Marketing outsourcing can replace in-house marketers. Or not? We find out what is a myth and what is true here.
In one way or another, all organizations work with outsourcing. It can be one-time services in design, support, on specific problems like 3D-modelling. It is more likely contracts than actually outsource. And it can be dense interaction with an agency which will close all spectrum of marketing problems – not only something unusual, and all spectrum – from strategy to quarter reports.
Both approaches have supporters and opponents. Marketing agencies are always supporters, it is logical. It is more convenient and profitable to work with long-term and familiar projects. But business owners – not always. Is it possible for an unknown marketer to replace an employee in an office? He has 20 more clients there, plus they don’t know our specifics!
A lot has already been written about it, and the supporters of the first point of view, and the second.
Let’s try to understand what is a myth in marketing outsourcing and what is true.
Outsource is beneficial because staff marketers need to pay their salaries, taxes, they need a place in the office, and the agency does not.
Myth
Actually, marketing agencies also pay taxes and have offices. And they put the cost of all this in the price of their services. Plus, they still make a profit, because the outsourcing team also has to pay them, and all this will be included in the price.
A marketing staff member will not be as competent as a professional
Truth
If you have a large and effective department with a clear focus on each employee, with constant development, challenges , and training – why not – they can be excellent professionals. But they will still lack the breadth of vision, and fresh ideas will quickly run out. And if you have a “swamp” or just dumped everything on one person, who is a “seamstress, reaper and on the duke of a gambler”, they will not appear.
Outsourcing is beneficial for large companies
Myth
If you’re a really big company, your tasks can be downloaded by the marketing department at 100%, including developing in-house websites and refusing from banging agencies, as, for example, three digital Chinese giants – Baidu, Alibaba , and Tencent – have done. Although everything is specific, in 2017 Procter&Gamble abandoned its own solution for Hawkeye digital media purchase software and began working with agencies.
Outsource is unprofitable for startups, it’s expensive, every penny counts at the start
Myth
If you’re new to the business, you just don’t have as much experience as professionals do. You will hardly be able to evaluate the quality of work of contractors and lose not only money but also the precious time at the start. Often a small startup really can’t invest money in marketing, they just don’t exist – well, then either look for more money or prepare for the fact that the result, if any, is very long.
We still need a marketer
Truth
No matter how you turn it, someone must accept the work, set tasks and evaluate the result.
The most important myth is that outsourcing marketing is unprofitable
As with outsourcing marketing people, you expect to find out why outsourcing is incredibly profitable and useful for you, and more. No. We can only say about the real experience of our clients, who, why and why they come to us.
Ideal outsourcing marketing is suitable for medium-sized companies that can’t load a fully-staffed marketing department with their tasks. The most efficient digital marketing always uses all the tools.
