Melbourne Marketing Agency Warns SMEs – Beware the Fake Marketer

Melbourne, Australia, March 25, 2013 --(PR.com)-- Next Marketing has released an eBook to assist business owners in selecting the right Marketing Consultant for their business. The Melbourne based Marketing Agency said that there were a number of fake marketing consultants who target the SME market that have no formal training and lack in depth knowledge of the discipline.

Marketing consultant Jo Macdermott, head of Next Marketing, outlined the following precautions --
· Beware the brand less marketing consultant. If a marketing consultant does not have a brand of his or her own, what kind of a professional marketer would run a business without an identity?
· Beware the graphic designer disguised as a marketing consultant. If a business hires a graphic designer who is doubling as a marketing consultant, they are at risk of having great branding that no one ever sees, and really, what is the point of that?
· Beware the marketing consultant who does not use social media. Marketing consultants must have their own website, a Facebook page, Twitter account, and an active blog as well as LinkedIn profile. If they don’t, a business owner can be fairly sure they do not see just how important these platforms are to any new marketing strategy.
· Beware the marketing consultant who thinks all your ideas are good. Whilst there is no such thing as a bad idea, sometimes it is difficult constructive conversations that have the most impact.
· Beware the marketer who wants payment – 100% upfront. It is very rare to pay for anything in full in advance but there are some business owners who get caught up in this trap, especially with fake marketers.
· Beware the bargain bin marketing consultant. The simple rule is, if the price is "too good to be true," it probably is. You get what you pay for when it comes to marketing professionals and it’s an area you shouldn’t be scrimping over.

"Treat hiring a marketing professional exactly as you would any other professional. Shop around and find someone you trust," said Jo Macdermott, Marketing Consultant, Next Marketing.