How to Outsource Your Marketing

Thinking about outsourcing your marketing to a third party?

Most businesses reach a point where it is no longer possible to dedicate enough time or resources toward their marketing needs. This is why outsourcing agencies are in high demand and are a way by which businesses can grow their online presence in the long term. But what exactly do you need to know about this process?

In this article, we talk about how to outsource your marketing and how you might at least think about “fractional marketing” as a solution to help expand your business.

What Exactly is Outsourced Marketing?

Outsourced marketing is all about delegating your marketing needs to a third party. This approach can be used in addition to in-house marketing efforts and it’s a smart way to outsource the more complex or challenging areas to professionals.

Here are the main objectives of a marketing agency in terms of outsourced marketing:

• – Understand and assess the current marketing strategy.
• – Outline a marketing strategy for specific marketing goals.
• – Take the required action to meet set goals and objectives.
• – Monitor progress and implement changes whenever necessary

You will find working with an agency that includes a wide range of skills and experience and a dedicated team to be a major support for your efforts. More on this bit later.

Let’s take a look at how to outsource your marketing in five steps.

5 Steps to Outsource Your Marketing Needs

1.  Working with Marketing Agency Vs. Freelance Marketers?

Working with a freelance marketer might be a suitable option for entrepreneurs or even small start ups but opting for an agency makes sense for most businesses.

This is because time is precious and marketing agencies can get far more tasks done in a limited period of time than a freelancer. Furthermore, an agency will have access to more skills and experience; this is always needed for an established business.

As for how to choose the right agency, it’s best to stick with reputable companies with experience and proven track records.

2. Define the Budget for Your Marketing Campaign

One of your first steps is to establish a budget for a marketing strategy.  The scope and length of this strategy will determine the size of the budget. Setting a budget is a rather challenging aspect of any marketing campaign because many factors are not easy to calculate, for example – the cost-per-lead or revenue goals.

WAlthough it is important to be realistic with these figures, it is also important to think about this budget as an investment. After all, the goal with any marketing task is to help grow your business in such a way that the return is much greater than the amount invested.

With the help of an agency, businesses should expect results but the extent of the budget will still determine the potential of your return.

3. Consider Fractional Marketing vs. In-House Marketing Only

Some businesses take care of all marketing needs in-house.  However, more and more businesses are choosing to outsource at least part of their strategy. This is called fractional marketing and, according to Digital Authority Partners, this approach can save time and money for businesses while producing far better results.

How does this work?

It’s different for every business. For instance, many businesses outsource their blog content or SEO strategy but take care of their own social media in-house.

Fractional marketing allows businesses to outsource the parts of the marketing plan that require more time, skills or experience. To identify these initiatives, determine the strengths and weaknesses of a business and whether existing team members are capable of achieving the required results.

4. Identify Specific Marketing Initiatives for Your Strategy

You need a clear outline that presents your objectives for a marketing campaign.  It should include details regarding specific marketing initiatives that require attention.

Let’s take a quick look at some of these marketing initiatives:

SEO Strategy – Using search engine optimization to increase traffic, leads and sales for your business online.

Pay-per-Click Ads – Paid advertisements to increase the reach and potential of your marketing campaign on search engines.

Social Media Ads – Implementing an ad strategy for specific social media platforms.

Content Marketing – Creating information with blogs, video and other types of content to help establish authority and increase traffic, leads and conversions.

Email Marketing – Nurture more leads via email with deals, discounts, reminders and other promotional information.

Needless to say, these are just a few examples of areas in which you might need assistance.  A reputable marketing agency can assist with any and all of the above.

5. Measuring Performance and Implementing Changes

You cannot fix or improve what you don’t know.  This is the simple reason for measuring performance. You might not have to worry too much about this side of the process if you opt to work with a marketing agency but either way, it definitely matters.

While obvious metrics such as conversions or sales might tell a story, more detail is needed to measure the performance of a marketing plan. This is why both businesses and marketing agencies use certain tech and tools to extract and assess critical data.

It’s true, metrics are important for checking progress and it’s possible to identify opportunities that might not be apparent without such insights. But does the business really have enough tools or time to implement, assess and improve the strategy?

Marketing is a crucial area in which to invest and outsourcing is at least part of a strategy that can save time for your business while producing more leads and conversions. You can keep costs down by working with a freelancer but most businesses require the experience and skill-set of a full SEO marketing agency.