Outsourcing marketing involves contracting the services of a third-party firm to handle some of your marketing efforts. Many companies will outsource operational and strategic functions because they have advanced tools that are too expensive for their budgets or skilled professionals in areas that they are lacking. Agencies or freelancers with specialized expertise are another reason for outsourcing. Companies both small and large benefit from marketing outsource services.
There are several types of marketing functions that are outsourced, such as:
- specialized functions – SEO, content writing, web development, social media, paid to advertise
- technical marketing operations –marketing automation
- routine operations – contact list management, outbound calling
Reasons Outsourced Marketing Is Right for You
Offloading key tasks to subscription-based marketing services is a growing trend. Some of the reasons you might seek outside marketing expertise include the following:
- Outsourcing specific functions can be more cost-effective than handling them in-house either due to workloads or skill sets.
- Specific projects that need a focused team.
- A start and you just don’t have enough funds currently to pay full-time marketers.
- Need to scale up the marketing activities.
- Gaps in the skill set of the current marketing team need to be filled.
- Agencies can be cheaper than hiring full-time employees.
- Need an outside perspective, a new vision for the brand.
- The workload is too big for the in-house staff.
Review Your Marketing Plan
Still not sure outsourced marketing is a good move? Here are some questions you should ask yourself.
- It is becoming more and more difficult to keep up with demand.
While an increase in demand is exactly what you want, were you ready for it? Demand can quickly become difficult to meet if you aren’t staffed for it. Sales promotions are a great way to boost sales, but staffing for the increase in orders can be challenging.
- Are many of your employees doing multiple roles?
Many smaller companies have employees filling multiple roles due to the lack of staff. This can lead to burnout and turnover. Business is affected when it becomes too difficult to provide quality services. If there are too many demands on the employees, you can lose efficiency and quality in the product or service. A jack of all trades but master or none. By providing employees the time to focus on their roles, the business will benefit from better efficiencies and improved employee retention.
- Are you starting to see more costly mistakes?
It is not news that overworked and overstretched employees will make more mistakes. It might be cheaper to hire an outside source to help than it cost to fix mistakes.
- It is difficult to hire staff with a tight budget?
In some cases, it might be less expensive to hire a freelancer or agency than it is to hire a full-time employee. Agencies can work on a project-by-project basis, saving you money during downtime.
- Are there skill set gaps on your team?
Gaps in skill sets can be easily filled with a freelance or agency. The best part is that it is cheaper than a full-time employee and you can easily change agencies until you find the right fit.
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then you might be ready to outsource.
The marketing industry is constantly evolving, with new technology, changes in current technology, and shifting needs of consumers. Today’s market demands technical expertise that can keep up. The need for more persuasive content, different marketing channels, automation, web analytics, SEO, and even AI is becoming more and more prevalent.
Outsourcing your marketing functions to a top-tier firm is an excellent way to stay up-to-date with the ever-changing marketplace. You can use outsourced services to meet short-term needs, boost performance, and increase skill sets. If you think there are goals your in-house team needs help to achieve, then outsourcing is right for you. Even if you’re not ready now, you will most likely need outsourced marketing services in the future.
