3 min read –
As we plunge into 2022, the world of marketing continues to evolve. One aspect we’ve noticed is how existing marketers in larger companies are becoming more and more accountable for business results, and therefore the onus on them is to become smarter in how they work. There is constantly ‘more to do’ and therefore naturally marketers are seeking help and resource. One avenue is to consider outsourcing some of your marketing to a specialist but how do you decide whether that’s a good move or not.
In this first of 2 articles, we look at the benefits of outsourcing and, in Part 2, what sort of marketing could your business be outsourcing to help you remain competitive and make the best use of your resources and time.
To help us answer the question above let’s begin by looking at the benefits of outsourcing. Companies have been outsourcing across many elements of their business for years, with the automotive sector a prime example. So we know it works in many cases. Outsourcing enables a company to focus on its core functions, while improving the quality or reducing the cost of its peripheral activities.
BENEFITS OF OUTSOURCING
Many of these same principles can be applied to outsourcing your marketing. The first and most obvious benefit is to free up resources. Often an SME will have just one person designated as the marketing lead, and very often that role will be combined with other responsibilities (Business Development, Sales, even HR!). So, to expect this person to be able to undertake all the marketing activities required by an SME in 2022 is unworkable. Having an additional resource to off load onto can be very cost-effective and beneficial for the business.
MARKETING EXPERTISE
A second benefit of outsourcing is to tap into an expertise you or your marketing colleagues may not possess in-house. Video production is a common one – many people can now make a simple video using their phone and widely available software such as iMovie and Splice, however the level of investment required in equipment to produce a professional corporate video or complex product animation precludes 99% of marketers. So it makes sense to outsource that type of product to a professional video company.
The same can be said of your website. Any marketer worth their salt can keep a site updated with fresh content, but it takes another level of expertise to be able to design and build a new site, or sometimes even just add some new functionality.
COST
A third benefit to outsourcing is all about cost. It is expensive to have an in-house marketing team (think recruitment costs, ongoing HR investment, training costs, payroll costs etc) and all that comes after you’ve found the right people. Outsourcing avoids that cost and enables you to use selected agencies or specialists to focus in on what marketing you need, and only when you need it. If you see marketing as an investment, not just a cost on the bottom line, then the decision to outsource can become a lot easier to make.
AN EXTRA PAIR OF EYES
A final benefit of outsourcing is it can introduce a level of outside perspective that may be lacking internally. Often, in-house marketers are sucked into the day-to-day operations of their business and it pays to have an extra pair of eyes that can distinguish the wood from the trees. To keep your competitive edge, and to introduce new ways of working that are better for your business, it is worth considering an external marketing specialist that knows your industry.
In the second part of this article we look at what types of marketing you could outsource, and come to a conclusion on whether outsourcing your marketing is a good business decision.