Marketing outsourcing, advantages and disadvantages
Outsourcing marketing means entrusting the responsibility for (part of) the marketing externally. For example, having an external party take over the entire ‘online’ section or engaging a PR agency. There are various reasons to do this, such as bringing in more expertise or capacity. What are the advantages and disadvantages?
The benefits of marketing outsourcing
Getting things done – Many companies have limited experience with certain marketing activities. This isn’t a problem in itself, but it often paralyzes action because people are ‘afraid’ of making mistakes. By ‘buying in’ knowledge and experience, your organization gains the confidence to make strides and get things done.
Adding knowledge and experience – But where do you start? And how does that work exactly? What challenges will we face? Legitimate questions, but also ones that are easily solved by involving someone with knowledge and experience. Your organization gets to learn the ropes, and you can rely on results.
A fresh perspective – If you do what you always did, you get what you always got. We often talk about the ‘blinders’ that people naturally wear when they’ve been active within an organization for a long time. They simply don’t see the opportunities anymore! Someone with a fresh perspective can give everything a huge boost.
Accountability – An external party also keeps you sharp! They need to deliver results and need you for that. So, don’t be surprised if they start nudging you, asking why things are getting delayed.
The drawbacks of marketing outsourcing
Employees are brand ambassadors – In our positioning projects, we always build on the organization’s own strength, including marketing. Your most important representatives are, of course, your employees. Employees are your brand, hence ‘brand ambassadors.’ Marketing outsourcing should also aim to make your people ‘wiser’ and eventually able to do it themselves.
It costs money – Outsourcing marketing obviously costs money, but in practice, it’s much less than hiring a good marketer. And then there’s the question of whether you can attract the best marketers at all. Besides, marketing has only one goal: to increase sales. So, you shouldn’t wonder about the cost, but what it will bring you in return.
There’s a ramp-up period – The organization and an external partner need to understand each other to achieve optimal collaboration. After a few weeks of intensive collaboration, both parties can read each other’s minds, and many things don’t even need to be said anymore. But this is an investment you have to make.
You’re paying someone to tell you you’re doing it wrong. And you have to be able to handle that – The flip side of the ‘fresh perspective’ benefit is that if you bring in someone from the outside, they won’t mince words: What are you doing right, and what not? You must be open to improvement and able to accept that someone else has more experience or knowledge, even if it doesn’t come from your company. Trust is the foundation of successful outsourcing.
In practice, marketing outsourcing works very well. Companies bring in high-quality expertise without losing focus on their core business, and this often quickly bears fruit.
Merkelijkheid has worked with a number of companies that have entrusted their marketing to us, with great results! Within a few weeks, we’re hard at work, and the first notable results are a fact. Above all, the positive energy is important; marketing suddenly becomes fun again, and even sales see its value. Curious about what we can do for you? We’d love to tell you more.
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