Pros and Cons of Outsourcing Your Marketing
Are you overwhelmed by your marketing to-do list? Do you always feel pressed for time, lack seasoned help, or notice signs of burnout in your team members? Whether you’re a small business owner or a chief marketing officer at a large company, you’ve probably experienced one or all of the above stressors surrounding your marketing efforts.
If this sounds like you and you’re ready for change, it’s time to learn the pros and cons of outsourcing your marketing. By the end of this post, you’ll know if hiring an outside assistant is the right answer for your marketing needs.
5 Pros of Outsourcing Your Marketing
Delegating marketing tasks is beneficial for any business size. You’ll quickly notice positive results – within your team’s morale and in metrics reports – once you start handing off tasks to a marketing assistant.
1. Saves Money
Compared to in-house hires, outsourcing your marketing can save your business a significant amount of money. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says employee wages are divided between salaries and benefits – 70% and 30%, respectively. When you partner with agencies like My Marketing Assistant, you can choose from customizable plans that fit your business’s budget. Now you have a leftover 30% to designate toward other business needs. Another plus? No need to fuss with onboarding and overhead costs.
2. Boosts Time and Efficiency
Outsourcing gives back valuable time to your internal team. While you re-focus on strategic planning and other back-burner projects, marketing assistants get to work on those pesky, repetitive marketing tasks. You also don’t have to worry about sacrificing quality results – external assistants know you can easily take your business somewhere else. Don’t be surprised when your in-house employees praise you for the extra free time. Likewise, human resources will appreciate your team’s reduced turnover rate.
3. Gain Industry Expertise and Specialized Skills
Don’t be embarrassed to outsource a marketing project because it requires a specialized skill you don’t have. After all, marketing experience wasn’t a requirement to start your business. But marketing does give your business a leg up in terms of exponential growth. Instead of spending hours you don’t have to learn marketing strategies, take advantage of the industry track record marketing assistants can bring to the table.
4. Grants Access to Advanced Technology and Tools
Similar to special skills, outsourced experts have access to the latest marketing tools. These resources can improve your campaigns — whether you need help with management or the reporting process thereafter.
5. Allows Flexibility and Scalability
Lastly, you only pay for needed services if you choose to outsource. Experiencing a season of growth? Congrats! Add a few more duties onto your marketing assistant’s plate so that you can scale accordingly. On the other hand, it’s OK to scale back on delegated tasks if you’re facing a slow quarter.
3 Cons of Outsourcing Your Marketing
Delegating marketing tasks does have its downsides. But, these limitations are possible to avoid when you know to keep an eye out for them.
1. Communication and Control Challenges
You might be accustomed to face-to-face collaboration. Working alongside those not physically present in your office is an adjustment. What if you need a project done ASAP? If an emergency arises, are you stuck putting out the fires yourself? Communication can make or break a partnership with outsourced marketing assistants.
It’s also possible for brand consistency to go by the wayside. You’re probably not the only client on your marketing assistant’s roster. They likely don’t have the same passion or know the ins and outs of the brand like you.
Prevent these challenges with clear expectations about your communication and branding guidelines before officially delegating any marketing tasks.
2. Security and Confidentiality Risks
Another outsourcing challenge is the risk of data leaks. Sometimes you need to share sensitive business or customer information to build marketing campaigns. How do you know these external parties will keep it under wraps?
If you must share data for the campaign’s benefit, limit access to the utmost necessity. Outline the consequences – contract termination and legal action – if privacy violations occur. For another layer of security, put it in writing and sign a confidentiality agreement.
3. Dependency Issues and Lack of Long-term Sustainability
There’s a chance your team isn’t fully on board with the idea of outsourcing. They might worry that layoffs are in your business’s future. Morale and productivity rates can be greatly affected.
Eliminate any worries from the beginning by explaining your outsourcing decision. Share how it’s actually to the benefit of your in-house marketing team.
Pros and Cons of Outsourcing Your Marketing, Depending on Business Type
The pros and cons of outsourcing your marketing can vary, depending on your business’s structure. What benefits a non-profit could hinder a large enterprise, and vice versa.
Small Businesses
Outsourced marketing services have been shown to increase small businesses’ revenues by 19% and profit margins by 28%. Marketing assistants save time owners don’t have, especially if they have limited or no staff.
The pros listed earlier in this post established that outsourcing is cost-effective, but it adds up if you’re not mindful. Small businesses generally have smaller budgets. Be firm with your price range. Only outsource for short-term marketing projects that require special knowledge, not tasks you can do yourself.
Nonprofit Organizations
Nonprofits face pros and cons similar to small businesses. A nonprofit director might attempt to be all things to all people – manager, fundraiser, community relations coordinator, and marketer. While you may think you’re saving money, you’re running the risk of burnout in all forms. As the saying goes, “You can’t pour from an empty cup.”
Marketing assistants can drive marketing initiatives, so you can direct your energy toward fulfilling your nonprofit’s mission. Successful outsourcing partnerships can result in more donations, new members, and a lasting impact within your community.
Start-Ups
About 65% of new start-ups hire beginners with minimal digital marketing training. Stop right there! Outsourcing will help you avoid the dangerous results of this statistic. If you don’t believe us, check out an external marketing assistant’s portfolio. Notice how their analytics from previous case studies match the successful implementation of marketing strategies. Remind yourself that outsourced help can also stay up to speed with your start-up’s need to adapt to instant market fluctuations.
Medium-to-Large Businesses
Marketing competition in the realm of medium-to-large businesses is a different world compared to its small-business counterparts. You need to keep up with competitors, reach ambitious sales goals, and scale quickly according to ongoing customer demands.
Outsourcing allows you to streamline marketing processes, so you can quickly accommodate a large-scale, fast-paced environment. Marketing assistants have an upper edge on industry trends, so you can potentially get ahead before your competitor.
Trust Your Outsourced Marketing to My Marketing Assistant
Now that you’ve weighed the pros and cons, your business is ready to harness the benefits of outsourced marketing. Contact My Marketing Assistant to learn how you can start delegating marketing tasks today. Our team of trained experts is equipped to handle any of your marketing projects, from social media management to email marketing.