Agencies vs. Employees: An interesting dilemma

As a job seeker, I often wonder what prospective employers envision the ROI will be from a given FTE for a given salary. More often than not these days, it seems that the expectations far "outweigh" the compensation being offered. I know this sounds cliche - the proverbial "everyone's underpaid" syndrome - and I suppose that lower compensation packages are indicative of the true challenges presented by the recession. In short - if there are more people willing to work for less - why pay more?

This got me thinking about the differences between a direct employee fulfilling a given role and responsibilities vs. an agency whose core expertise focuses on the very needs of that job.

Let's pretend a job pays $35K. That's roughly 3K a month. For 3K a month - a prospective employee at that paygrade will perform as well as s/he can based on skill sets and past experiences. Realistically, for a 35K FTE, those skills and experiences may in fact be limited. This employee represents additional costs beyond their salary - including but not limited to "tools of the trade" (PC, cell, PDA, business cards, etc.), potential reimbursements for health insurance, travel, client communications, etc. S/he will also be entitled to paid vacation days, and "susceptible" to natural delays and impasses such as illness, commuting problems, etc.

Now let's pretend the same job was offered to an agency whose core competencies directly correlate with the role's key requirements. The employer saves on insurance, "tools of the trade", and PTO. They get a TEAM of people (as opposed to an individual) whose collective skills and knowledge intrinsically present more resources than a single FTE. An agency is innately programmed to "over-deliver" on-time and on-budget, as their reputation and opportunity for renewals and recommendations depend on these circumstances.

Some employers would argue that outsourcing certain work would "dilute" the genuineness of their brand/products/services because the connectivity of the stakeholders is technically one degree removed. Other employers might see the engagement of an agency as a means of saving money and (under the radar) prospecting for future recruitment.

I wonder if there are any search personnel (recruiters, head hunters, source professionals, etc.) who specialize in placing agencies as opposed to/in addition to individuals. I've heard of "lead generation professionals" for agencies but I know of none that actually delivered. Maybe it takes an expert in recruitment/professional search to "sell" the value of an agency as effectively as they sell the value of individual clients.

Maybe it's a whole new niche. Maybe I'm just nuts and really tired of looking for a job.

PS - check out Hire Power Solutions, Inc. in Chicago, IL if you're looking for a job, as well.

Marc Portugal

USE the Recession: From Recalibration to Revenue

A belated Happy 4th, and RIP MJ...

Back to business (no pun intended.) Due to the ongoing recession, layoffs, etc. your business may have more time on its hands then you'd like. Having said that --- are you using this time wisely to recalibrate your core marketing platforms?

Understanding that budgets need to be managed, conserved and/or spent as carefully as ever, there are no less than a dozen core marketing considerations that you can enhance, improve and/or refocus for FREE or for very little cost. As a result, you may actually increase traffic and revenues NOW - in spite of the economic challenges. They include:

• Search Engine Optimization - adding and/or adjusting keywords, meta-tagging, verifications, etc. to optimize costs of online advertising spending.
• Organic Search Optimization - adding and/or adjusting local listings, linking, etc. to optimize costs of online advertising spending.
• Web Site Updates - remove all out-dated information, post new offers, blogs, pics, etc.
• Web Site Analytics - ensure all site traffic including microsites and splash pages are being measured to gauge effectiveness of content.
• Facebook Profile Updates - remove all out-dated information, add new friends & fans, post new offers, blogs, pics, etc.
• Twitter Updates - post new offers, progress on other changes, behind the scenes insights, etc.
• LinkedIn Profiles - remove all out-dated information, add new/generic profiles for other employees & job descriptions.
• E-mail Database - mine existing contacts for key data, clean list to lower transmission costs.
• SMS Database - mine existing contacts for key data, clean list to lower transmission costs.
• In-House Signage/Collateral - remove all out-dated information, ensure current materials are accurate, presentable, etc.
• Cause Marketing - source alliances with local charities whose goals and audiences correlate with your business - share resources for joint promotions and events both online and offline.
• Networking - attend events relevant to promoting your business, recruiting team members, sponsors, etc.; contact friends, family and colleagues using e-mail and social media with updates and WOM requests.
• PR - script press releases based on new offers, discounts, promotions, events, cause alliances, new hires, remodels, rebranding, etc. and send via e-mail, social media, and/or web services.
• Talk to your Customers!!! - in person, via surveys, via e-mails, etc. - now more than even you need to know their voice, habits, preferences, needs, tolerances, etc. - use this time to develope and deliver a brand promise stemming directly from the customers themselves!

Please also take a moment to re-read (or read for the first time) one of my previous blog entries called "Market ahead so you don't end up behind" as it also addresses calibration - but in the context of timing and planning in advance.

Many of the services above can be addresses in-house, but I would absolutely recommend considering outside expertise. Check out Rise Interactive in Chicago, IL.

Marc Portugal

Drive traffic, revenue and good will to your property on a year-round basis? You can start today...

I recently formed Cause Marketing Partners (CMP) to help businesses increase traffic, revenue, and good will by establishing event marketing partnerships with nonprofit organizations.

We match businesses with a nonprofit organization whose mission and/or base correlates with their target audience(s), and then we help each partnership plan and promote their event(s.)

Each businesses’ main responsibility is to put their best foot forward as a brand and a host - make the best impression possible - and bounce the event guests, volunteers and participants back again for future sales.

Events are hosted at the businesses’ location – often on weekday nights when overall traffic may be slower. Event partnerships are specifically designed so that the nonprofit organization and the host business can share internal resources and collaborate on promotional efforts to drive traffic and revenue.

Events are also designed such that both parties share in the admission revenues (to ensure donations and to help mitigate minimum donation costs of food, beverage and labor.)

The host business retains all additional revenues for the duration of the event. The business will also retain all contact information collected from the event guests.

Depending on the genre, size and goals of a prospective nonprofit partner organization, viable business types to host cause marketing events include restaurants, bars, hotels, spas, salons, shopping malls, gold courses, and more. Other businesses that may be able to accommodate events and catering – such as luxury car dealerships, museums, cooking schools, and art galleries – are also of interest to some nonprofits.

Additional CMP benefits to businesses include:

• Exposure to proprietary resources of dozens of local and national nonprofits
• Assessment and recommendations regarding all marketing platforms
• Creation of a "playbook" for future event and promotional efforts
• Collection of new customer contact information for future event and promotional efforts
  

Unlike any other form of advertising and marketing, events are the only time-dependent strategy fundamentally designed to result in live traffic and relationship building.

CMP helps plan and expedite cause marketing events so businesses can continue focusing on other existing, time-sensitive priorities.

We would enjoy the opportunity to talk with you about how CMP can increase traffic and revenues for your business while expanding good will for your brand. Please e-mail me at marc@causemp.com to discuss how we can help.

Marc Portugal
Cause Marketing Partners

NEW WEB SITE COMING SOON!

Healthy Kids: Forming Early Eating Decisions!

Today's entry is a gratuitous but very important promotion of a friend's new private practice. She is a pediatric dietician - an area of focus I feel is extremely critical for both the physical and mental health and wellness of kids today. Check it out and pass it on: http://www.feedkids.com/

Marc Portugal

Market ahead so you don't end up behind

Looks can be deceiving.

For some companies, "short-term" successes can lull them into a false sense of security. Let's look at some easy examples using a restaurant business model:

• A restaurant may be busy because it's summer and their outdoor patio is open (aka season and weather dependent circumstances)
• A restaurant may be busy because they are new (aka the 90-day "honeymoon" syndrome)
• A restaurant may be busy because they received some sort of traditional publicity (aka local media mentions, reviews, etc.)
• A restaurant may be busy because businesses around them are busy (aka a hotel is full for a convention, they are near a dining/entertainment "district", etc.)
• A restaurant may be busy because a marketing campaign worked well (aka a food discount, an after-dinner "lounge" program, etc.)

All good things...until....

• What happens if it rains?
• What happens when summer ends?
• What about all the other patios?
• What happens when the "honeymoon" ends?
• What happens after the buzz from the press article wears off?
• What happens when the surrounding businesses stop marketing effectively?
• What happens after the successful marketing campaign runs its course?

More often then I care to know, businesses revel in a "moment" of success, and stop thinking ahead to ensure they (A) prepare new ideas and strategies and (B) adjust/react to those that expire. If this seems like I'm pointing out the obvious - it's because I am.

Before you completely scoff at the obvious - think about some other critical, less obvious factors that can be happening simultaneous to the expiration of temporary successes:

• What if your e-mail list starts to see more bounces because it hasn't been cleaned?
• What if your e-mail list starts to get blocked by certain ISPs?
• What if your feedback loop is incomplete and you start getting SPAM complaints that never actually reach you?
• What if someone forgets to update your web site, and potential/current customers (A) log on to see outdated information and/or (B) log on and do NOT see recent coverage of their own experiences?
• What if your Facebook page is outdated, misused, or under-utilized?
• What if your next round of conventional ad spends (print, online, radio, etc.) don't generate reasonable ROI because they aren't integrated into your other marketing vehicles?
• What happens when the "next great ____" (insert your business type) opens up?

Bottom line: marketing is more important than ever, and timing is still everything. Prepare to connect with customers further in advance via multiple strategies and you won't miss out. If you believe yesterday's "checkout" indicates all is well - you may end up behind.

Marc Portugal