Do-it-yourself marketing.

Recently, my husband and I bought a preowned home. It needed a little fixing tip, but it wasn't enough to scare us off. Changes that needed to lye made were mainly cosmetic. Feeling inspired by all the home improvement and ultimate makeover decorating shows, my husband, son and I decided to tackle some of the projects ourselves. Needless to say, we bit off a little more than we could chew.

Faced with many returns to the local home store due to my indecision about the best paint color selection for my office, or the wrong size of some fixtures, I had to ask myself: When does the loss of time involved in trying to do it yourself outweigh the cost of hiring an expert who gets it right the first time?

In the marketing profession, many do-it-yourself marketers need to partner with an expert to help save them time and money. Sometimes in the beginning, it may seem that the expert is too costly; but, when it is all said and done, the cost of their expertise may save you both time and money.

Take, for example, many marketers utilize the "expertise" of their radio or newspaper representative in the conceptual development and execution of their ads. While it might save you some creative development dollars, these reps are not necessarily the right people to communicate the bank's overall message.

In the end, it will all come down to the bottom line. It is good to weigh all your options on the front end and determine their potential outcomes. Remember, sometimes a little fixer-upper can turn into a big money pit.

Brenda Marlin, CFMP, Associate Director, ABA Marketing Network