Combatting the Do-it-Yourself Syndrome | UpCity

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“Build your own website!” “Buy a logo for $5!”

You may cringe as you read that headline. As professional marketers, we’ve been hit hard by the “so easy you can do it yourself” pitch that thousands of companies make every day. Many of us have also gotten that desperate call from a business owner. It usually begins with something like, “My cousin’s kid is really smart so I hired him to build my site, but…”

In addition, marketing service professionals often compete with in-house teams, who don’t want their management to outsource those parts of their jobs they enjoy doing— even though agencies and specialists bring a level of expertise and skill depth that internal resources may simply not have.

So, how do you convince a prospect that outsourcing makes good business sense when they’ve been watching ads and hearing from others that “marketing professionals are a waste of money.”

Explain your value added and prove it through credible case studies.

Reinforce the importance of a business having its own unique brand and strategy, rather than an “off the shelf” solution that may not differentiate them from their competition.

Reinforce the importance of personalized strategy and problem-solving.

Make sure your clients are aware of the credentials and experience of the people on your team. Make yourself available by phone, text, and e-mail for troubleshooting. (Cloud-based solutions very often can’t compete with that.)

Do not bash “do it yourself” solutions.

Learn them and be willing to work with them if that’s what the client needs. For example, my web developer happily loaded my brand assets to Canva so that I can create very basic communications myself. He taught me how to use WordPress for the same reason. But I still go to him for more complicated work. Because of his willingness to work with a hybrid solution, he will have a long-term client. Don’t sweat the small stuff; think about the longer-term relationship.

Give clients their own “space” in which to contribute and create. 

Giving clients creative choices or specific high-touch tasks to do fulfills their need to be involved in the process.

Avoid the true do-it-yourselfers. 

If you sense that a client believes that he is wildly creative and knows everything he needs to know about digital marketing, you may never convince him otherwise. Walk away. Similarly, if your client’s team is not supportive of your talents and capabilities they may set you up to fail You should spend your time, talents, and energies on those people who appreciate them.

Above all, be continuously thinking about who your ideal clients are and what services you provide that are difficult (or time-consuming) for people who aren’t marketing professionals to tackle on their own.

Claim Your Listing

Clients look for agencies that deliver great results AND are great to work with. Make sure prospective clients can easily find you—and read glowing reviews about you. Claim your listing on the UpCity site.  It’ll open up a whole new stream of prospects—companies looking for the best in local and national digital savvy.

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Nancy A Shenker

Nancy A. Shenker is a marketing innovator, brand builder, writer, and speaker, with both client- and agency-side experience. Over the course of her 40-year business and marketing career, she has been a C-level marketing executive, an entrepreneur, and a mentor to hundreds of small businesses at all stages. Founder of theONswitch marketing(R), Shenker was formerly a senior executive for major consumer and business brands, including Citibank, MasterCard, and Reed Exhibitions. Shenker has written four books, and publishes a women’s entrepreneur community called sheBOOM, as well as A.I. website Embrace the Machine(R) and travel and lifestyle website BleisureLiving(R). She writes a column for Inc.com called Bots & Bodies, covering the human aspects of technology and speaks about digital marketing, transformation, and women’s career paths at national conferences.

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