The modern marketing paradox: Why hiring digital natives can impact your business growth.

In today’s fast-paced digital world, marketing has evolved dramatically, and social media has emerged as a go-to platform for brand promotion. It’s cheap, it’s easy, and it can often be frustratingly ineffective.

Give an adult a few hours, and they’ll manage to create, curate, post, and comment on content. Kids will do it in half the time.

The explosion of social media and the simplicity of content creation has led many people to believe they have the expertise to master marketing. And let's face it, they may have convinced you they know what they’re doing when it comes to strategy.

But here’s the catch—self-taught "experts" are populating many marketing departments, and when times get tough, it’s painfully obvious that they’re not equipped to fuel business growth. They may know how to create viral TikToks, but they don't know how to design demand generation campaigns that actually move the needle.

You might find yourself stuck in a modern-day marketing paradox: you’re not quite confident enough in your own marketing knowledge to challenge what your team is doing, but the person telling you why they’re doing what they’re doing is very convincing.

The reality? Realising that your marketing team is not as capable as you thought can come at a huge cost.

While they may seem inexpensive and capable of pushing out “great content,” ask them to develop a comprehensive marketing strategy that fuels growth, and you’ll likely get a blank stare.

Too often, they just don’t know how. Or simply don’t have the expertise to do so.

Having a qualified, experienced marketer in your corner is priceless. These professionals bring valuable skills that can make the difference between a mediocre marketing effort and a successful one. A good marketer can analyse data, understand customer behaviour, and design demand generation campaigns that drive revenue. They act as the critical bridge between you and your junior team, ensuring that everything aligns with long-term business goals.

SME marketing can be particularly challenging without a strong strategic backbone. For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), it’s vital to have marketers who can assess target audiences, evaluate competitors, and understand the nuances of the B2B markets. While social media may be good for visibility, effective demand generation in B2B requires an approach that goes beyond catchy posts.

Creating an effective marketing strategy isn't just about churning out cool content. It requires careful planning, an understanding of your target market, and a clear alignment with your overall business objectives. Many businesses overlook the strategic side of marketing in favour of content creation, thinking that quantity equals success. The truth? The number of buyers in B2B markets is less than you think, and without a solid demand generation plan, you'll be competing for attention with very few potential customers.

An experienced marketer can step back and look at the bigger picture, aligning every effort with your long-term goals. They know that demand generation campaigns should focus on nurturing leads through the buyer’s journey, not just making noise online.

While the rise of "self-taught" marketers, thanks to the democratisation of social media, has opened doors for many, businesses need to remember that marketing is a sophisticated discipline that combines data, strategy, and creativity.

In today’s competitive landscape, cool content alone simply won’t cut it.