by Fronetics | Jul 11, 2017 | Blog, Content Marketing, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy
Take an honest assessment of these 6 areas to see if outsourcing your marketing might be a smart move.
Supply chain companies are increasingly open to outsourcing their logistics because it allows them to focus on their core competencies while improving productivity. So why not apply the same rationale to bolster your marketing efforts? Don’t be afraid to look outside the box for the marketing tools you need to succeed.
As your competitors’ marketing budgets continue to climb, your company needs expertise on your side to get the most out of your marketing dollars — and that’s especially true in the digital space. Content marketing can be very challenging for novices and seasoned marketers alike. Blogging, paid search and social advertising, email marketing, social media management: there’s a lot to juggle. That’s why many companies are outsourcing some — or all — of their marketing programs.
Have you considered outsourcing as an option? Maybe it’s time you did. Parsing out certain projects on an as-needed basis to an outside firm can help you comfortably navigate and succeed in the marketing world.
6 signs you should outsource your marketing
Assess your staff in these six areas to determine if it’s time to explore outsourcing your marketing efforts.
1) “Wait, what’s going on with social media now?”
Do you feel like your company is always reacting to marketing trends instead of planning for them? You need to be one step ahead of what’s coming, especially in fast-changing spaces like social media, in order to meet your customers where they are.
Learning best practices and new tools can be challenging, especially if you’re time strapped. Using an outside firm with expertise across the spectrum — and whose job depends on knowing the newest platforms and media — will give you an edge over competitors.
2) Everyone is at capacity.
Is your current marketing team able to take on new projects easily, without compromising existing responsibilities? If your staff has great ideas but not the resources to initiate them or follow through, you need to find a way to fix that.
Consider breaking off projects to an outside firm, even on a trial basis to test the waters. Plus if you outsource to experts, you won’t have to reinvent the wheel in-house or risk being off trend.
3) You lack time for proper strategizing and assessment.
Do you have a unified marketing strategy in place with a way to measure objectives and results? If you’re too busy keeping up with day-to-day work to step back and plan, then regularly assess how things are going, consider outsourcing.
Creating a strategy with short- and long-term goals is essential to marketing success. Using an agency to create a roadmap for you — and then to track progress — will free you up to focus on running your business. Also, an objective audit of your practices can be truly beneficial and will only improve your strategies.
3) You only have time to focus on one or two platforms/areas/ideas.
Are your marketing channels diversified? Your marketing reach needs to extend to all avenues, particularly in the digital world. Outsourcing SEO, paid search and social advertising, blogging and social media projects is a relatively easy task to manage and is absolutely essential for success in the current world.
4) You can’t afford another hire.
Are you on a tight budget? If your budget doesn’t allow for hiring and training key staff, outsourcing your marketing needs is a way to grow your reach and accomplish your goals without generating overhead such as training costs, benefits or payroll expenses. It’s also a way to try out new projects and programs to see if they stick.
5) You don’t have time for professional development.
Is there a skillset you and your employees want to advance? Gauge the temperature of your existing staff to ensure everyone’s needs are being met. Retaining top talent isn’t easy, so keep in mind that you don’t want existing employees to be concerned about their job security.
Identity each in-house staff member’s strengths and interests, and cultivate them. For example, encourage a designer to add a new skill to his or her portfolio, or an analyst to take a webinar or class to become even savvier. Strength what you have but look to complete your marketing toolkit with the available expertise.
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![Outsourcing Content Marketing: 13 Stats You Should See [Infographic]](https://www.fronetics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/outsourcing-content-marketing.jpg)
by Fronetics | Feb 1, 2017 | Blog, Content Marketing, Marketing
Thinking of outsourcing content marketing? This infographic illustrates how other B2B marketers are handling content creation.
Plan. Create. Distribute. Repeat.
Does the constant creation of content feel like a drain on your resources? Do you feel like the content you’re publishing isn’t on par with the standards of your business? Do you dread the days that you need to write a blog post or prepare a customer resource?
If any of these questions hit home, chances are you’ve thought about outsourcing.
Outsourcing content marketing can be a beautiful thing: You put the content creation, design, and even distribution in the hands of an expert, leaving you free to focus on your job. But, isn’t that cheating? (It’s not.) Are other companies doing it, too? (You bet.) Ultimately, is it a good business decision? (The top business blogs outsource about 24% of their content creation.)
We’ve created the following infographic to illustrate how other B2B marketers are handling outsourcing content marketing. Here are 13 statistics you need to know before you consider outsourcing.
(Made with Canva)
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by Fronetics | May 12, 2014 | Blog, Content Marketing, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy
Adam Robinson of freight logistics company Cerasis wrote a series of posts which outlined the company’s social media and content marketing strategy and the successes the company has achieved through the execution of their strategy. The series also included how-to guides: how to create a social media and content marketing strategy and how to execute a social media and content marketing strategy. Robinson’s series is a must read for companies interested in learning the potential business value of a social media and content marketing strategy and for companies wondering the steps they need to take to create and execute a successful strategy.
Two sentences in Robinson’s series stand out:
“It all comes down to strategy!”
“Now, if you have the resources to be on every social media platform, you should, but only if you do it well!”
Sage advice.
Without a strategy it is unlikely that your company will be successful. Social media and content marketing can be effective tools for attracting new customers and retaining current customers; however, it is unlikely that your company will reap these benefits if you do not have a strategy in place. A 2014 study shows just how important strategy is. The study found that 60 percent of companies with a documented strategy in place consider their efforts to be effective as compared to 11 percent of companies with no documented strategy in place.
A successful strategy takes into consideration your company’s strengths, resources, limitations, and goals. Another component of success – doing things well. For some companies it is possible (and makes sense) to be on every social media platform. For many companies a well-executed strategy means focusing on one or two platforms. Don’t spread yourself thin, make your company show up strong!
It is also important to remember that if you need help, there is help available. It is possible to obtain training in social media and content marketing and it is possible to outsource these functions.
This article also appeared on DC Velocity.
by Fronetics | Apr 21, 2014 | Blog, Content Marketing, Logistics, Marketing, Strategy, Supply Chain
When it comes to content your company doesn’t need to go it alone. Not only is it possible to outsource content, for many companies it may be the best solution. Here is how to determine if outsourcing content is right for your company, and what your company needs to consider when looking for an outsource partner.
Is outsourcing right for you?
Outsourcing is not the panacea. It may be the right solution for your company – or maybe not. Here is what to consider when determining if outsourcing content is the right solution for your company:
- What are your company’s core competencies?
- How can your company deliver the best value to your customers?
- A successful content strategy needs to be deliberate and needs to have someone in charge. Do you have in-house talent who can put together a content strategy for your company and manage the execution of the strategy?
- Does your company have in-house talent that can consistently create good content?
- Does your company have in-house talent that has the time to consistently create good talent?
- Does your company have in-house talent that can distribute your company’s content?
- Does your company have in-house talent that can track and analyze your company’s content strategy?
Be honest. Cobbling together staff or passing content like a hot potato from one person to another is not going to be effective. If content is not an area where your company excels, or if content could be carried out more efficiently and effectively if the service was outsourced – start looking for an outsource partner.
If you do decide that outsourcing is right for your company, know that you are not alone. Forty-four percent of B2B marketers report that they outsource content creation. Diving down further, 72 percent of large B2B companies (1,000 employees or more) outsource content creation and 34 percent of small B2B companies (10 to 99 employees) outsource content creation. Looking specifically at the manufacturing industry – 55 percent of manufacturing marketers report that they outsource content creation.
As shown in Figure 1 the content functions that B2B marketers outsource vary from writing to design to distribution to creating a buyer persona. When it comes to outsourcing content functions it doesn’t need to be the kitchen sink.
Figure 1
What to look for in an outsource partner
When it comes to finding an outsource partner you want to find a partner that will bring value to your company and to your customers. Whether you outsource all content functions or just one, here is what to look for in an outsource partner:
- Experience and knowledge of your industry;
- Willing to work with your company to help you achieve your goals;
- Open to exploring and furthering your company’s creative ideas;
- Able to follow instructions and execute with minimal oversight;
- Able to create the type of content your company needs;
- Interested in entering into a long-term relationship.
More generally, Frank Cavallaro wrote that when choosing your perfect outsource mate it is important to start by looking at the mission or value statement of your potential partner. Are these aligned to your company’s? If they are, move on and explore the partnership further. If not, walk away. “Mission and value statements speak to the core culture of the company, so if you can’t find common ground here, it is unlikely you will be able to build a positive working relationship.”
This post was originally published on DC Velocity.
