Understanding Marketing Outsourcing for Business Growth
Let’s just check you’re in the right place. Are you at the point where you’re struggling with marketing capacity? Is your existing marketing team stretched thin? Are you scaling your business successfully but worrying about the best way to scale your marketing team?
Did you answer “yes” to any of these questions? If you did, you’re in the right place. This blog is for small and medium-sized business owners who know they need increased marketing to support growth but are undecided on the best way forward. One way out of this dilemma is marketing outsourcing, but you may be wondering ‘how does outsourcing work for marketing?’
At Outsource Your Marketing, we’ve been in the business of doing just that for over a decade. We’re going to work through exactly how marketing outsourcing works. We’ll try to cover everything you need to know, so that you can come to a decision as to whether outsourcing is the right solution for your business.
Finding the Right Marketing Outsourcing Partner
Thinking outsourcing might be the way to go? The UK has plenty of outsourcing marketing agencies, but which ones are right for your business? This part of the process needs as much consideration as if you were hiring a new member of your team.
1. Define Your Needs & Niche
Clearly knowing exactly what you need (and you can go very, very niche with marketing outsourcing) helps to narrow your search. Consider your sector too, marketing is full of transferable skills but agencies with experience of your sector will get you better results.
2. Ask For Recommendations
Get advice from businesses in your sector. Find out who they’re working successfully with, but also have a conversation about potential problems, and how to avoid them. Personal recommendations are usually the best starting point.
3. Dig Deeper Than The Website
Once you’ve found a website you like the look of, the real work begins. Check out the testimonials and case studies and talk to the businesses they’ve worked with. Keep asking yourself ‘Am I seeing marketing that’s right for my business’?
4. Values & Culture Matter
Set up a meeting with outsourcing agencies you’re interested in to find out what their marketing approach and philosophy is. Are they able to talk articulately and with enthusiasm about what they do? How adept are they at responding with a detailed, practical suggestion to your needs. The culture and ethos of a marketing agency can be just as important as technical skills.
5. Create a Shortlist & Set a Task
Once you’re down to around 3 candidates set a marketing task for the agency to engage with. Ask for a presentation in response and ask detailed questions after. That way you get a practical demonstration of their approach, not just words, and you ask the agency to commit time and thought to working with you.
Defining Your Expectations
You’ve chosen a partner you trust to support your business growth. Next comes the painstaking process of setting clear expectations from the outset. This is the absolute foundation for your success as a partnership, so don’t skimp at this stage.
The golden rule is: Don’t assume anything. Even if you’ve had detailed discussions during initial consultations, that now has to be put in writing. This is a form of protection for your business and the agency, and it offers a clear reference point as you move forward.
Start by scoping out the work. What marketing activities are you outsourcing? You can never have too much detail; state which social media platforms, what type of content, and the goals you’re pursuing.
Next, be clear about the outcomes you want to see. It could be increased website traffic, increased lead generation, more sales, or greater brand visibility. Whatever results you want to see be clear about them and be precise – state the percentage increase you want within a specified timeframe.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are the metrics you’ll use to track the success of your marketing campaigns. Work with your agency to identify the relevant KPIs for your goals, whether it’s website traffic, conversion rates, social media engagement, or lead generation numbers.
Agree on, and commit to writing, clear deadlines for projects and deliverables. When will you see initial results? How often will you get progress reports? A clear timeline keeps everyone on track and focuses expectations.
Is Outsourcing Marketing Working For You?
Once you’ve been working together for a while, you’ll want to know whether the partnership is producing the results and outcomes you laid out at the start. So. you’ll need to assess your return in order to be sure you’re getting the most out of your outsourcing company:
• KPIs – Your agency should be providing regular reports on your agreed KPIs, allowing you to see how your campaigns are performing.
• The Bottom Line – Marketing is about driving business growth. So, you need to assess cost of outsourcing against the revenue generated. Obviously, this isn’t a precise science but tracking KPIs and analysing sales data, you can give you a clear indication of how it’s going.
• Reclaiming Your Focus – Assess how much time you’ve saved by outsourcing specific marketing tasks. How has this extra time been used? Has it allowed you to be more productive as a business?
• What Does Your Team Think? – Are they happy with the way outsourcing is working? Do they feel the agency ‘gets’ your business and your brand? Are there any improvements they’d like to see?
• Quality & Consistency – Is the agency is consistently delivering quality work that reflects your brand and connects with your target audience?
If you’re not seeing the results you had been led to expect, have an open conversation with your outsourcing agency about it. Be precise about your concerns and collect evidence where quality or consistency is an issue. Often, you’ll be able to make adjustments and resolve the problems.
