When many business owners are faced with cutting costs, marketing is typically and mistakenly the first expense to get the proverbial ax.
If marketing is valuable, then it should always produce new customers (read: revenue), right?
That’s not the case if marketing isn’t aligned with your sales process or your marketing lacks strategy. However, when marketing is fully optimized for efficiency and effectiveness, it saves money and helps prepare your business for the future.
Enter outsourced marketing.
What is outsourced marketing?
Depending on the needs of the business, outsourced marketing can include:
- Branding and graphic design
- Website design and maintenance
- Strategic marketing planning
- Marketing tracking
- Search Engine Optimization
- Content marketing
- Public relations
- Print and digital advertising buys
- Social media marketing and advertising
- Pay-per-click advertising
- Coaching and consultation
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When do you know if you need outsourced marketing?
There are several situations in which outsourced marketing is an ideal option:
You wear too many hats.
Many small business owners cut costs with DIY methods — even if they don’t have the expertise. If you find yourself spending less and less time working on your business and more time working in your business, outsourcing your marketing could be beneficial for you.
Your team doesn’t have the skill set you need.
The ever-changing marketing industry requires a professional whose attention is solely focused on marketing. Outsourced marketing works well for businesses that do not have the expertise in-house.
You need to save money on marketing.
When you hire someone in-house to handle marketing, you are paying their salary, benefits and Paid Time Off. There’s also the costs of office equipment, computers, mobile devices, etc. to consider. That’s a lot of money to invest in one person who may not possess the experience or the expertise to get return on your investment. Outsourcing marketing with an agency means you have a team of people with specialized skills.
Marketing Retainers
Branding, creative, digital and strategy with results.
Is outsourced marketing expensive?
Prices and terms depend on what your business needs and on the marketing agency. Some marketing and advertising agencies offer discounts or other perks if you sign a monthly marketing retainer. Others offer monthly subscription programs with no contracts. We can customize a marketing program to fit almost any budget.
Outsourced marketing is often more cost-effective than hiring an individual to handle all of your marketing needs. 32% of business owners say lack of capital or cash is the biggest challenge to running a business, according to Embroker.
What are the benefits of outsourced marketing?
Outsourced marketing professionals are experts
Marketing agencies do not do anything besides marketing. They aren’t distracted with other aspects of your business. They live, breathe and eat your business’ marketing. They pay attention to trends, technology, methodology and case studies. They watch what your competitors are doing.
Experienced marketing professionals also have a streamlined communication process for project updates and analytic reports. We use a secure Client Portal as a one-stop shop to keep clients updated on a project’s progress, monthly reports, design request forms, messaging, file access and management and billing. We also take the time to explain confusing marketing buzzwords in a way that is relevant to your business.
Outsourced marketing professionals provide quality and consistent marketing
Professional marketers have a stable of graphic designers, writers, social media gurus, influencers, public relations specialists, videographers, web designers … you name it … to create high quality content that tells the right story.
At Bragg Media, many client relationships look like this:
- We begin with a planning meeting to identify your goals.
- We get the right team of professionals in place.
- We add your account and projects to our Client Portal — where our team has access to your style guide or brand work-up, an internal knowledge base and project management that keeps everyone on the same page.
- We meet with clients and as a team every month to go over data, budget, timelines, projects, campaigns.
- We’re available for unlimited e-mail and phone support
Graphic Design Packages
Professional, convenient, flat-rate graphic design
Outsourced marketing professionals generate results
Professional outsourced marketing agencies and experts know how to generate leads and revenue because they have experience with other similar businesses and industries:
- They develop and track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for marketing campaigns that keep lead generation and budget in mind.
- They provide marketing reports that clearly explain the trajectory of a campaign using data from advertising, e-newsletters, website traffic, etc.
- They test and tweak marketing campaigns as needed to maximize results.
- They offer data-driven, intelligent recommendations on the future of your marketing.
Is outsourced marketing a good idea?
Flexibility is a huge benefit when it comes to outsourced marketing. You can hire a marketing agency to take over all or part of your marketing. Or hire a marketing agency to work with your in-house team for a special project.
You will spend more money if you try to do everything in-house. You also won’t have time to focus on the core of your business if you’re too busy working on marketing that someone else can handle for you.
Like any aspect of your business, marketing has an important role to play that requires professionalism and expertise. If you don’t have a head for numbers, why attempt to do your own taxes when there are so many risks involved?
It’s time to stop treating marketing as a line item expense and to treat marketing for what it truly is: a necessary part of your business.