Deciding when to outsource and when to keep things in-house isn’t easy, especially as a small to midsized business. You’re spinning many plates at once, and more often than not, things like marketing fall by the wayside as you focus on sales, growth, and productivity.
Of course, we all know that marketing does matter – which is likely why you’re reading this article. Your team might not have the time or expertise to launch ad campaigns or create content, so is it time to think about outsourcing?
A 2022 study revealed that 35% of small businesses have outsourced at least one task over the last one to two years. Additionally, about 82% of small businesses have increased business process outsourcing, including marketing, in the wake of COVID-19.
The question is, when should your brand consider making the move to outsourced marketing?
At Inbound.Studio, we believe there are some pretty solid indicators to look for when thinking about outsourcing. For instance, it’s probably a good idea to outsource marketing if…
✓ You Need Help with Your Brand Message
Let’s be honest: it’s getting harder and harder to stand out from the crowd in most industries. If you’re going to stand a chance, you need a brand message that rings true (and loudly) to all of your customers.
If you’re a small team that’s just thrown together a makeshift brand image, it might be time to look into paying some third-party professionals for help. Strong branding requires time, thought, consistency, and a heavy dose of expertise. That’s not always possible for a small team with limited bandwidth.
There are many aspects to consider when it comes to branding – not just things like your logo or color scheme. When you outsource your branding strategies to the pros, they’ll help with:
- Website design and development
- Online presence and image
- Slogans, social media captions, and other content
- Reputation and review management
- And much more
You might know your brand better than anyone else, but sometimes, it takes a second set of eyes to really see things clearly. When you outsource marketing and branding, you polish your image for both current and future customers across the board.
✓ Your Marketing Team Lacks Materials
Does your marketing team have the necessary tools to do the job? Are they overwhelmed because they feel like they don’t have the resources needed to craft your brand messages? This indicates that it’s time to talk to a professional about outsourcing marketing to a team with more resources.
The bottom line is that a professional marketing team is going to have access to both print and digital resources that you might not otherwise be able to use. When you outsource to the professionals, you don’t just get to take advantage of their expertise – you get to benefit from their tools, software, and more.
✓ You’re Hosting A Large Event
Successful small businesses are good at learning to be nimble and efficient. They usually operate with minimal staff and need to be ready to pivot in an instant in this fast-paced world.
But what if you’re hosting a large event, agreeing to sponsorships, or buying advertising? Can your staff add that on top of their other responsibilities?
Event planning takes a lot of time, especially if you don’t have any experience with it. Chances are, there isn’t a dedicated event planner on your staff. Rather than hiring a planner or stretching your bare-bones crew thin, you might want to consider outsourcing the marketing side of things.
When you outsource your event’s traditional and/or digital marketing, your team:
- Has more time to spend on planning and logistics
- Benefits from the guidance and expertise of others
- Gets a better value for its money
- Appears more professional to event attendees
Furthermore, third-party event promotion is almost always better (or at least more effective) than what you could come up with in-house. You’ve got enough on your agenda before a big company event – why not pass the marketing side of things over to the pros?
✓ Your Social Media Presence Is Weak
Maintaining and building an active social media presence takes time, experience, and well, more time. Being a small business owner means being a jack of all trades, and many of your employees likely wear multiple hats. Lots of time, the social-media-presence hat gets set on the back burner.
There are lots of things to think about regarding social media:
- How often do you want posts?
- What type of content do you want?
- What are your social media goals?
- How often and who will monitor posts and respond to messages and comments?
Are you up to that challenge? If not, don’t be ashamed. Most SMBs don’t have the necessary social media staff to handle all of this on their own. That’s one of the biggest reasons small companies wind up outsourcing their marketing to social media gurus.
✓ Your Marketing Budget Is Limited
Although marketing budgets have generally increased in 2022, that doesn’t mean you have thousands upon thousands of dollars to throw around on your SMB’s marketing.
Many of our customers are surprised to learn that outsourcing marketing might be the best bang for their limited marketing budgets. Working with a third party can save you time, money, and resources – and it can help your team focus more on revenue and growth.
For example, if your company suddenly finds itself needing more blog articles or social media posts, it can be challenging (and pricey) to quickly hire enough in-house employees. With an outsourced team, you have the ability to easily scale up or down, depending on your needs. This saves you time, but it also prevents you from wasting money on unnecessary employees as your business changes.
Want to Learn More About Outsourced Marketing?
Outsourcing marketing gives you immediate access to a huge pool of talented, dedicated professionals. Your goals become theirs, and they step in to fill the holes in your limited team and budget.
At Inbound Studio, we understand small businesses. Our mission is to help companies like yours become more effective with their marketing. We’re a leader in small business branding services, but we’re not just a branding agency. When you hire us, you’re hiring team members who are trained to revolutionize and streamline all of your marketing strategies.
Ready to consider outsourcing marketing efforts? Contact us today and put the passion and experience of Inbound Studio to work for you.
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