividing your marketing implementation into component parts and hire team to put your plan into action. Take, for example, your website.

In the professional media world, each component of a website can be broken out and assigned to a person who specializes in that task. Here's a short list of what to ask about:

1. Design (core visual elements, like the banner header and graphics)

2. Layout (pulling the content onto the page)

3. Art Content (photos, special graphics)

4. Content Writing (will the writing do what you need it to do?)

5. Opt in box installation

6. E-business components, such as a shopping cart or autoresponder

7. Syndication of blog posts on directories

8. Maintenance and posting content

9. Video creation,  uploads, and postings

10. Social Media Syndication

Can some professionals do more than one thing? Sure. My specialties are marketing public relation strategies, spiritual marketing, creative non-fiction journalism and copy-writing and photography. That's where my unique brilliance lies. Can I do the other? Yes, absolutely. Should I? Probably not, as it's not the best use of my time.

Your takeaway: don't compromise on content, which creates all-important client engagement. If you have to cut corners in the start-up phase, invest in writing, photos, and video. Rely upon your marketing pro to help you create a strategic plan and a content plan which supports your marketing goals - and leverages your expertise. Hire a Virtual Assistant to handle the technical pieces and him or her take you away from all that. Spend the time networking and building a foundation for your business.