Must-Read Marketing Q&A with MJ Montilla

For a lot of us more established business owners, it can be tough to keep up with the rapid evolution of new technology and changing viewership.

This is where having a digital marketing specialist comes in. There’s a whole new generation building careers based on the foundations of simply knowing your audience and how to reach them. This is a skill that we cannot underestimate!

We recently brought a new team member on board, MJ Montilla, who is our ace digital marketing specialist and I can honestly say she has made a huge impact. Having someone who not only knows the ins and outs of modern media and advertising, but is also willing to go above and beyond to keep up with those ever-evolving algorithms is truly invaluable to your business.

So I sat down with MJ to get her advice on finding the right fit to help rejuvenate your marketing approach! Because let’s face it, some of us “boomers” need to connect with younger audiences on new platforms and we just can’t do it alone.

Here’s a run-down of the questions I asked MJ and her brilliant responses:

Q: How do we know what skills to look for when bringing on a digital marketing specialist?

A: The first and most important thing is to find someone who understands your goals and can invest in your brand. The last thing you want is someone who’s going to throw a one-size-fits-all strategy at you and expect you to implement it yourself. What you really need is someone who will take the time to learn who your ideal connections are and how to best engage with them.

Q: Which would be better for this role, someone with a creative approach or an analytical one?

A: Successful marketers take a holistic approach, so you really need someone who can balance both creativity and strategy. The right digital marketing specialist will be able to produce creative content that looks and sounds like your brand while also creating strategies to help boost your brand awareness, engagement, and sales.

Q: What’s one soft skill that might not be listed on a resume but would shine through in an interview?

A: A willingness to try new things! Marketing is all about trial and error and a good marketing specialist is always looking for new tactics that will land with your audience. Someone who’s innovative and eager to test new platforms is extremely valuable.

Q: What are some of the biggest mistakes people make in marketing?

A: The first mistake every business owner makes when they’re taking care of their own marketing is not having a strategic plan in place. Entrepreneurs are always getting great ideas, but they also tend to want to take everything on at once.

A strategic plan sets out your KPIs and helps you monitor goals and performance while making sure your messaging is aligned across all channels.

The second biggest mistake is not knowing your target market! I see this all the time, business owners just want to market their product or service to anyone and everyone. But this doesn’t really do anything for their sales or reputation, it just creates more noise.

(Psst… if you need help identifying and connecting with your target market, check out “How to Tap Into Your Target Market.”)

Q: How do you know when it’s time to measure whether or not your marketing strategies are working?

A: Before we can measure anything, we need to do a series of trial-and-error marketing. This is true for every business and every platform. Once we’ve done that, it’s best to measure results either monthly or quarterly. When you see a spike in your analytics, it’s time to dive deeper.

Q: Why does your branding matter?

A: Your brand tells your audience who you are, bottom line. Consistent branding is how you say non-verbally to your audience that you’re serious about solving their problems and that you’re reliable and here to stay. It can make or break your entire reputation.

Q: When you hire a digital marketing specialist to look after your social media, what’s a reasonable workload?

A: The right marketer will work around your goals and budget. Once they understand where your business is at and what you need done, they should be able to propose a plan and scope of work to help you achieve those goals long-term.

Q: What are the most important things business owners should keep in mind when pushing new marketing content?

A: There are essentially five fundamental things you’ve got to consider with every campaign:

1. Goal: Stay focused on why you’re putting the campaign out in the first place.
2. Target: Tailor the campaign to a specific audience.
3. Empathy: Highlight your audience’s core pain point and show them you understand.
4. The 80/20 Rule: 20% of your marketing should be directed at making sales, 80% should be geared towards nurturing and educating your audience. Remember, not every ad is a sales pitch.
5. Test and learn: Don’t get defeated. Trial and error is a huge part of marketing, so don’t get impatient when a campaign falls short of expectations. Focus on the learnings and try again.