Outsourcing with a digital marketing agency

Posted: February 1, 2021

In a Pandemic?

For businesses that have always kept their marketing in-house, the idea of outsourcing that work to an agency might seem like a strange proposition. For small businesses and individuals, wearing multiple hats and managing email, social media, and a website feels like a necessary part of a hectic every day schedule. ​

While many industries and businesses are still trying to manage and survive because of the recourses of the COVID-19 panic, now might actually be an opportune time to consider working with an agency. Many think pieces were published towards the beginning of the pandemic, as businesses scaled back, about how it was the ideal moment to push advertising and marketing. ​ But it can be difficult to know how and where to expand your digital marketing efforts when as a business, you are navigating the unknown waters of a pandemic.

Relying on subject matter experts to get you the results that you need, quickly and efficiently, is the best way to move forward in times of uncertainty. And the numbers back up keeping advertising and marketing in your budget, even if competitors are pulling back. ​

While we can’t say that working with a digital marketing agency is right for everyone, we can provide a glimpse into what working with a digital marketing agency can be like, so that you can anticipate if it’s the correct choice for your business. While we work with big name companies, start-ups and solopreneurs alike, there are some scenarios that overlap in why our clients reached out about our services in the first place.

Help in One Area

We’ve worked with clients who are looking for subject matter experts in one specific, niche area. Whether that’s building a website, managing online ad campaigns, tackling email campaign execution, or creating social media content, we’re able to hone in on that one offering to make it really shine.

You might be wondering “why would someone bother to outsource one tiny facet of their digital marketing?” ​

There are several factors that can answer that question. For an office with a small team or solo marketer, having one less thing for them to handle can be a huge relief. If a business is considering outsourcing a small part of their digital marketing strategy in comparison to hiring someone in-house, the cost comparison isn’t even close.

Another answer might be that a start-up or solo entrepreneur is just getting started with their digital marketing journey, and is looking to test the waters with one piece of their future, fully-comprehensive digital marketing strategy. While we wouldn’t recommend anyone call it a day by only using email marketing or social media to get the word out about their product/services, it can be a good first step in the right direction. Again, in this scenario, outsourcing to an agency would be more cost-effective than hiring a full-time employee.

Tackling a Few Pieces of the Pie

We’ve also worked with companies that need more than a few hours of help a week to truly execute their digital marketing vision. Maybe they are looking to set up a new or revamped website and establish a strong social media presence. They might also be interested in getting their CRM set up in connection with their website, email, and social accounts. In any case, the work is more substantial, but may not encompass their entire digital marketing strategy.

Digital agencies can always do more when given more agency to do the jobs their hired for, so there’s a lot more wiggle room in this scenario to do cool things with your digital marketing. When starting to tie together all the various aspects of a digital marketing strategy, you can bring in more data. Data is the ultimate tool in a digital marketer’s toolbox, and it can help drive better future campaigns.

In this situation, budget, oversight approval, and alternative resources may keep a business from outsourcing their entire digital marketing department, but allow them to use an agency’s expertise for a large chunk of their digital marketing goals.

GIVE ME THE EASY BUTTON

Here’s where things get fun! We’ll come right out and say it: hiring the digital marketing wizards that are necessary to build out a full team of experts isn’t a cheap endeavor. That’s why big corporations have entire corporate marketing teams: they have the authority and the budget.

For smaller businesses who don’t have international-sized budgets but are looking for savvy individuals who can execute a robust digital marketing strategy, outsourcing to a digital marketing agency is the best step forward. For what could be a fraction of the cost of hiring a full team in-house, you can work with a digital marketing agency to cultivate a full spectrum marketing strategy.

Email marketing? Check.

Building a website? Check.

Social media, paid online ads, workflows, CRM buildout, video content, chat bots? The list can be endless, as long as the agency has the capacity/capability to do the work.

We mentioned that data is the key driver in building effective and better digital marketing campaigns over time. The best way to accumulate the data that’s necessary to do this is by creating a connected digital marketing ecosystem, where your CRM tracks information from email clicked to facebook posts shared to chatbot logs from your business’s website. You can assign organic leads to your sales team to follow up with while knowing that your workflows will help convert leads to customers on the backend as well.

We call it “The Easy Button Approach” aka the Do It for Me Option. It’s a great way to get excellent results from your digital marketing campaigns without needing to do the work yourself.

FINDING THE RIGHT DIGITAL MARKETING AGENCY

This is the topic of an entirely separate blog post, but at the most base level, you're looking for a team that you can effectively (and happily!) work with while they can provide you with the services you are looking for. If you're needing an email marketing specialist, who cares if they are really great at Google Adwords? And if you're looking for someone to be your social media community manager, you'll want to work with an agency that has strong case studies demonstrating that they've done that exact role successfully in the past.

Budget, availability, and capabilities are all important pieces in finding the right team to work with. Asking your network for referrals is also an excellent place to start!

You can also always reach out to us to learn more!

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