Nobody can deny the power of marketing in the 21st century. After all, your company might be producing an amazing and one-of-a-kind product – but does it reach the customer?
Correct marketing strategy allows you to offer the right product to the right people at the right time, but the development and implementation of that strategy requires a lot of effort.
Sometimes, in-house marketing departments are simply not enough, or lack certain skills that are crucial for a specific project. These are the most common cases for hiring an outsourced marketing team to help you out and boost your promotional strategy.
In order to gain the most value from hiring an outsourced marketing team, you should know the pros and cons of this collaboration. An improper marketing strategy may not only result in financial losses but also hurt the reputation of your company.
When should you hire an outsourced marketing team?
Before looking at the pros and cons of the outsourced marketing, it is important to understand whether you really need to hire such a team.
There are various reasons to work with an outsourced marketing department. Here are some of the most common ones.
1) Tight budget
It is true that every company needs a marketing team, but not every company can afford an in-house one (i.e. growing startups).
In this case, outsourcing your marketing team is a great decision. Such services usually come at lower costs than in-house teams while still delivering high quality of services in a short period of time.
2) Time pressure
It may happen that you need to promote your product ASAP, and have absolutely zero time for strategy development and implementation. This is another scenario where the outsourced team can quickly jump in and assist you while meeting deadlines.
3) Lack of skill
Another common problem for many companies is lack of skill among the in-house employees and, as a result, problems with project realization.
Marketing is an incredibly vast field with many aspects to take care of (i.e. SEO, PR, social media marketing, PPC, etc.). Not every company can afford to employ a variety of in-house specialists full-time, so hiring an outsourced professional is the best solution to this problem. As soon as you identify the exact services that you need, you will have access to a vast talent pool and can choose a perfect specialist for your project.
4) Need for better results
You may have an in-house marketing team of experienced specialists, but you’re still not getting results. The reason for that may be that the team is missing out on something important, or is following the wrong KPIs.
In this situation, an outsourced marketing team will provide an adequate analysis of the situation and can propose actionable solutions.
Note: Before starting any marketing activity, clearly define the business goals, target audience and KPIs in order to achieve tangible results.
The pros of hiring an outsourced marketing team
So you decided that your company will benefit from hiring an outsourced marketing teams – here are all the pros that this decision will bring.
1) Rich expertise and specific skills
The biggest advantage of any outsourced talent pool is the availability of various skills and expertise. If your in-house specialists lack a certain skill, you can easily close the gap with an outsourced professional.
In addition, the outsourced specialists can bring in their own experience and help you look at the project from a different angle, which may also turn out to be a benefit.
2) Speed and quality combo
Work with outsourced specialists is great when you need to get things done quickly. Most outsourced marketers specialize in deliverables, and can fulfill tasks immediately whereas in-house marketers may be slowed down with other tasks. If you are a young startup in the need of quick promotion or simply have a burning campaign to launch, an outsourced marketing team is a great choice.
In addition to that, outsourced marketers usually have an impressive level of expertise, which means high quality of work. So in addition to fast performance, you can also enjoy high quality work.
3) A look from a different angle
Your marketing team may be composed of stellar specialists, but sooner or later, they will get used to your product and will most probably be biased and follow the standard path instead of looking for unique solutions.
In this case, an outsourced team may be a jolt of fresh air. A different angle and a novel approach may result in increased revenue and unexpected success of a marketing campaign.
The cons of hiring an outsourced marketing team
Working with outsourced marketing team sounds great so far, but there are certain pitfalls to watch out for if you want your marketing campaign to be a success.
1) Lack of loyalty and interest
Behind every great company are great employees who are invested in its development and growth – but what if your outsourced specialists don’t care about the brand as much?
This is the case with many outsourced specialists. While they may be excellent professionals, they do not have to love your company and share its vision and values. Because of this, it’s hard to expect a lot of loyalty from an outsourced team.
2) High risks
When reaching out to outsourced marketing specialists, you never know whether they are 100% trustworthy or not, and whether they will complete a task as requested.
Keep in mind that there is always a possibility someone will lack certain skills or may even disappear. To minimize the risks, dedicate some time to researching whoever you require, and ask to see portfolios and references.
3) Less control
Working with outsourced team implies that you will have less control over the processes and will not be able to monitor them as closely as you do in case of in-house marketing.
To decrease the risks and increase transparency, agree on the most suitable ways of communication and regular reports. In this way, you will always know what’s going on with the project and what its current state is.
Summing up
Outsourced marketing is a great option that allows companies to cover all its marketing needs at a reasonable price. But to gain the maximal value from this partnership, a company has to come up with definite goals and KPIs so the outsourced marketing team will have a clear sense of direction and can propose the most actionable strategy.
About the Author: Jocelyn Pick
