What's a marketing generalist? And why your might business be better off working with one...

A marketing generalist can help your customers see your juiciness through all areas of the marketing mix

Running a small business in the South-West of England - or anywhere in the UK for that matter - comes with its own unique challenges. One of the biggest is managing your marketing efforts effectively without seeing your costs spiralling, or your own time disappearing into a black hole.

Many small business owners face a tough choice: hire expensive specialist marketing agencies or find a more flexible, cost-effective solution.

Hi, I'm Chris, of Chris White Marketing. Today I'm explaining why hiring a marketing 'generalist' can be a really smart move for small business owners in the South-West.

Not all marketing generalists sketch out client marketing plans on our windows - here's one that does

A 'marketing generalist' understands your marketing needs

Small businesses more often than not have limited budgets and resources. Sound familiar?!

Unlike large companies, they just can't afford to hire multiple specialists for every marketing channel. Instead, they need someone who can handle a variety of tasks across the marketing mix, from social media and content creation to email campaigns and basic graphic design. And even someone who can create a visual identity and new website for you.

A marketing 'generalist' is a marketing professional who brings a broad skill set that covers many areas of marketing. That's usually because they're at an advanced stage of their career, and have had experience in lots of different subsets of marketing departments, at a variety of different companies and industries.

This sort of flexibility is well-suited to small businesses as it allows them to get more done, but with less expense.

For example, a marketing generalist can:

• Develop and execute a marketing plan for your business

• Build a modern visual identity and website for you

• Create SEO-optimised content and help you rank better in Google search

• Set up and manage social media accounts (and post in your brand's tone of voice)

• Write and build blog posts, newsletters and email campaigns

• Design graphics and promotional materials

• Analyse marketing data to improve campaigns and leads.

  
  

This approach saves the business owner money and time, as they then don't have to coordinate between multiple agencies or freelancers.

For instance, you might hire a specialist agency to run your Meta ads. But to make your creative feel like you, you'll probably need to produce a range of images and branding - that's something that the specialist won't do. You might not have a brand toolkit in the first place.

Or, you might work with a web developer to build your website. That's fantastic, and you'll come away with a really nice site. But what happens when you then need to produce regular SEO-optimised content for it? Ask any web development agency to do that, and you'll quickly rack up the invoices.

I love visiting marketing agencies with offices like this - but imagine the overheads

When specialist marketing niche agencies may not be the best fit

Specialist agencies focus deeply on one area, such as search engine optimisation (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, or content production. While their expertise is highly valuable, it often comes with a high price tag and a narrow focus. Your agreement with them, or project scope, might not include some of the peripherals you need to really enhance your marketing.

I should say here that there is certainly a time and place for specialist agencies, and there are some really excellent ones out there.

For instance, if you have an ambitious lead generation target for your Meta ads, and want to spend some serious money to achieve it, a specialist company might be better placed to deliver what you need (in this case, it's because with Meta ads, you need to know all about the Meta algorithms, how to pivot creative when your best one stops working, and how to adjust targeting when your cost per lead starts inflating after a few months).

For small businesses in the South-West, this can lead to several challenges:

• High costs: Specialist agencies charge premium rates for their expertise, which can strain small business budgets.

• Limited scope: Hiring multiple specialists means juggling different contracts and communication channels.

• Less flexibility: Specialists may not adapt quickly to changing business needs or cover tasks outside their expertise.

• Overkill for basic needs: Many small businesses require straightforward marketing efforts that don’t justify specialist fees.

  
  

By contrast, a marketing generalist offers a more balanced and adaptable solution that can really fit with how a small business operates.

Here we see a marketing generalist's typical environment: that's right, working from their sofa

Marketing generalists support small business growth

Simply put, a marketing generalist acts as a one-stop shop for marketing needs. This role is especially valuable for small businesses that want to grow steadily without overspending.

One of the unspoken fringe benefits that comes with a marketing generalist is that often they are at a more senior stage of their career. Speaking personally, I've done the rounds in a plethora of different marketing departments at quite a number of different types of company. Over that time, I learned the ins and outs of everything from digital marketing, marketing strategy and brand, product marketing, print marketing and design, and membership marketing.

That really broad experience and skillset has made me the marketer that I am today.

Here are some ways in which a marketing generalist is really great at supporting small business growth:

• Consistent messaging: They ensure all marketing materials align with the brand’s voice and goals (which they can also help create).

• Quick adjustments: A generalist can pivot strategies based on results or market changes without waiting for external approvals.

• Personalised attention: Small businesses get direct support tailored to their unique challenges - there's no 'one size fits all.'

• Better budget control: With one person handling multiple tasks, costs stay predictable and manageable - and you're not paying for multiple fractional staff and offices at marketing agencies.

  
  

For example, a local café in Exeter, or a roofing contractor in Taunton, might hire a marketing generalist to manage their social media, create monthly newsletters, and produce branded material. Or, a new health and wellbeing business in Plymouth might hire a marketing generalist to create an eye-catching visual identity, and new website.

This approach keeps any small business's marketing efforts both joined up, and affordable.

You don't have to go scuba diving to find a good full stack marketing generalist

Practical tips for finding the right marketing generalist

I've referred to 'marketing generalists' here. But they're sometimes known as other things, like 'full stack marketer,' 'marketing consultant,' 'freelance marketing manager,' - it usually means that they can do everything that a small business needs.

But finding the right marketing generalist requires careful research and thought. Here are some tips to help small business owners in the South-West make the best choice:

• Look for versatility: Choose someone with experience across multiple marketing channels.

• Check local knowledge: A generalist familiar with the South-West market is well placed to understand local customer behaviour and trends.

• Review past work: Ask for examples of campaigns or projects they've managed.

• Assess communication skills: Clear and regular communication is key to a successful partnership.

• Set clear goals: Define what you want to achieve and make sure that the generalist can deliver measurable results - all you have to do is ask them.

  
  

Balancing quality and cost

Small business owners might occasionally worry that hiring a marketing generalist means sacrificing quality. This isn't necessarily true. Many marketing generalists have solid experience and keep up with industry trends. Often they've worked at a senior level, and managed teams. They can deliver high-quality work tailored to the business’s scale and budget.

Personally, all of the above is true - but the reason I like being a marketing generalist and working for myself is that I love variety in my work, I love seeing immediate real-world impact on businesses, and to be frank, I just don't enjoy being a people manager!

When you're searching for a marketing generalist, you can do a few things to help maintain the quality of work you're looking for:

• Provide clear briefs and feedback to the marketing generalist.

• Use tools to track progress and results.

• Encourage ongoing learning and skill development.

  
  

This balance helps small businesses get the best value from their marketing investment - especially important when budgets are tight.

When should I consider hiring a marketing agency?

While a marketing generalist covers most needs, there are times when specialists make sense:

• Launching a complex website or e-commerce platform

• Running large-scale paid advertising campaigns

• Producing high-end video content or photography

• Handling advanced SEO strategies for competitive markets

  
  

In these cases, a generalist can still coordinate with specialists to ensure smooth execution without losing control or overspending.

I'd say that when there is a big project with a lot riding on it, like hitting a Meta lead generation target of 100 jobs a month for instance, that's when you need a specialist agency with their deep, specialist experience in that particular channel.

I promise you that hiring a marketing generalist may lead to this level of happiness

Is a marketing generalist right for me?

There's no clear right or wrong answer to this one. If you have a small business operation, perhaps under 10 employees (or if you're a sole trader), or if you don't currently have any in-house marketing staff (or you do, but they work at a junior level), then a marketing generalist will probably have all the skills and experience you need to get your business's marketing up to a much more efficient level.

If your revenue is exceeding £250,000 or more, then it's likely that you can budget for a more niche marketing agency to deliver what you need.

That's not to say that there would be no place in your business for someone like a marketing generalist - they're used to working with agencies and in-house staff so will be able to fit in right away.

Want to get in touch about your marketing? Pop me a message and let me know what challenges you're facing.