Tuesday, January 22, 2019

To Outsource or Not to Outsource – That is the Marketing Question


As a business owner trying to grow your business on a budget, you may be inclined to try to conduct your own marketing. After all, no one knows your company and its offerings better than you, and there are websites and software that will allow you to take care of many of the necessary aspects on your own. But it’s worth asking yourself a few questions before you make any decisions about this. 

Do you have the time to research, strategize and create compelling marketing campaigns? Do you know how to measure success? Can you tell the difference between effective and ineffective marketing? If not, it may be time for you to consider outsourcing your marketing and advertising.

Why You Should Consider Outsourcing

Effective marketing is extremely important for businesses of all sizes, but it is especially important for small businesses and startups. In many cases, small business owners and startups are competing against larger companies with deeper pockets and larger staffs. Even for medium and large companies, consistent marketing helps your company remain relevant and expands your potential reach.

No matter the size of your company or how long it has been in business, effective marketing increases revenue, builds industry authority, strengthens your brand, develops customer loyalty and increases the overall value of your business.

If you’ve been handling your own marketing up to this point, you may be unsure if outsourcing would be worth it for you. Here are some signs that it may be time to begin outsourcing your marketing:

Benefits of Outsourcing Your Marketing

If you’re looking to take your company to the next level, investing more time and energy in your marketing is a must. But rather than attempting a trial-and-error, shooting-from-the-hip approach, it’s better to trust your marketing to a professional or a business that specializes in strategic marketing. 

Here are some benefits of outsourcing:

  1. New Ideas: Bringing in an outside professional(s) to work on your advertising brings in a new flow of ideas for your marketing initiatives. A third party can and should add different perspectives that you haven’t considered.
  2. Proven Techniques: Rather than playing the guessing game, a marketing and advertising professional already knows what works and what doesn’t. They’ve conducted market research and will be able to create a sound strategy based off of their experience.
  3. Expand Your Team at a Fraction of the Cost: What would it cost you to add marketing professionals to your staff? Aside from paying high salaries and benefits, you would also have to provide office space and up-to-date computers and software. Outsourcing your marketing department saves you money in the short and long terms.
  4. Objectivity: It can be difficult for business owners to be completely objective about their products and services, just as it can be for them to be objective about their current marketing strategies. An outside business will bring a fresh opinion and offer objective advice about what you should be doing.
  5. Save Time and Focus on Your Business: Market research, developing a strategy, creating an advertising budget and designing ads takes time. This is time you could be spending on serving your customers and growing your business.
  6. No Staffing Problems: Even if you do have a dedicated employee or department for marketing, you still have to worry about sick days, vacations and leaves of absence. A third-party company will eliminate staffing concerns.
  7. Growth: One of the best ways to grow your business is to invest in marketing. Working with a professional advertising agency will help your business grow more than attempting to do your own marketing.
  8. Return on Investment: Return on investment is a major metric in the marketing industry. Many business owners are unsure of how much bang for their buck they’re getting. Meanwhile, advertising agencies obsess over measurements like this, which will maximize your budget.
  9. Measure Results: You have to know what’s working and what’s not. Even the most well-constructed marketing strategies will require some tweaking to adjust to what is and isn’t successful. If you aren’t measuring, how can you tell? Professional marketers measure everything.
As tempting as it may be for you to try and handle your own marketing, it’s not recommended. Unless you have the skills and experience to be successful, this is a bad strategy that will likely cost you time and money. To maximize your results, time and budget, work with a reputable company that cares about your business and its success. 

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