Many businesses choose to outsource their marketing for a variety of reasons.
Some need skills they don’t possess internally while others are looking for flexibility as they grow. It could also be that they want to work with industry specialists but can’t afford to hire a full marketing team internally. Are you grappling with similar problems? Then it might be time to consider outsourcing your marketing.
But what does good marketing support look like? We reveal all in this article.
What Qualities Should You Look For?
Marketing is an unregulated industry. There are no entry barriers which means agencies and consultancy businesses are popping up daily. This has pros and cons for you.
There’s an amazing amount of choice. You could choose a full-service agency or a specialist company that’s perfect for your niche. But with many companies offering similar services – and often complex services that are based around advanced tech – how do you know who to trust?
As a team of marketing specialists, we’ve worked in many different environments, from being a part of an in-house team to working within agencies and consultancies. This means we have a unique view of the landscape and know what effective, quality marketing support should look like. Let us share our insight.
Strategy
The best outsourced marketing companies are focused on business-oriented solutions. They:
- Spend quality time understanding your business so they can help you uncover needs you didn’t know you had
- Have a deep understanding of best-practice and work within your unique business framework, immersing themselves in the company and working with your in-house team like an extended arm of the business
- Aren’t afraid of telling you when they haven’t got something right if it means you can overcome a particular problem and drive progress
- Take the lead on strategy and are experts at doing so
Whereas companies to be wary of:
- Offer an out of the box solution and don’t take time to look under the bonnet of your business
- Promise that one specific new marketing channel is the latest craze which will transform your business
- Shower you with statistics to woo you
- Promise specific returns without digging deep into the market appetite or your business’ performance data
- Don’t commit to finding deep insight into your business or market
Key takeaway:
When it comes to strategy, you want to work with an outsourced marketing business that takes the time to understand your brand and market, fits in flawlessly with your team and doesn’t rely on weak data to make critical decisions.
Collaboration
At the heart of a quality outsourced marketing business is a team of experts who work beautifully together to boost communication and efficiency. An ideal working environment is one where:
- Everyone works towards a shared goal and will regularly touch base with each other, minimising miscommunication and ensuring each completed task aligns with your project’s overall objective
- Specialists are solving problems together and bouncing ideas off each other to drive innovation
- The internal team will connect their trusted partners (such as leadership coaches, finance specialists or talent partners) with you to help fulfill your needs outside of their expertise
Poor collaboration that impacts results occurs when:
- Employees tend to work alone on a portion of the project without taking the bigger picture into consideration
- Employees work on several accounts at the same time to maximise their output
- Agencies hire inexperienced juniors to fill skill gaps or expand their teams on the cheap
Key takeaway:
When you’re working with a team that doesn’t collaborate effectively, there’s a risk that sections of the project will be misaligned as employees aren’t always on the same page. To ensure projects always hit the mark, you want to outsource your marketing to a team that works together to get you the best results.
Resources
Dynamite marketing businesses will go out of their way to:
- Employ senior and commercially-aware in-house professionals or self-employed people who bring advanced skills to the table, are highly experienced in what they do and understand what makes a business tick
- Build close relationships with you to provide agile and bespoke consultancy (they don’t just work off a plan)
- Invest in the best tools and provide relevant training so employees can boost their productivity and bring their creative ideas into fruition
Companies that prioritise making a profit over investing in good resources will:
- Hire junior-level employees to manage client accounts who don’t really understand the tools or the businesses they’re working for
- Invest in ‘game-changing’ software but don’t commit to maximising its potential via training
- Work on increasing client turn-over rather than building long-lasting relationships
Key takeaway:
To get the best results, you need to work with high-level marketing professionals who understand your business inside out and possess sound commercial awareness. If you’re dealing with agency workers who have varying degrees of seniority and experience, it’s likely you’re going to get mixed results from your investment.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
Think you’re business can benefit from working with a marketing consultancy? Then we’d love to chat with you. To find out more about how we work and whether our approach suits your business, drop us a line on 0161 478 6009 or get in touch.
