Small businesses face several challenges when running their business, from administrative to management and marketing. One solution to this challenge is outsourcing, especially the marketing aspect, because they cannot do it themselves. This leaves them with a difficult decision: whether to outsource or not. According to Comparecamp, One-third of small businesses currently outsource their business processes, and another 52% plan to do so in 2019. Impressive. Read on because, in this blog post, We will discuss the concept of outsourcing marketing for small businesses and its benefit to your business.
What is outsourced marketing?
Outsourcing marketing is contracting out your marketing function to a third-party company. In 2017, in a recent study by Comparecamp, 85% of small business owners said that they outsourced some aspect of their marketing.
Outsourcing can include developing and executing a marketing plan to creating and distributing content. It can be a great way to increase your reach and improve your marketing strategy.
By working with a reputable marketing company, you can ensure that your message reaches the right people and that you are getting the most out of your investment.
Some marketing activities that you can consider outsourcing
There are many marketing activities that you can consider outsourcing. Some popular options include:
1. Marketing research.
Numerous online resources offer the ability to hire research firms to conduct surveys, focus groups, and other market research studies.
This can be a cost-effective way to gather information about your target market and create targeted marketing campaigns.
2. Social media marketing.
With the help of an expert, you can set up and manage social media accounts for your business. This can help you reach your target market and boost your visibility.
3. Advertising.
Advertisers often outsource ad production and placement to third-party firms. This can reduce expenses and maximize the reach of your marketing campaigns.
4. Public relations.
Public relations is another aspect of your business you can outsource. PR professionals can help you build positive relationships with key stakeholders and media outlets, promote your business, and attract new customers.
5. Web design.
A skilled web designer can help you create an attractive website to attract customers. Outsourcing such aspects of your business can effectively market your business to a wider audience.
6. Email marketing.
The email marketing aspect of your business can be outsourced too. Professionals sending well-crafted emails to your target market can be a cost-effective way to reach out and engage customers.
7. Customer service.
Hiring a dedicated customer service team to help you handle customer inquiries and complaints can be critical to successful marketing campaigns.
How can outsourcing help small businesses?
Outsourcing marketing can be a smart decision for businesses of all sizes. Here are five key reasons:
1. Outsourcing marketing for small businesses brings time efficiency:
If you’re a small business, outsourcing your marketing can save you time and money. It can help you focus on your core business operations.
Instead of having to dedicate time and resources to marketing yourself, an outsourced marketing campaign will take care of the work for you.
You can then concentrate on running your business. With so many benefits to outsourcing marketing, it’s an investment that should be considered by any business looking to increase time efficiency and grow revenues.
2. Outsourcing Marketing for Small Businesses brings Greater creativity and flexibility:
For businesses that want to outsource their marketing efforts, the benefit of accessing creativity and flexibility from the hired professionals makes it a worthwhile investment.
Not only can businesses tap into a wider range of creative professionals and marketing strategies, but this also allows them to create more innovative and tailored marketing campaigns.
For example, a business could outsource its marketing campaign development to a creative agency, which would be able to come up with more creative and unique ideas.
This would allow the business to reach a wider audience with its marketing message and potentially increase its profits.
3. Outsourcing Marketing for Small Businesses brings Greater scalability:
Outsourcing your marketing can also help scale your business over time. By delegating the marketing aspect of your business to a marketing agency, you free up your time to focus on other tasks, like sales, management, and administration of your business.
Because of their in-depth and professional knowledge about this area of your business, a marketing agency comes in handy for creating targeted marketing campaigns, tracking your results, and providing customer support.
They also help you develop new marketing strategies and integrate digital marketing into your overall strategy, which drives more customers and increases sales.
When done correctly, outsourcing your business marketing will not only help you scale your business, it will help you increase your chances of success.
4. Outsourcing Marketing helps You Can Cut Costs:
By outsourcing marketing, you can reduce your time and money spent on marketing activities, such as creating and executing marketing plans, researching and targeting potential customers, and creating and marketing the company’s products.
For businesses with limited resources, outsourcing marketing can be the perfect solution. Also, outsourcing helps you save on the cost of hiring a marketing manager, paying for marketing research, and creating and managing marketing campaigns.
External marketing agencies are experts at creating effective marketing campaigns that target the needs and interests of your target market.
Outsourcing marketing can be a cost-effective way to improve the quality and effectiveness of your marketing efforts.
5. Outsourcing Marketing for Small Businesses brings Increased ROI:
Outsourcing marketing can be a very effective way to boost your small business’s return on investment. By taking off the burden of marketing yourself, you can free up your time and resources to focus on other priorities.
You can also get a cohesive marketing strategy with the right outsourcing partner to help your business grow and access a wider range of marketing resources, leading to increased ROI.
Many businesses choose to outsource marketing due to a large number of available marketing options and the ability to customize marketing campaigns to match the needs of their businesses.
Outsourcing marketing can be a valuable tool for increasing your business growth and a great way to cut costs while still providing the level of service that businesses demand.
6. Outsourcing Lets You Mitigate Startup Risks
Outsourcing can help reduce the risk of lost sales since your business can outsource work to a third party that can provide the same or improved quality.
It can also help reduce the risk of lost data since you can outsource work to a third party to protect the data.
Lastly, outsourcing can help reduce the risk of lost customer relationships since you will outsource work to a third party to provide the same or improved customer service.
Many businesses find outsourcing a useful way to reduce risk and achieve goals. By outsourcing work to a third party, you can reduce the risk of lost sales, lost data, and lost customer relationships.
By working with a reputable, qualified outsourcing company, you can minimize the risk of these problems and continue to operate successfully.
What are the disadvantages of outsourcing marketing?
Regarding marketing, outsourcing can be a great way to save on costs while still meeting your marketing goals. However, there are a few drawbacks to outsourcing your marketing efforts.
- Outsourcing can lead to a loss of control over your marketing messages. Your brand could see negative publicity if your marketing provider doesn’t abide by your guidelines.
- Outsourcing can increase the risk of your messages being misinterpreted or lost in translation. If your marketing company isn’t familiar with your brand or target market, it may be unable to create effective marketing campaigns.
- Outsourcing can lead to a loss of brand identity. If your provider takes on too much of the marketing burden, your brand may start to look like just another name on a list.
- Outsourcing can lead to a loss of control over the marketing process. This is because the company no longer has direct control over the marketing materials and how they are delivered to consumers.
- Outsourcing can lead to a loss of information. This is because the company no longer has access to the customer data necessary to execute subsequent marketing campaigns.
- Outsourcing can lead to a loss of customer loyalty. This is because the company can no longer provide the same level of customer service it would be able to provide if it were executing the marketing itself.
Outsourcing marketing vs. marketing automation: Which is right for your business?
Outsourcing marketing may be a cost-effective solution for some businesses, but it’s not the only option. Marketing automation can provide the same customer engagement and reach a level with far less overhead.
Marketing automation tools can automate complex customer interactions, automatically tracking customer data and responding to customer inquiries.
This can result in better customer retention and engagement, higher conversion rates, and lower marketing expenses. The best option for your business depends on many factors, including a budget, customer base, and marketing strategy.
If you’re unsure whether outsourcing or marketing automation is best for you, speak to a consultant to get a more in-depth understanding of your options.
Bottom Line
In conclusion, outsourcing marketing for small businesses can provide a cost-effective solution to help your business stand out from the rest. By working with reputable marketing companies, you can ensure that your marketing efforts are coordinated and effective, providing your customers with the information and support they need to make informed decisions.
