For many brands, especially start-ups that are experiencing growth and expansion, one of the biggest decisions to make involves outsourcing. When is it the right time to outsource digital marketing to a specialist agency? Is it even the right decision for your brand to use an external online marketing agency, or should you set up an in-house department instead?
If you notice any of the following warning signs, this means that you need to make a change – and outsourcing could be the right step:
- There is never any time for strategy
If your team are bogged down in the day to day cycle of tasks, from posting content to firing out emails, this leaves no time to think about the bigger picture. Strategy is extremely important in developing and achieving goals, making tangible progress and moving forward. Outsourcing could give you the expertise and that all-important breathing room to develop innovative, effective strategies. This Smart Insights guide has some very useful insights into why digital marketing strategy is so important.
- You aren’t analysing any data
This is another crucial part of effective online marketing, as it allows you to gain an incredibly useful insight into your customers and their behaviour, as well as which of your campaigns and techniques is working and which you shouldn’t waste any more time on. However, in the rush to complete everyday tasks, analytics often falls by the wayside. Businesses also struggle with the required skill sets, with research last year finding that 40% of brands felt that a lack of analytics and data science skills was holding them back.
- You don’t have any specialists
Many small and start-up companies fall into the trap of having one person do a little of everything, without anyone specialising in any particular area. This ‘needs must’ approach is fine in the early days, but digital marketing requires focus, commitment and a certain set of skills. If one person is running around trying to cover many departments, marketing can become an afterthought. If you don’t have the budget to hire a specialist, outsourcing could be the answer.
- You struggle with social media
Brands can find social media marketing difficult. On the one hand, it’s free, fun and a great way to engage with customers and promote your business. However, it’s also an extreme time drain if you aren’t careful. Executing an effective social media campaign that brings in tangible gains is no easy feat. It’s also very easy to strike the wrong tone or make a major gaffe if you lack experience or simply aren’t suited to using it. To make the best use of your budget, time and resources, it could be worth hiring a specialist or outsourcing.
If you need help with any part of online marketing for your brand, from developing a strategy to running social media campaigns, please feel free to contact the team here at Ambos Digital.
