For small businesses and start-ups, saving money is always a bonus. Particularly in the current crisis, keeping hold of cash could be the incentive you need for DIY marketing.  

2. You're more hands-on 

By creating your own marketing messaging and content, and being the sole communicator between your brand and your prospective customer you are in total control of exactly what you say, how you say it and who you say it to. In this way, you're more in touch with your prospects needs and are able to deliver a more personalised customer experience.  

3. There are plenty of online tools to help 

The online world doesn't just serve the consumer, but also has a vast range of low-cost and free business tools and resources for DIY marketing. Online scheduling tools, graphic design packages, video content apps and basic marketing CRMs can help do the job of a professional marketer!  

4. It could improve engagement

A more personalised hands-on approach to marketing can actually improve your engagement. By showing the person behind the brand, you are able to build a genuine rapport with your prospects and customers which could encourage them to engage with your brand more frequently.  

5. It's good to know the basics for future outsourcing 

Understanding the basics of marketing helps you develop your marketing strategy and messaging, and identify the activities where you need support. This is really helpful for any future outsourcing as you'll be able to brief freelancers or agencies more effectively, set targets and have clearer idea of whether they're delivering a positive ROI. 

The cons of DIY marketing

Before committing to doing all your own marketing yourself, weigh up some of the disadvantages too.

1. It can be very time consuming

When we know things will take a long time, we often push them aside and they end up being on our to-do lists longer than it would have taken us to do them. DIY marketing is a fairly large time commitment so weighing up your valuable time against how much it could cost to outsource your marketing is important.  

2. It might require skills you struggle with 

Try as we might to be the self-employed 'Jack of all trades', it's unrealistic to assume that you will be good at everything. Recognising your strengths and admitting your weaknesses will help you focus on the things you're good at and outsource aspects of your work that require specialist skills.  

3. Takes you away from other business activities 

As mentioned above, DIY marketing can be time consuming and may even take you away from areas of business that are also a priority. 

4. There's too much to choose from!

There are so many ways you can successfully market your small business but not all of them will suit your industry or your customer. Choosing the right marketing activities is vital if you want to get a good return on your investment (time- and money-wise). For more information on which activities and platforms could work for your business download our DIY Marketing Toolkit here, or if you're still unsure, get in touch with a marketing expert - they'll be able to offer helpful advice and steer your marketing in the right direction. 

5. You might not enjoy it