Content creation. Social media marketing. Setting up ads. Landing pages. Webinars. Email marketing. Graphic design. Livestreaming. Funnels, funnels, and more funnels. There are so many pieces of marketing to be done. And most often the business owner is the person who does it all. This is in addition to wearing the CEO hat, coffee marker hat, errand runner hat, strategist hat…. the list goes.
There will come a time when the business owner has to make a critical decision: is it time to hire a marketing employee? Or is it time to outsource?
Should you outsource your marketing?
Common sense will sometimes tell you that it is right to do so, especially when considering the benefits we mention below. However, there can be drawbacks, and we will touch on those within this article too.
Outsource Your Marketing: The Pros & Cons
Pro: Expert Support
Marketing specialists can promote your business in a variety of ways. An SEO expert will ensure your business ranks highly on Google. A copywriter can produce content that engages your target audience and encourages them to buy your product.
And you can enhance your social media marketing with professional help to give your business the presence it needs on Facebook, Twitter, etc. By outsourcing, you will benefit from skill-sets such as these, and benefit from the advanced technologies these specialists use to help them in their roles.
Pro: A Reduction In Costs
Marketing professionals won’t offer their services to you for free, but hiring an agency might be more cost-effective than hiring people onto your staff team. You will probably need to hire several people if employing in-house, as marketing consists of so many different facets.
Not only will you have employees’ salaries to cover, but there will be taxes and other employee benefits to pay for too. Outsourcing will likely be the cheaper alternative, especially for those tasks that only need to be completed on a seasonal or occasional basis.
Pro: Less Stress
Marketing is just one aspect of your business to-do list that will need to be crossed off each day. There are many other facets to your role, from staff management to client meetings, that will also take up much of your time.
To avoid stress and the other effects of burnout, you need to relieve some of your duties. You can’t easily outsource your staff performance meetings or your client communications, but you can outsource your marketing. This should relieve any stress you might otherwise feel when you’re busy, and you will also have the peace of mind that quality work is (almost) guaranteed when hiring a professional.
Con: Hiring the Wrong People
Many marketers are highly competent, but there is always the risk that you might hire someone that is a wrong fit for your business. It might be that they don’t understand the industry you are in, or they might (despite their promises) be incompetent at what they do.
For example, there have been instances where businesses have been forced to take SEO agencies to court, and this is because they have seen a decrease in web traffic instead of the promised increase. An expert witness in SEO can be called upon in such cases, but of course you need to reduce the need for legal action or disappointment.
Always commit to research first and ask for evidence of the marketers’ credentials before hiring them.
Con: Access For Immediate Needs
You will run into problems if you struggle to access the people you have hired to take on your marketing, especially when you want to make changes. So, as we mentioned above, commit to research, perhaps by looking at online reviews and checking for testimonials, before hiring somebody.
Work out a communication timeline with the company and find out from them how accessible they are. Define parameters around working hours, and “rules” for responding to requests. Set clear expectations and decide on acceptable turnaround times, so that you as the business owner can plan out your work.
Con: Communication Problems
Oftentimes, there is a breakdown in communication when you outsource your marketing. Part of this could stem from the methods of communication when working remote. After all, when you have employees working in the same office, you can read body language and energy. A quick stop in someone’s office can often clear up any miscommunication.
However, when a marketing specialist(s) is outsourced, they will be working with you remotely. As the most frequent method of communication is likely email, this means there is an increased chance that signals get crossed, and confusion may ensue.
When outsourcing, be sure to define a clear process for communication at the onset, and build in methods to have face-to-face interactions to facilitate efficient communication. This should help to alleviate some of the miscommunication that will inadvertently take place.
Bottom Line
The benefits of outsourcing are many, but it pays to know the drawbacks too. You will be able to avoid any problems if you hire the right marketer for your business, so do your homework, and only sign a contract when you are happy that your needs will be met.
Ciao,
Miss Kemya
