Marketing is an essential component for businesses. It’s not that it has become significantly important today, it has been so since business first started and will be till we purchase and use items using cash. Selling your products and services gets a tad bit difficult when competition sets in. This is a reality and marketing is one of the few ways in which you can by-pass it and reach your potential customers. It takes time, effort, planning and resources to get your marketing process in place. There are way too many variables that jeopardize marketing- way too many! Every business has its own set of limitations that affect smooth marketing. From the process of lead generation, digital marketing, events, online and offline promotions, product launches, tie-ups, brand promotions and the lot, marketing can be tedious, and resource consuming and without a clear image of results.
Do you really need to outsource marketing?
Yes, this is in-fact the number one question. It isn’t as easy as it seems. Every business needs to hustle and make sure that every dime spent on marketing is accounted for. This is a positive move and ensures there is all round accountability. That said, for you to come to the definitive decision to outsource marketing, there are certain things you need to go through beforehand. We have short-listed 5 crystal clear signs that it is time you go ahead and place that call!
Stagnant revenue
This is not the same as fall in revenue. That is an incredibly clear warning sign! When you are constantly moving at the same pace, the same numbers and the same results, it is time to evaluate certain aspects of your business. Marketing is the first such aspect. What stagnant revenues indicate is that there is a short fall of new business inquiries. Your marketing is happy creating the same number of leads and pushing out the same marketing collateral’s over every day. Let us tell you why this is a lot more dangerous than a dip. Firstly, it does not look like a problem. The fact is that the situation can blow up in your face a lot faster than you expect. The stagnancy brings in complacency, a fatal illness in marketing. Without the urge to get new business, there is no push to do new things. Meanwhile, your competitor is, and they will pull the rug from under your feet faster than lightning!
Secondly, the purpose of business is to grow and not be content with the same results day in and day out. This does no good for the long term prospects of the company and hence requires you to get on the marketing side of it and aggressively push for more. If you are looking for a bump in numbers, an outsourced marketing provider needs to achieve numbers that you project for them. It makes it easier for you to gain traction in the process and advance your business, because finally, for an outsourced process, numbers are what matter!
Changes are too fast and your team can’t keep up!
Marketing is a dynamic system. Change is most definitely the only constant here. The marketing team that does not innovate will be left on the side lines. This can happen with any business and is one of the most commonly seen reasons for taking the call to outsource marketing. SEO and social media are at advanced stages today and your marketing team has to ensure that they are in the know about these changes and also ensure that these changes are incorporated immediately to your business. It is generally seen that most in-house marketing teams are light years behind schedule when it comes to updates and changes. This should be reason enough to switch to a provider who has clearly defined goals and needs to ensure that you get your numbers every month with the resources allocated. Marketing outsourcing providers are able to scale their operations due to their ability to accommodate your needs as the infrastructure is present and ready to roll.
Marketing knowledge is not sufficient
Marketing needs smart thinking, approach and execution. Every market and business has its set of processes and it takes a lot of serious planning and execution to get the plan right. For a business owner, this is too much to ask for most of the times. Even though you may have the ideas and plans, executing it is not going to be easy.
· You need a team who understands the plan
· You need the same team to execute it
· You need skilled professionals to run various campaigns
· You need reporting and monitoring
· You need some back up to cover your assets when the plan fails
Frankly, these look like a lot and will give any smart business owner sleepless nights. This is again a clear sign to move on and outsource marketing. A marketing outsourcing partner has only marketing on their mind. With your ideas included, they can come up with end to end strategies that they can actually put to work and give you results!
MARKETING OUTSOURCING AT ITS BEST-WE HAVE ALL YOU NEED
Spreading yourself thin on all channels
This has become a trend in the marketing world today. Everyone wants to be everywhere and in the process they miss the plot entirely! This has 2 major disadvantages. One is that you are surely going to tax your marketing department by pushing too much on them. Secondly, you miss your target audience by a mile. This is detrimental to business. When you are partnering with a marketing outsourcing firm, there is a certain amount of market research that they are supposed to do to identify your target audience. Only then will a marketing plan take shape. Your marketing outsourcing partner will be able to concentrate on these targets and narrow down efforts so that there are actual results coming in.
Marketing managers are expensive!
Resource allocation can be a tedious task. It causes constant strain between finance and management. Hiring an in-house marketing manager rarely works out for the best interests of the company. They can only work well when there is a capable team to execute plans. For an all inclusive plan, marketing outsourcing is the answer. All you have to do is give them a detailed description of your product/service, your target audience and set targets. The head ache of teams and such is not yours which gives you ample time and resources to concentrate on core business activities.
To outsource marketing, it is important to see and evaluate your current scenario. If your marketing team seems to be able to give you decent numbers and there is less friction between marketing and sales, then it may not be a need. Careful understanding of marketing processes reveals that there is a major need for marketing outsourcing today. To get good numbers, put your team through the above questions and if you get a majority answer in the negative, you know it’s time, it’s time to outsource.
