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All your questions, answered

Think of this as your quick-reference marketing guide. If your question isn’t here, just reach out – we’re always happy to chat.

Whether you’re building your brand, running ads, or wondering if SEO is worth it — we’ve got the answers right here.

Marketing basics

What exactly does an outsourced marketing agency do?

An outsourced marketing agency serves as your external marketing department, handling everything from strategy development to campaign execution. Unlike hiring in-house staff, you get access to a full team of specialists – content writers, designers, strategists, and analysts, without the overhead of salaries, benefits, and training costs. Most agencies offer flexible service packages ranging from specific projects like website redesigns to comprehensive monthly retainers covering SEO, social media, paid advertising, and email marketing.

How involved will I need to be if I hire a marketing or digital marketing agency?

Expect to invest time upfront during onboarding  to share brand guidelines, business goals, and access to necessary tools. After that, most clients spend 1-2 hours monthly in strategy calls and reviewing deliverables. The beauty of working with an outsourced marketing agency is they handle the heavy lifting – you provide direction and feedback, they execute. The best partnerships strike a balance: you stay informed and aligned without getting buried in day-to-day tactical work.

Why do I need to do marketing when 95% of my business is word of mouth?

Word of mouth (WOM) is one of the most powerful marketing channels and whether you realise it or not, you are managing and influencing the power of WOM for your business. The question is, are you doing this well? What inspires people to talk about your business? Are they talking about it positively?

Things that get people talking include customer service, value (or perceived value) you have delivered (tangible or emotional). Channels you need to closely manage to empower positive WOM include, employee training and satisfaction, online and offline publicity, social media and various brand experiences. It is also imperative to note that research shows that 75% of people will research a product or service online prior to purchase, so while WOM might drive them online, you need to ensure your digital presence (website, social media, online reviews etc) also support the endorsement.

Have you ever measured the level of positive WOM and compared it to actual conversions? You might find that WOM is strong but conversions are down because of poor marketing in other areas. Your marketing efforts need to focus on the whole purchasing decision process, not just awareness.

How much should I spend on marketing?

The Ultimate question of marketing budget arises all of the time – but you need to ask yourself the question – how much are you willing to spend to make a sale?

Read this article here for the forumla – https://pitstopmarketing.com.au/rethink-your-marketing-budget-what-would-you-really-pay-for-a-client/

Remember two key elements

1. Spend should take into account time AND money

2. Spend nothing and waiting for your business to grow is like putting a seed onto concrete and willing it to sprout and develop.

Digital marketing

What counts as digital marketing?

Digital marketing covers all the ways your business shows up online to build awareness, trust, and demand. This includes your website, SEO, paid advertising, social media, email marketing, content, and how these channels work together. It’s not about doing everything at once, but choosing the right mix based on your goals and audience.

Why does advertising exposure matter if people aren’t ready to buy yet?

Advertising exposure builds familiarity long before someone is ready to act. Most people don’t need a product or service the first time they see it, but repeated, consistent exposure helps a brand feel recognisable, trustworthy, and top of mind. When the need eventually arises, familiar brands are far more likely to be chosen over those seen only once.

What role does content play in digital marketing?

Content is how your brand communicates what it does, how it thinks, and why it exists. It supports visibility, trust and decision-making across every digital channel. Without content, even the best digital marketing tactics struggle to perform.

What results can I realistically expect, and how quickly?

Timeline expectations depend on your goals. Quick wins like improved website conversion rates or better ad targeting can show results within 30-60 days. However, strategies like SEO, content marketing, and brand building typically require 3-6 months before you see significant traction. A reputable outsourced marketing agency will set realistic benchmarks during onboarding and provide regular progress reports. Be skeptical of anyone promising overnight success. Sustainable growth takes time, testing, and optimisation.

What is marketing attribution?

Marketing attribution is the method of determining the source from which purchases are being driven. This could be a TV Advertisement, a Facebook post, or a Google Search to find your website. Often ‘last click’ is measured for online attribution, as this is an ‘easy’ data source.  ‘Real’ attribution will assign credit in the right proportion to different touch points along the customer’s journey. This let’s us give credit to a Billboard with a URL on it, or a Facebook Ad which is seen 4 times before the buyer Google’s the brand name. Technology is increasingly catching up, allowing us to follow a user’s journey online from one website to the next, tracking and assigning credit, and advanced modelling is taking place, assigning attribution to TV Ads and other offline channels. This is a work in progress, but the technology will come – and the answers to where your purchases are coming from may surprise you. Often we talk about the impact that marketing efforts have on the subconscious. Real attribution may provide the justification and ROI on our marketing efforts that appeal to this part of the brain.

Content & social media

Do I need to post on social media consistently?

Consistency matters more than frequency. Regular posting helps your audience recognise you, trust you, and remember you, but that doesn’t mean posting every day. A realistic, sustainable schedule that reflects your capacity and goals will always outperform short bursts followed by long gaps.

What social media tools can make content easier to manage?

The right tools can save time, reduce overwhelm, and make social media feel more manageable. Scheduling platforms, design tools, analytics dashboards and content planning tools help streamline everything from idea generation to posting and reporting. When used well, they simplify the process and give you more time to focus on creating better content, not just staying on top of posting.

Where can I find inspiration on the internet?

Sometimes we need to just let our minds wander, before we can write or think creatively. Need some inspiration for your inspiration? Look no further…

  1. Pinterest – It’s perfect for visual thinking and making curated mood boards for whatever mood you are in.
  2. Dribbble – Where design, layout and branding ideas stretch a little further than the algorithm.
  3. Substack & LinkedIn articles – The best for long-form thinking, strong opinions and ideas worth sitting with.
  4. Instagram Reels & TikTok – Not for trends alone, but for pacing, storytelling, hooks and how ideas land in seconds.
  5. Brands you genuinely love – Sometimes the best inspiration comes from businesses who know exactly who they are.

You’re welcome.

Why would I use social media for my business when I don’t even use it at home?

We hear you, we are all busy and having something else to monitor can be time consuming.  The bottom line is that you might not like it, care for it or want it but rest assured your competitors will and may well be engaging with your customers already. As far as marketing activities go it is one of the most cost effective channels to connect with your market/customers. The biggest mistake is viewing social media as an opportunity to shout about your product or service. These channels are successful when organisations commit to authentically engaging with the audience and having a two-way conversation. It’s an opportunity to develop a tribe of believers and supporters in your industry, cause, passion or purpose.

Social media allows you to keep your brand top of mind, so long as you provide relevant content for your audience. You will need to enter each channel with clear objectives, which might include increase brand awareness, provide outstanding customer service, employer branding, thought leadership or market research.

It’s not all #IhateMondays, or pictures of meals you’re about to eat –  it’s a real opportunity to connect and more importantly let your customers connect with you the way they want to.

Even if you are still not convinced, we encourage you to check out your competitors’ presence and if it’s rubbish – you’ve just identified an opportunity!

Websites and SEO

What is generative engine optimisation (GEO)?

GEO is optimising your content to be effectively understood, referenced, and cited by AI-powered systems like ChatGPT, Claude, Bard, and other generative AI tools. As more users are turning to AI assistants for information instead of traditional search engines, GEO ensures your content remains discoverable and authoritative in this new landscape.

How is GEO different from traditional SEO?

While SEO focuses on ranking higher in search engine results pages, GEO optimises for being cited as a credible source when AI systems generate responses. Traditional SEO targets search engine crawlers, while GEO ensures AI systems can properly understand, process, and reference your content when answering user questions.

What is geo-targeting?

Geo-targeting is an essential element of your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) strategy. It enables your business to be found when a potential customer searches on Google for your service or product in your location.

To rank websites, Google uses geo-targeting as part of a suite of metrics. These impact a site’s rating in Google’s search results: the more specific the geo-targeting, the higher Google will rank the site for searches in the relevant area.

For example, if you operate a ladies’ fashion store in Brighton, you want to make sure your site is identified by Google as valuable for customers who search from the local area.

To improve your business’ geo-targeting, ensure that your website includes appropriate location-specific keywords and landing pages.

How do I use a keyword or key phrase in my content for SEO?

Keywords in your web content make it possible for people to find your site via search engines. It’s incredibly important to make sure that you know how to use keywords in your content correctly so that your content can be found, indexed and ranked

Keyword or key phrase placement is essential for good website SEO. See the list below on where best to place your keywords or key phrases:

 

  1. In the <TITLE> element
  2. In the <description> element
  3. In your content – in the <p> tags
  4. In the <alt> text
  5. In the URL

Strategy

What is your top marketing tip?

Be strategic. All of your activities need to relate to your business and marketing goals. For example: If your business goal is to increase your customer base, your marketing goal may be to increase your brand reach. Put your business name out where your target market is through different channels, and allow yourself to be creative and interesting to get noticed. If your business goal is to decrease the cost of customer acquisition per sales then your marketing goal may be customer retention, and therefore your actions will be different. A more targeted approach would be more applicable, such as focusing on your database. Reach out and find out why you were chosen in the first place, and give your customers a reason to come back.

What are some marketing benefits and tactics?

Benefits of marketing

  • Reach new audiences
  • Increase brand visibility
  • Referrals
  • Build authority
  • Build trust
  • Researching our own products and services
  • Product development
  • Position a brand
  • Communicate points of difference
  • Direct people to buy
  • Education
  • Collaboration

Tactical application

  • Social media
  • Websites
  • Direct marketing
  • Emails
  • Advertising
  • Blogging
  • Videos
  • Brochures
  • Events
  • Competitions
  • Automation
  • Displays
  • Networking
  • Referrals
  • SEO
  • Sponsorship
  • Case studies
  • Webinars
  • Guerrilla
  • Landing pages

Thought starters for defining your target markets.

The Person That Will Pay You – who wants or needs your product or service? Whose problem does your product solve?

The Person That Influences The Person That Pays You – Influencers include any person that holds another person’s attention in some way. It might be a business partner, industry people, mentors or clients. These people hold attention and influence the decisions that your target audience makes – and that’s why you need to pay attention to the influencers. If you can earn their trust, their approval then you can win them over and they can influence the person that will pay you.

Your Supporters – These are the people that support you to achieve your goals. Supporters include family members, friends, colleagues, co-workers, mentors and anybody that can offer support as you work your way to success.

What are personas?

A “Persona” is a fictional representation of a purchaser. Personas provide the team with a shared understanding of users in terms of goals and capabilities.

Benefits of using personas:

  • Personas give marketers a ‘test case’ for communications. Using Personas to walk through communications allows clarity as to whether the ad, email etc meets the desires or breaks down barriers.
  • They help team members share a consistent understanding of the user group: Personas make the stories more compelling and fun, thus making them easier to remember and consider when the team is working towards a solution – together.
  • Personas help develop informed wireframes and site architecture: Since Personas focus on the needs of the users, the team can walk through scenarios and determine optimal placement of content to specifically support the goal of the product. This is vital to the success of a website or application, and will save your client thousands of dollars and/or man-hours reworking a product after it’s launched (and “officially” tested by actual users).

Support & next steps

What if I only need help with one part of my marketing?

That’s totally fine! Support doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Whether you need help with a single campaign, a strategy reset, or ongoing support, we’ll tailor the approach to suit your situation and your business.

Do I need to have everything figured out before starting?

Not at all. Many people come to us feeling unsure or overwhelmed, and that’s completely normal. Part of our role is helping bring clarity, structure and direction, even if you’re not yet sure what the solution looks like.

What happens after I get in touch?

We’ll start with a conversation, not a sales pitch. The goal is to understand your business, where you’re at, and what you actually need. From there, we’ll talk through options, priorities and next steps, so you can decide what feels right.