Marketing is one of the most essential elements in the success of any business but it may not be your area of expertise. Even if you have a marketing background, trends, methods, and strategies move quickly and it is easy to fall behind.
So what do you do?
“Master your strengths, outsource your weaknesses.”
- Ryan Khan, Founder of The Hired Group
Keeping your marketing in-house might instinctively feel desirable but, even if you have the resources to recruit and maintain a costly marketing department, outsourced marketing has much to offer.
In this article (clickable links below):
The Benefits
Outsourced marketing services are a significant investment and, as with every business decision, you need to be confident it will provide a worthwhile return on investment. Here are just a few reasons why that is exactly what it does.
Expertise
Marketing consultants are experts in their field. They have built their careers helping businesses succeed and reach their goals. They are dedicated to understanding how marketing works, how to make the biggest impact, and what the latest trends and tactics are.
Perspective
When you trust your marketing to an outside source, you invite a new perspective, new ideas, and impartial but knowledgable opinions. These can be invaluable assets to any business.
Focus
When you market in-house, you are always balancing your time and resources. When you outsource, your consultant’s only focus is delivering the most impactful marketing, without compromise.
Scaling
Should you wish yo upscale your marketing, an agency will have the knowledge and network needed to do that quickly and efficiently. In-house, this could take much longer, requiring recruitment, training, and even a costly period if trial and error.
“Where the work can be done outside better than it can be done inside, we should do it.”
- Alphonso Jackson, US Politician
The Options
A mistake that many businesses make is assuming outsourced marketing is an “all or nothing” proposition. In reality, it is possible to hire a marketing consultant to handle only specific aspects.
Examples include:
Content
Many businesses outsource content creation. A marketing consultant can deliver creative, impactful content, tailored to the complexities of your business and industry, ready to funnel into your marketing channels.
Socials
Social media marketing is a specialist arena which operates differently from traditional channels. An outside expert can help achieve maximum impact in this ever-evolving medium. For high-performance motoring experience company RS Xperience, we manage both the social strategy and execution of their digital marketing, meaning that they have an on-brand, consistent presence on the key channels for their target audience.
Strategy
When you outsource marketing strategy, a consultant will create a “big picture” marketing plan to deliver the greatest return on investment, laying a platform and setting a template for your in-house team to follow.
Events
Some businesses handle their regular marketing needs well, but quickly feel overwhelmed or under-resourced when it comes to special promotions or events. For the hotel chain Marriott International, we stepped in to create luxurious and unique corporate gifts for press event attendees to experience the hotel’s outstanding hospitality and culinary offering. Our services allowed their in-house team to focus on what they do each day while ensuring the event made the biggest possible impact with every guest.
Analysis
We all know what making assumptions does. By expertly analysing your businesses’ data, an experienced marketeer will set the guesswork aside and offer data-driven insights with recommended marketing solutions to fit your budget and requirements.
Branding
With S9 Muses, an ethical fashion portal, we first helped develop their brand before taking on full marketing responsibilities. This created a seamless transition and means the company’s marketing is looked after by somebody who knows every fibre of the brand, and the core values on which it is built, and can ensure consistent tone and integrated messaging across every touchpoint of the business.
The Right Time
How do you know if it is the right time to outsource some, or all, of your marketing? Take a moment to think about each of these questions, and answer honestly.
- Is your business making inconsistent marketing efforts with no real plan or strategy?
- Are you frustrated by a lack of access to, or impact in, certain marketing channels?
- Is marketing distracting your focus from your true areas of expertise?
- Are you feeling lost in the constantly changing world of marketing?
- Are your marketing staff overworked or underskilled?
- Do you feel you’re missing something important?
- Above all – are you disappointed by the lack of results from your marketing efforts?
If the answer to any of these is “yes”, then it could be the right time for you to outsource your marketing.
The Right Consultant
Outsourcing your marketing is only effective if you outsource it to the right people. You need someone who doesn’t just fit your budget but offers the biggest impact with that budget. You want someone who fits your brand, understands what you need, provides the specific services you require, and with whom you can build a relationship based on understanding and clear communication.
At Creative ID, as a branding and marketing agency, we strive to be at the forefront of the marketing landscape so we can ensure our clients remain relevant and at the top of their game. By specialising in both online and traditional marketing, we help our clients maximise their marketing impact and reach new audiences. We love to see our clients and their businesses thrive so we make sure we create strong relationships and have a full understanding of their needs by taking a deep dive into their business so we can reflect their values and goals in all marketing materials. We are successful at what we do because we love what we do.
“Do what you love.”
- Lise Cartwright, Author of "Outsourced Freelancing Success"
Elevate
Inspired by the varied outsourcing requirements of the businesses we work with, Creative ID’s new marketing package – Elevate – is a flexible marketing approach designed to lift your business to new heights.
By offering a dynamic marketing approach, which is as fast and flexible as your business needs, Elevate will redefine your marketing to maximise branding opportunities, level up your business, and get your brand in front of the right audience.
To talk about elevating your business with Creative ID, email us or call +44 (0)20 7242 1877.
Until next time,
Vaishali
