Identifying an agency, consultant or marketing services partner who provides expert knowledge, dependable execution and support can make the world of difference when you want to grow or scale your business. Outsourcing can provide an agile flexible resource to fill internal expertise gaps or a full service as required.
While some organisations might have hesitated to engage an external agency working remotely in the past, the recent accelerated move to distanced team working has reassured many that this format is not only possible, but can indeed deliver great focus and value.
Commonly outsourced services include: marketing strategy and planning - designing and executing a measurable marketing plan of activities to support your commercial objectives; content management and copywriting such as blogs, vlogs, podcasts, videos or case studies; social media strategy including writing and scheduling posts; email marketing campaigns; managing search and display advertising (through Google, Bing and other search engines, or social media platforms such as Facebook or Linkedin), and website SEO (search engine optimisation).
5 reasons to consider outsourcing your marketing:
You are planning for growth but don’t have a marketing strategy that maps your commercial objectives into measurable actions
Your team has skills gaps in specific areas or lacks experience to drive your marketing forward
Your in-house team are already at capacity
You want to gain a deeper insight into your return on investment (ROI)
Your business isn’t getting the results it wants and needs a fresh perspective.
If you answered “yes” to any of the above, it’s time for some marketing back up. The question is, do you recruit for an internal position or do you look for an external resource to meet your needs?
Here’s some food for thought:
The Cost - Time & Money:
Internal Hire: For the actual cost to your business take the salary (according to Check a Salary, the average is £39,950 for a Digital Marketing Manager) then add: benefits, such as pension and healthcare; employer national insurance contributions; onboarding time and costs (recruitment, training, payroll), and facilities including office set up, communications and line management resource.
Agency Fees: According to Adzooma in 2020, marketing agency fees depend on the number of specialist services required and agency experience levels. Rates vary from £300-500+ a day. Most agencies operate on a retainer basis where they charge a flat monthly rate that equates to a given number of days each month to supply prescribed services on a sustained basis. As with an internal hire, any third party charges such as advertising or printing are extra.
To get the most from your agency relationship and ensure it delivers significant returns, it’s important to invest and allocate adequate time to share your business goals, developments and challenges. It should be their priority to get to know your organisation and marketplace to inform sustained meaningful, data driven campaigns and projects. Regularly sharing performance results and insights alongside your business news ensures your marketing continues to align and evolve with your commercial aspirations.
Specialist Expertise & Agility:
It’s tempting for entrepreneurial business owners to want to do everything themselves. But there isn’t time. To support a growing enterprise it’s vital to access relevant skills and expertise when you need them. Recruiting an in-house team of experienced skilled digital marketers or even a single resource with the required level of expertise and experience isn’t cost effective for many small or medium sized businesses. A marketing agency will have the luxury of a team they can draw on to fill any specialist skills gaps quickly and efficiently, so you can focus on your core business.
A Fresh Perspective:
With a proven track record supporting many businesses and a finger on the pulse of marketing industry best practice, a marketing services agency will often quickly identify where they can make a difference fast and effectively, delivering a strong forward plan for your growth.
About Marchwood Marketing:
Marchwood Marketing Services is a marketing services agency providing small and medium sized businesses with cost effective marketing support to improve revenues and customer retention. Our services can be retained for one off projects such as new product launches or a specific service such as copywriting, social media strategy or SEO audit. We can also create a comprehensive marketing strategy and accompanying plan for your business. Find out more.
If you are looking to grow your business and need to invest in robust marketing back up, please get in touch.
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