The benefits of outsourcing marketing are well-established. Working with a marketing agency can significantly improve your chances of success, and free up your time. While it can cost a bit more, the benefits of hiring a marketing agency are well worth the investment.
Fortunately, outsourcing your marketing efforts is not a zero sum game. Rather than having to make the choice between doing it all in-house or paying for an external partner to take it off your hands, you can make strategic decisions on which of your tactics actually need help from the outside. Here’s what you should do in a few of the most popular scenarios we tend to encounter:
“I Don’t Know Where to Start” – Outsource Your Strategy
To be successful, marketing has to be strategic. The messaging needs to be consistent, your audience’s pain points need to be addressed, and your core benefit needs to be highlighted. If that sounds too complicated, or you don’t know where to start, outsource your strategy process. Working with an external partner that can help to understand your audience and develop a strategy to effectively reach and convince that audience can work wonders.
“I Don’t Have the Time to Keep Up” – Outsource Your Implementation
On the other hand, you may already have a great grasp on your audience and intended strategy. But if you don’t have time to implement it, that knowledge may not lead you to marketing success. To solve the issue, consider outsourcing the implementation of the messaging and tactics you have devised. An agency can help you find the best channels and build out each tactic for maximum possible success.
“I Don’t Want to be Impersonal” – Keep Your Email Efforts
Marketing in the 21st century has to be personal. If you simply blast out one-size-fits-all promotional messages, your audience will be unlikely to respond. You may be concerned that in giving away your marketing messaging and implementation, that personal connection will be difficult to achieve. In that case, keep the marketing tactics most likely to prompt responses, such as email and social media, and work with an agency on the more directly promotional efforts.
“I Love [Tactic X]” – Keep Doing it
This is important: you’ll never be forced to give up marketing initiatives that you love doing. If you are a huge fan of Instagram, your agency won’t have to manage it. You may want to make sure that your efforts are consistent with those of your partner, but keep it in house if you want to. Outsourcing only make sense if you aren’t already successful (and have the time) to implement marketing tactics in-house.
“I Don’t Know How to Get Web Visitors” – Outsource Your SEO
Your website is the centerpiece of your digital marketing efforts. If you can’t get traffic to it, it’s time to talk to an external partner about what you can do better. More likely than not, the response will revolve around search engine optimization–one of the most complex processes in digital marketing. SEO takes time and significant expertise. If your website isn’t getting the visits you think it needs, chances are you need help in this area.
“I Have No Idea About Marketing Success” – Outsource Your Reporting
Finally, you may have the time, resources, and expertise needed to do your own marketing. Still, how do you know that what you’re doing actually helps your business? The old adage that “Half of my marketing efforts are working, but I don’t know which half)” holds true for too many businesses today. Fortunately, you can track almost everything in digital marketing today, if you know how. If you don’t, work with an agency that can help you run marketing reports to show your successes and potential improvement areas.
Of course, these are just a few of the countless variations in which you can outsource marketing to an external partner. The key is to find an agency that is flexible, and willing to work with you on the process. The more closely you can work together, the more likely your outsourcing efforts will lead to marketing success and business growth.
To learn more about how to improve your marketing strategies, give us a call or send us a note today at Small Dog Creative 661-702-1310!
