As a small business owner, you have a long list of responsibilities. One of the most important — and perhaps most challenging — roles you have is your position as marketing department head. After all, marketing is essential to the success of any business, but it can be tough to find the time and resources to do it effectively.

While nothing replaces an entire marketing department, you can learn some important strategies to keep your marketing practices on point even if you’re a department of one. Keep reading for tips from the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce to learn how to make strategic choices to your marketing strategy.

Revisit Your Marketing Strategy

The first step in becoming your own marketing department is revisiting your marketing strategy. If you don't have a formalized marketing strategy, now is the time to create one. Sit down and think about your goals for marketing and what you hope to achieve. Do you want to increase brand awareness? Drive more traffic to your website? Boost sales? Once you know what you want to accomplish, you can start planning how to do it.

Choose the Right Marketing Channels

There are many different types of marketing channels available, from traditional channels like print advertising and TV commercials to digital channels like social media and email marketing. The right mix of channels will vary depending on your business, your budget, and your goals. For example, if you're trying to increase brand awareness, you might want to focus on channels that have a wide reach, like TV or radio advertising. If you're trying to demonstrate expertise or drive website traffic, thought-leadership content like blog posts or infographics could be a better fit.

One way to determine which channels are right for your business is to take a look at what your competitors are doing. See where they're advertising and what type of content they're creating. You can also talk to your customers directly to get an idea of where they prefer consuming content and what kind of messaging resonates with them most. Based on this information, you can start experimenting with different channels until you find the right mix for your business.

Refine Your Marketing Message

Once you've identified the channels you want to use, it's time to refine your messaging so that it resonates with your target audience. Duct Tape explains that this involves understanding who your ideal customer is and crafting a message that speaks directly to their needs. When refining your message, be sure to keep your brand voice in mind — this will help ensure that all of your communications are consistent and recognizable.

Consult Other Professionals

One way to get ideas for your own in-house marketing efforts is to ask other business owners about their experiences. Join Cake suggests asking questions like, what has worked well for them? What has been a waste of time and money? By talking to others who have been in your shoes, you can gain valuable insights that will help you create a successful marketing department for your own business.

You may also find that you need to consult with a marketing professional. While you don’t have to commit to an extended contract, getting insight from an expert freelancer can help give your marketing the boost it needs. Designers and marketers often rely on graphics-heavy files, which can be difficult to send digitally. If you have graphics you need to send your consultant, you can convert your file to a PDF using a free conversion too. It’s as simple as adding the files and watching it convert. Then, you can easily send content and ideas back and forth as you develop your campaign together.

Track Your Marketing Effectiveness

The final step in becoming your own marketing department is tracking your effectiveness so that you can fine-tune your efforts as needed. This means setting up some basic analytics tracking on your website as well as any other platforms you're using, such as social media. Once you have this data, start monitoring key metrics like website traffic, conversion rates, pageviews per visit, etc. over time. If you see a sudden drop-off in any of these areas, that could indicate that something is wrong with your campaign and you'll need to make some adjustments.

Be Open to Change

Becoming your own marketing department is achievable with some effort and perseverance. As you revisit your marketing strategy, think critically about who your audience is now and what they want from your company. Use that information to construct your new strategy. And if you get stuck, reach out to a marketing freelancer or consultant for help. With free tools like PDF converters, it is easy to work with a professional to get the boost your marketing needs to set yourself up for long-term success.

Grow your business by building relationships with other local entrepreneurs and accessing unique resources offered by the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce. Join us today!