Thinking about your 2018 marketing plan and wondering how you’re going to get it all done? It’s time to consider outsourcing.
Outsourcing isn’t new. In fact, it’s a growing trend! There are many financial benefits to outsourcing. Over the years, the Origin Smart Marketing team has walked alongside many clients to provide marketing services and help them achieve their growth goals. The OSM team has been an important part of our client’s businesses. If you’re on the fence about bringing in an outside team, these thoughts may shed some light on why you should.
There is a common theme that runs through business strategy and growth books such as Good to Great and Traction: Develop a strong team made up of the right people.
“Those who build great companies understand that the ultimate throttle on growth for any great company is not markets, or technology, or competition, or products,” explains James C. Collins in Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap . . . and Others Don’t. “It is one thing above all others: the ability to get and keep enough of the right people.”
Gino Wickman, author of Traction, also weighs in on having the right people in the right seats. “Clarify your vision and you will make better decisions about people, processes, finances, strategies, and customers. Developing strategic outsourced partners allows you to put the right people in the right seats and add to your team today!
Outsourcing is affordable.
Any marketing plan requires an investment to be successful, whether that’s time, money, or both. If you are spending your time on marketing projects, then you’re not spending it on high-value tasks such as meeting prospects, improving your product, or managing your team. If you ask an existing employee to do it, the same applies, plus you’ll likely have to pay them more. On the other hand, investing in an outsourced marketing partnership frees up your time and doesn’t put more pressure on your already busy employees. You also get a crack team of marketing experts without paying salary and benefits for additional part-time or full-time employees.
Outsourcing helps uncover opportunities.
You are an expert in your business. But good marketing often requires an objective view. “Great vision without great people is irrelevant,” says Collins. Marketing pros like the Origin Solutionistas may not know your business intimately (yet!), but that distance allows us to see where you’re doing a great job explaining to your audience what you do and where that message could use some tweaking.
We like to write and design!
And we do it for a living, which means we’re good and we’re fast. We also experts on the cutting-edge technologies to create and manage your content, web design, and graphic design. We’re not saying you shouldn’t be creative (what would life be like without creativity?). But when it comes to your business, are your hours better spent designing a sales sheet or closing deals with prospects? Wickman talks a lot about having the right people in the right seats. You’re the right person, but handling your business’s marketing may not be the right seat for you.
Suzie/Jeff/Rebecca/Charlie the office manager really doesn’t want to manage your marketing, too.
How full are their plates already? Are you willing to cut back on what you’re already asking them to do to make room for daily or weekly marketing tasks? Do they have any expertise in writing a blog post, putting together an eNewsletter, or web development? If the answer to any of these questions is “No,” you need to reconsider. Asking an employee with no experience or expertise to handle your marketing is like the pilot of a 747 asking me—sitting in coach—to fly the plane.
And ditto our previous comment about the right people in the right seats. If marketing is important to growing your business (which we hope you know it is!), then you need experts who are passionate and experienced at the helm. Otherwise, you’re wasting time, money, and could be hurting you brand.
PS: Neither does your college kid!
Ditto what we said above. Hiring your son or daughter who’s constantly on their phone to handle your social media may seem like a great idea. But they already have a full-time job: being a student. Plus, they’ve never represented a brand or business online. When businesses make a faux pas on social media, it often goes viral, and not in a good way. A single misstep or inappropriate social post could do major damage to your business’s reputation.
We hope we opened your eyes to the opportunities outsourcing can offer your business and why you should consider working with an outsourced marketing partner like Origin Smart Marketing. We’re passionate about helping our clients grow their business while saving time and money. Want to learn more? Contact the Origin team today.
