When deciding whether your team should handle its own marketing efforts or outsource them to other professionals, you must consider several factors. Use this guide to help you decide whether certain marketing tasks are better handled on your own or with outside help.
A lot depends on your budget.
If you’re working on a limited budget, then you probably shouldn’t be outsourcing your marketing. That’s because a good marketing firm that specializes in things like SEO or email marketing are going to cost far more than just a few hundred dollars per month. Services that do cost this little can’t provide the quality services you need, so outsourcing content marketing and other specialized marketing tasks would be a waste of your money.
With a tight budget you’ll need talented marketers in-house. Keep in mind, however, that certain skills and specialties often come with higher pay. You’ll need to weigh the costs of having a skilled marketer on staff as opposed to expanding your budget to pay the higher outsourcing fees that come with quality work.
If you can do most of the basic marketing from the beginning, go for it. If you have the resources, it’s worth it to consider an outside professional or a marketing company. They will probably do a better job at getting your new business out there faster.
Do you have time for marketing as a company?
Certain marketing tasks are one-and-done deals. Creating a website? Once it’s set up, maintenance is minimal in most cases. Working on social media marketing? That’s a daily endeavor that takes a lot of time to accomplish, especially if you’re tracking stats and interacting with customers online.
Do you want your team spending that much time on these tasks? If not, outsource it to an expert who can handle it for you. You are better off focusing on your core competence or the one thing you are good at whilst the professionals take care of your marketing needs. But again a lot depends on your resources and especially if you can afford it. If you can don’t hesitate to find the best of the industry possible. If you consider outsourcing, you’ve got to do it right.
Do you require the work of an expert?
While certain marketing skills, such as SEO, require special expertise to be effective, others are not necessarily make-or-break for your profits. For example, a florist might want to include high-quality photos and an online ordering system on his or her website. Meanwhile, a plumbing contractor might only require a straightforward website with contact information and credentials.
If the plumbing service creates its own website in-house, it might not have high-end features but can still look professional and be effective. Always consider whether you require the work of a true expert before paying to outsource your marketing needs. And of course do your due diligence to find out if they are truly great at what they say they do.
Can someone unfamiliar with your company do a satisfactory job?
While experienced graphic designers and SEO marketing experts can provide excellent services to just about any company, certain tasks are best completed by those who know your work inside and out. Copywriting, for example, is often best completed by someone who truly understands your company’s offerings, selling points, and marketing tone. The same goes for other tasks that include communication with customers, such as social media marketing and email marketing.
On the other hand, if your service is fairly straightforward, outsourcing these tasks might be more cost-effective and timely. Think about whether someone unfamiliar with your company could do a satisfactory job before outsourcing certain marketing tasks.
For most companies, a mixture of in-house and outsourced marketing work does the trick. But what that mixture looks like will vary based on the factors above. Consider these issues before making your marketing decisions for better results in the workplace.
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As long at the external help takes time in getting to know the clients business then they can implement their specialist knowledge that may not be available in house. SEO is key and will generate more leads keeping your in house team busy and the company more profitable.
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