Marketing Mythbuster #7: I Can Do All our Our Marketing Myself

For many tourism operators and small businesses, wearing multiple hats is just part of the job. You're the owner, the salesperson, the customer service team, the operations manager, and somewhere in between, you believe you can do all of the marketing too.

But it's a myth, in reality while DIY marketing has its place, trying to do everything yourself can eventually become one of the biggest barriers to growing your business.

Why Businesses Choose the DIY Route

It feels like a natural decision to manage your own marketing when no one knows your business better than you do, social media and AI tools make marketing look easy, and you're trying to keep costs down.

In the early stages of a business, doing your own marketing can make sense to help you understand your customers, refine your messaging and stay closely connected to what people are asking for.

When DIY works well

Authenticity is difficult to outsource, and your passion is one of your greatest marketing assets, so there are plenty of marketing activities that fit well to handle yourself, like:

• Posting behind-the-scenes content on social media
• Answering reviews
• Taking authentic photos and videos
• Collecting guest testimonials
• Writing about experiences you know inside out

Put a Value on Your Time

Marketing is much more than posting on Facebook once a week. It encompasses everything from creating and updating website content, writing blogs, managing Google and Meta Ads, SEO, email marketing, photography and video, graphic design, analytics, AI Search optimisation, through to planning campaigns that drive bookings year-round. The opportunities to grow your business through effective marketing are extensive, and they're constantly evolving.

Every day spent trying to work out how to cover off all this marketing activity is a day you're not delivering great visitor experiences, improving your product or looking after your customers. Or worse still, you just don't end up doing it (or do it poorly), and your marketing suffers.

"But we don't have a marketing budget..."

This is one of the most common things we hear. The good news is that effective marketing will grow your bookings and provide a strong return. It's when you throw money at marketing without a strategy that you'll find your budget gets wasted.

Think of your marketing budget as an investment rather than an expense because it's used to generate more revenue. Spending a little in the right place saves you far more than trying to do everything yourself. For example:

• A well-optimised Google Ads campaign can generate bookings that more than cover its cost.
• Improving your website conversion rate means you get more bookings from the same number of visitors.
• Better SEO helps you attract more organic traffic without paying for every click.

Take a Collaborative Approach to Your Marketing

Working with a marketing partner doesn't mean handing over everything. The best strategy is to take a collaborative approach.

Set your marketing goals with your marketing partner and continue doing what you know best, like capturing authentic photos, sharing stories from your team, creating memorable guest experiences, and engaging with your community.

A marketing partner helps with the areas that require specialist knowledge, such as:

• SEO and AI Search optimisation
• Google Ads management
• Website & UX improvements
• Analytics and reporting
• Campaign strategy
• Content planning
• Brand positioning
• Technical implementation

When it's time to bring in support

There are often signs that your business has reached it's next stage of growth and you would benefit from extra help:

• Your marketing always gets pushed to the bottom of the to-do list
• You're spending hours learning tools instead of using them
• Your website isn't generating enough enquiries or bookings
• You're running paid advertising without knowing what's working
• Your competitors are consistently outperforming you online
• Your business has grown but your marketing hasn't evolved with it
• You're feeling overwhelmed trying to keep up with SEO, AI Search and constantly changing digital platforms

Think of marketing like maintaining your vehicle

Most of us can top up the washer fluid, check the tyre pressure and keep the car clean. But when the engine light comes on, we call in a specialist.

Marketing works the same way - you don't need an agency for every task, but having experienced people available when you need them can save time, reduce costly mistakes and help your business reach its destination much faster.

Your marketing partner can feel like they're part of your own team:

"They make digital marketing feel easy and effective, and we're so grateful for their support."

"Since working with Tomahawk, our Google Ads campaigns have delivered incredible results - our business has seen fantastic growth online. But just as importantly, working with Tomahawk has been such a positive experience. Their team is proactive, friendly, and truly invested in our success."

- Kim  Foy, Kaikoura Kayaks

DIY Marketing Myth Busted!

Doing your own marketing isn't a bad idea, but doing ALL of it indefinitely is where businesses often get stuck. The most successful tourism operators know when to roll up their sleeves, and when bringing in expert support will create a better return on their time, budget and energy.

After all, your visitors don't remember how many hours you spent trying to fix your Google Ads account, they remember the incredible experience you created, and that's where your expertise makes a difference.

If now is the time to find your marketing partner and your keen to work with an agency who understands tourism, we'd love to chat!

More in the Marketing Mythbuster Series

Our "Marketing Mythbuster" series will have a new Myth added each month throughout 2026, keep an eye on our LinkedIn newsletters, and this blog to view them all!

• Myth #1: My website is just a brochure
• Myth #2: Just post something, anything
• Myth #3: Past guests are yesterday's news
• Myth #4: SEO is Dead
• Myth #5: Brand is just a logo
• Myth #6: OTAs can handle the customer relationship
• Myth #7: I Can Do All our Our Marketing Myself