The Intangible Value of Experience

Budgets are tighter than ever, and low-cost options for anything and everything floods the marketplace each day. This is true across the board in every industry. It is clearly apparent in the area of marketing. Business owners are tempted to hire entry-level or low-cost providers to help them with tasks like web development, graphic design and content development. 

As the “gig economy” continues to grow and secure its place in the American (and global) economies, freelancers are readily available to take care of just about any task you can imagine. Portals like Fiverr and Upwork offer low-cost solutions to marketing-related outsourcing challenges, but in many cases, leave the user less than satisfied, even though the price was right. There’s an old adage about getting what you pay for, and as cliche, as it may sound, it’s true. Let’s explore the many ways that experience matters when hiring a consultant – in any field.

4 Ways Seeking Out Experience Helps Your Business Succeed

They understand what you don’t understand. A perfect example of this is when it comes to launching or revamping a website. You may be the most prolific sales guru, product engineer or CEO on the block, but web development is likely just outside your wheelhouse. There are certain intricacies like technical SEO, brand cohesiveness and data security (just a few examples) that you may not be considering. By hiring a pro with years of experience under his or her belt, you’ll gain the benefits of a smoother launch. For example, you’ll want a specialist that understands:

• The science of designing landing pages that convert 
• Messaging that considers in your sales funnel
• How to leverage one project to springboard another
• Search engine optimization techniques to help get your website ranking

A CASE IN POINT: I recently worked with BOMA Miami Dade to launch their new website. Because of my deep website launch experience along with extensive knowledge of the industry, I saw the places that needed tighter alignment, better organization of messaging, updated images to reflect the business accurately, etc.

They pay attention to the little things. Nuances are not lost on a seasoned marketing professional. Maybe it’s a designer that notices places where your branding or messaging is not in alignment with your company’s vision, or perhaps the content writer that hears the things you haven’t said…an experienced brand builder takes the words you were never able to articulate out of your head and places them on “paper.” (This is why many times, I will answer a question with a question!)

They may seem like they cost more, but they work smarter (and with purpose). Imagine how much your time is worth. Now, back into how much time you don’t spend editing, revising and iterating your experienced pros work. On the other hand, you’re much more likely to receive subpar output from your less experienced marketer. 

The experienced marketer has what might be compared to a higher IQ of a smart student or the quick reflexes of a seasoned athlete that had faced the pressure of many competitions. The experience allows them to get the work done closer to perfect the first time around. 

They take your vision and make it better. A seasoned professional will bring years of experience to the table. Their breadth of experience will add value to your projects and campaign, taking your vision and molding into a polished final product that will truly drive results.

As seasoned professionals in any industry, we’ve paid our dues. We’ve learned our lessons, and we’ve fine-tuned our crafts. Of course, we know what we don’t know, but the best practices, the value-added strategies and the deep insights – those we already have a good handle on. The benefit to those years spent learning the ropes is that now we work smarter, not harder, and we add value in unexpected ways along the way. Of course, there is almost always going to be a cheaper option, but the benefits are vast.