In the competitive landscape of modern day, digital marketing has become an essential part of communicating with consumers and developing a brand. That being said, not every organization has the budget or the talent to manage everything in-house.
Outsourcing digital marketing can be an intelligent step that can provide access to expertise, assist in the business with time and strategy, and allow the business to work on its business’s strengths.
Decide What Your Digital Marketing Needs
The very first step in outsourcing is to decide on what your specific needs are. Digital marketing encompasses search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, content creation, email marketing, pay-per-clicks, and more. Before making contact with a third party, the business should decide what is needed.
For example, a small business may only need assistance with SEO and monitoring social media, and a larger business will need the full-service agency to manage all marketing channels. Defining what is needed provides the tailored partnership and a potential for measurable results.
Consider Possible Partners
After setting your goals, you can then consider possible digital marketing agencies or freelancers. Go through their portfolios, evaluate client reviews, and think about their experience in your industry.
A great track record of producing results will be a good indication of their outcomes (e.g. increased overall traffic to a website, leads).
A good measure to look for is the number of services they provide. Most agencies will either specialize (SEO, social media) or offer a variety of services. An agency that provides a variety of services will typically favor your ultimate goal of getting your time back because you have at least eliminated one potentially bad partner.
Evaluate Cost or Value
Cost will always be the consideration when you want to outsource your time on digital marketing. Agencies and freelancers will charge by the hour, retainer, or project. Sometimes, a cheaper price point may initially seem attractive to save money, but making a quality decision should always ring true.
A professional, reliable partner that provides reliable outcomes will always produce a better return for you. Look for clarity of pricing (what is included in the price), timelines, and clarity of expectations before you start to engage.
Set Up Defined Communication Channels
A successful outsourcing relationship is built around communication. Establishing clear communication processes around updates, reporting, and feedback can help ensure both parties are on the same page and working from the same plan. Typically, agencies will perform the service of providing you with reports on a weekly basis or a monthly basis to allow you insights and visibility into campaign performance.
Setting expectations around the timelines of dates for deadlines, approvals, and deliverables will ensure you stay on track with the campaign and minimize the possibility of miscommunication. It is also a great idea to set up a working relationship between the agency you outsourced to and all members of your team that relate to the scope of your project in order to set your marketing strategy up for success.
Accountability for Tracking Performance and ROI
Tracking the results of your efforts will be important when outsourcing technical marketing. For example, defining specific KPIs like website traffic, leads, conversions, and return on ad spend to evaluate the performance of the outsourced project will be valuable.
An experienced agency partner will implement campaigns and make recommendations for improvement. Tracking this data is crucial to allow companies to have an official mechanism in place to review performance and adjust their marketing strategy to improve it.
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Conclusion:-
In short, there may be tremendous benefits when you decide to take the leap into outsourcing your marketing, which may include everything from leveraging certain skill sets to simply having more time and money.
In scaling your business, you can utilize a third-party outsourcing option by defining your needs, identifying third-party (outsourcing) options, managing costs, managing communication, and measuring. Provided you have a defined model established, outsourcing is a valuable investment for growth and building a measurable, sustainable impact.
