Outsourced marketing can be a tool to ease the burden from time to time, or a crucial cornerstone of your overall marketing strategy. But, in order to be successful with outsourced marketing services its imperative to consider the impact this will have and how you will manage an outside resource.
Whether youre one marketing manager out of many at a fortune 500, or youre the entire marketing department for a new startup, your to do list is probably a little overwhelming. At one point or another every CEO, Marketing VP, or manager wonders, Should I outsource my marketing? This is a complicated question, and can only be answered if you have a clear understanding of your goals.
Here is an excerpt from our eBook, 10 Steps to Successful Outsourced Marketing, that talks about how to assess your goals and how outsourced services can fit into your marketing strategy.
What Are Your Goals?
Evaluate your companys business goals and the impact your marketing efforts can have in?achieving them: whether its driving higher revenues, growing your customer base, leapfrogging the competition or increasing market share the right strategies and tactics can have a huge impact. Now, do you have the internal resources to support those plans? Estimate the impact of bringing in a marketing staff to accomplish your goals. How much would a small team cost? What skill sets would you be looking for? This is a useful exercise for a couple of reasons. You assess your needs, whether in-house or outsourced, youll have a better picture of what you want and how much it might cost. Youll be forced to think about projects an opportunity to consider economies of scale and logistics.
Outsourcing your marketing needs can often get you a higher level of expertise for a much lower cost than bringing on a new staff member, or building up an entire in-house department. With that said, there are many benefits of having experts in house. It really comes down to a question of resources, timing, and the daily marketing needs youre faced with. Often, the best solution is the right combination of outside expertise and an internal team that can handle the day-to-day of your department.
Check out our free eBook for more tips on how to set an outsourcing strategy, how to pick the right agency, and how to get the best results from the relationship.