Regardless of the global trends in remote work, an office is still a necessity for most companies. And of course most offices have an office administrator. The role of the office administrator slightly differs in each company, the way management and colleagues perceive them also differs – some consider them the soul of the office, others the office controller, somebody else – the personal assistant in all possible matters.
No matter what role is assigned to the office administrator, the main duties stay the same: welcoming colleagues, clients and partners, processing incoming and outgoing correspondence, accepting incoming calls, ordering office goods, maintaining relations with suppliers, keeping records, taking care of colleagues and the office as such. Quite an impressive list of duties, isn’t it? However, often, especially in small and medium-sized companies, where the total number of employees is not so large, management likes to assign some additional and often completely unrelated tasks to the office administrator. One of the most common ideas is trying to use an office administrator as a marketing specialist, especially if on a daily basis the marketing department is not needed due to the specifics of the business. So to speak, what’s the problem with maintaining a company’s social networks and occasionally preparing some written copy, visual or advertising material? And once prepared, the ad can also be published, not such a time-consuming work! Sound familiar? Then let us explain why this is not a good idea.
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Where does the habit come from?
In order to better understand the nature of the problem, it is necessary to understand its roots first. Of course, every company is different and so are the situations, but some similarities can be seen in many places.
Universal soldier
Often, when starting a business, due to limited resources, an entrepreneur is ready to do everything himself – develop a strategy, manage finances, meet with customers, prepare offers, manage company documentation, pack goods etc. Until, as the company develops, new employees begin to appear. And then one might think – if I could do everything myself, why can’t others? Everything is in the name of company development! But here it is important to think – is it fair to demand the same output from an employee as from the owner of the company? After all, if such employee would be willing to invest all their time and effort in the development of the company, completely ignoring their direct responsibilities, most likely they would have their own company.
Other priorities
Prioritizing is important when starting a business. And it’s completely understandable that initially marketing activities tend to be more about quantity than quality. So to say, when there will be more customers and higher income, then one can start thinking about proper branding and other nuances. And maybe even hire a marketing specialist. However, at this point resources are limited – we need to work with what we have. Profiles on social media and advertisements help attract new customers, so those are necessary, but the marketing strategy can wait, we should focus on being present. For the sake of a few posts and an advertisement a month, there is no point in hiring an employee – you can just ask someone of the existing ones to deal with it in their spare time.
How to deal with the problem of limited resources in a better way? An agency capable of providing marketing services tailored to your needs could be a great help here. More on this below.
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Everyone has their own field of expertise
Each of us has studied something, been interested in something, and has our own strengths and weaknesses. As for the choice of occupation, usually it is influenced by all the factors mentioned above. Likely, your office administrator has also chosen their position based on certain considerations. Perhaps they like to maintain things in order and organize the environment around them, or they are good at record keeping and systematic tasks, or simply enjoy taking care of their colleagues. All of this makes them a great administrator, but it definitely doesn’t make them a great marketing specialist! Maybe your administrator has difficulty working with texts, maybe they lack understanding of visual design and, even more, of creating advertising campaigns and analyzing results. After all, these tasks require a completely different set of skills, knowledge and even interests. That’s why even if you have the best office administrator in the world, you can’t expect them to be a good marketing specialist. We bet you wouldn’t ask a car mechanic to repair your teeth!
Why is it important?
Company development requires both, knowledgeable employees and a stable position in the market. In the case of an unsuccessful split of responsibilities, both can be lost.
Marketing as an assistance in business development
With today’s abundance of choices, you can’t expect customers to choose you just because your product or service has quality. In order to stand out from the competition, it is crucial to work on branding. A strong brand will make your customers, current and potential, remember you when they are ready to make their next purchase. Because building a connection with a brand, its story and the people who create it is much easier than with a product.
A brand is not just a visual identity. It’s associations influenced by the company’s values, communication with consumers, especially on social networks, willingness to engage in conversations with your audience, and the ability to demonstrate one’s expertise. It is the language you speak to your customers and society in general. And the basis of it all is a target audience research and continuous analysis, including the analysis of the engagement of social media posts and the results of launched advertisements. If all of this should be done by your office administrator, who themselves have neither knowledge nor experience in these matters, it is foolish to expect a good result. And who can afford to spend money on marketing activities that don’t pay off?
Grateful office administrator
Good employees are actually quite a rarity. Are you really ready to lose a good office administrator just because they can’t cope with responsibilities that were not meant for them in the first place? If the office administrator realizes the new marketing responsibilities are too much to handle, they will very likely start to look for another job. After all, there are more companies that do not require an employee to combine two different positions in one than those that do. And why would anyone want to feel as if they can’t handle their responsibilities when those aren’t theirs to begin with? However, if you do the right thing and ask your administrator if they would be willing to try something new, the employee will understand they have options and can assess whether they are ready to take on that kind of responsibility.
What is the solution?
In order not to end up in a situation where a really good office administrator starts to think about changing their job because they are forced to perform duties unrelated to their position, there are several solutions to choose from.
Professional development
Offer your office administrator to take on new marketing-related responsibilities as a professional development opportunity. Explain that if they succeed in dealing with those, they will be offered a raise or a new position. This will motivate your employee to take on new responsibilities. Here it is important to discuss the conditions of how and when the work results will be evaluated. Maybe you’re lucky and there’s a future marketer hiding in your office administrator! People are different, there are those who are grateful for the opportunity to try themselves in a different field, thus developing their undiscovered talents. However, such an employee and their contribution must be appreciated – do not think that willingness to take on such additional duties is self-evident and should not be properly rewarded!
In case the office administrator refuses or agrees to the offer, but in the process realizes that will not be able to cope, do not punish them! Let them return to their initial duties and choose another solution.
Marketing agency
Another solution is to use the services of a marketing agency. If there isn’t much work beyond a few social media posts and advertising campaigns, an agency is a great alternative to a full-time employee at a much lower cost. You will have the opportunity to agree on a certain budget, type of cooperation, desired results. In addition, you will have a guarantee that the work is done in accordance with the highest standards – agencies have the best professionals working for them. By the way, the agency can also be a good helper in strategic solutions – developing a marketing and advertising strategy, researching the target audience and competitors, analyzing results.
Conclusion
In case you realize it’s time to focus on your marketing efforts, but you’re not ready to hire a marketing professional, there are options. You have the possibility to reach out to your office administrator for assistance. Perhaps they will be happy about the professional development opportunities offered, of course, if there is a decent reward for them in place. But you should be aware that it is not their duty to agree! In case your office administrator declines the offer, either outright or in the process, there are other options available. Don’t judge your employee! Consider using the services of a marketing agency until you are ready to hire a full-time marketing specialist when such need arises.
