Outsource marketing:
Many businesses believe they only have two choices when it comes to marketing — establish an internal department or contract specific services with a full-service marketing agency. There is a third option worth exploring. Strategic outsource marketing provides the commitment of an internal resource and the capabilities of a full-service agency without the operating costs of either.
Comparing options
If your firm hires a VP-level marketing executive, you can expect to pay upwards of $175,000 in salary and benefits just to start. While your new VP may be able to develop a marketing strategy, your firm will still have to allocate a considerable budget outsourcing projects to creative agencies for tactical execution.
Outsourcing services to a typical full-service agency means you pay for all of their services – even if you don’t use them. Operating costs for every department must be absorbed by all the clients.
A strategic outsource marketing agency combines the best of both worlds. A dedicated project manager works with you to develop a marketing strategy designed specifically to meet your company’s needs. The strategic outsourcing firm then provides your technology company with a full array of marketing expertise under one umbrella to bring your message to an increasingly demanding and hard-to-reach audience.
The key distinction with a strategic outsourcing firm is that you only pay for what you need, when you need it!
Strategic outsource marketing benefits
Scalable budgets
The first and most critical benefit of strategic marketing outsourcing is a company pays only for the services used for the length of time needed. The marketing team assigned to your firm can be scaled to suit projects of any size and scope.
With an in-house team, you have consistent expenses. With an outsourced marketing department, you only pay for resources when you need them.
Breadth of services
Marketing tactics and supporting technologies are changing at lightning speed. Outsource marketing provides access to a team with expertise in every marketing discipline. A quality “turn-key” marketing firm can provide specialists in all marketing disciplines as well as vertical industry experts.
Views from the outside
While an outsourced marketing department takes the time to intimately learn your products, technologies, and customers, its team members do not have years of ingrained company culture. Firm members are not afraid of suggesting radical ideas. Because marketing team members may work on several outsource teams, they often have fresh and objective viewpoints to share.
“Ins” in the industry
From knowledge of online printers with two-day turnaround to friendships with editors, outsource marketing firms bring industry know-how to your firm. Marketing firms have day-to-day contact and partnerships with direct mail list firms, printers, journalists, reporters, and more. And we often find uncanny overlaps between a product of one client and the service of another.
Time to focus on your core competencies
By outsourcing the marketing function, your internal team will have more time to spend on what you do best: product innovation, customer service, and quality control.
Why strategic outsourced marketing makes sense for technology firms
With its attractive advantages, marketing outsourcing might be assumed to be a logical choice for nearly every company looking to grow its business. But certain key characteristics of technology firms make strategic outsource marketing extremely attractive.
Technology firms must focus on their intellectual property and product lifecycles, and often cannot focus on the latest in marketing tactics. Staying smart in today’s volatile business environment requires access to resources well-versed in current practices across all marketing disciplines. Outsourcing the marketing function lets key executives in the firm focus on the core competencies instead of trying to keep up on the latest marketing strategies.
Consider strategic outsource marketing for your company today
Companies that outsource their marketing department can focus on core competencies while a seasoned team of experts handles marketing. Marketing quality and ROI improves across the board as the entire function becomes driven by objectives, strategies, a marketing plan, and budget.
For more information on the benefits of marketing outsourcing, or to arrange a marketing assessment meeting, contact us online or call us at 877-887-7611.
