Owners who come to us usually arrive at the same fork in the road, even if they've never put a name to it. One way is: handle this for me, start to finish. The other is: show me what needs doing and I'll do the work myself. Both are honest ways to work with us, and neither one is the beginner's version of the other. The only real mistake is picking the way that doesn't fit what you actually have room for right now: time, attention, or budget.
Should I hire someone to do my marketing, or do it myself?
It depends on what's actually in short supply, and it's rarely competence. If you have the budget for it and the last thing you want is one more account to log into and one more skill to pick up, the handled way fits: EMG does the work, sets up the software it runs on, inside your own accounts, and reports back so you can see what happened. You stay on the business only you can run, and the marketing runs without you standing over it.
If you'd rather understand what's happening, and you have hours to spend on it, the guided way suits you better. It fits an owner who's early enough that cash is tighter than time, or who wants to understand how the work gets done before handing any of it over. EMG gives you the outline of what needs doing, the order it should happen in, and a review at each stage so you're not guessing whether it's right. You do the doing: writing the page, setting the account up, answering the inquiry when it lands. It costs more hours and more decisions than handing it off. It buys you a closer view of how it works and why.
A rough way to sort it: - You want the marketing running without being in the middle of it: the handled way. - You want to see how it works and have hours to give it: the guided way. - You're short on cash more than time: the guided way usually costs less, because it trades your money for your hours. - You're short on time more than cash: the handled way usually costs less, because it trades your money for hours you don't have to spend.
What does the guided way actually ask of me?
Time, attention, and a willingness to make decisions nobody else can make for you. You're not handed a stack of material and left to work through it alone. You get the order of work and a second set of eyes at each stage, but the doing stays yours: setting up the analytics you can actually trust and writing the plan for what happens after the sale.
The doing also means keeping the inquiry from going quiet on your own watch instead of someone else's. That's the honest trade in this direction: you spend more of your own hours, and you keep more of the cost as time instead of paying it out as a fee.
Can I start doing it myself and hand it over later?
Yes, and it's a common path, not a fallback position. Plenty of owners start by doing the work themselves on purpose, because time is what they have and money is what's tight. Some stay there for good, and that's a fine place to stay. Others get partway into the work and find out how much there actually is to keep straight at once: the inquiry that needs answering the same day, the list that needs keeping honest, the site that needs new pages so it keeps showing up. They come back and ask for help. That's not a sign anything went wrong earlier. It's a normal point to change direction, and none of what you already built has to be redone to get there.
Whichever way you come in, the rule underneath doesn't move: the site, the list and the accounts stay in your name, whether we're doing the work or you are, and whether we're still involved a year from now or not at all. That's true on day one, and it stays true no matter which way you started.
If you're not sure which way fits your business right now, that's a fair thing to ask us directly, not something you have to work out alone first. Tell us where you stand, what you have time for and what you don't, and we'll tell you plainly which way makes more sense before you commit to either one.
Questions owners ask
Should I hire someone or do my marketing myself?
It depends on what you're short on this season: time or money, not skill. If you have the budget and no spare hours to learn new tools, hire it out. If time is what you have and cash is tighter, doing it yourself with an outline and a review is a fair trade of hours for cost. Neither choice is more serious than the other.
Can I start it myself and hand it over later?
Yes, and it's a normal way to work with us, not a backup plan. Some owners start doing their own marketing because time is what they have and money is tight, and later bring us in once they see how much there actually is to keep on top of. Nothing has to be rebuilt to make that switch, because the work already sits in your own accounts.
What do I still own if we stop working together?
Everything that was built stays yours: the website, the analytics, the list and the software all run in your own accounts from the start. Nothing was ever held back to keep you paying, whichever way you came in. Stopping the arrangement changes who's doing the work. It doesn't change who owns it.
How do I know which way is right for my business?
Look at what you're actually short on right now: time or money, not which one sounds more serious. If you have the budget and no time to learn new tools, choose the handled way. If you have time and want to understand what you're running, choose the guided way. You can change your mind once the work is underway, and neither choice locks you in.
From the field
Money buys time. Time buys understanding. Neither one buys the other.