If you’ve been thinking about bringing on a marketing resource but aren’t sure whether you should outsource or hire an internal marketer, you’re certainly not alone.
After decades of relative constancy, the digital revolution that brought us Facebook and the iPhone changed the marketing landscape irrevocably. While it’s now clear to most business owners that the new way people consume information necessitates a concerted, modern approach to marketing, it’s not as easy to determine the most cost-effective way to undertake their own efforts.
The sheer number of marketing channels available today is strongly influencing how business owners structure their marketing resources. New marketing tactics brought about by the digital boom did not simply replace traditional tactics like mailers, industry events, and media buys; they were added to the list of must-have marketing tactics a company should know in order to stay competitive. Now, a comprehensive marketing effort spans dozens of channels, tactics, and campaigns. There have never been so many ways to reach consumers accessible to businesses of all sizes – an exciting, and intimidating, prospect.
Even more daunting: as if trying to develop expertise in so many marketing channels wasn’t a large enough task for today’s marketers, these technologies have been changing almost continuously since their inception. In 2017 alone, there were seven major updates to the Facebook advertising platform. Constant monitoring and optimization is required of many such channels, and a set-it-and-forget-it approach just won’t do in today’s hyper-competitive marketing climate.
What has become abundantly clear is that while one person may have been able to operate a sophisticated, 360 degree marketing plan in the past, it’s simply no longer feasible for even the most talented marketer to do so in today’s marketing environment. As more businesses recognize this truth, they are turning to outsourced marketing teams for the many advantages they provide in cost, efficacy, and more. In fact, a recent marketing survey found that 53% of marketing executives were planning on outsourcing at least a portion of their firm’s marketing function.
Read on for more regarding the advantages of outsourcing your marketing versus hiring internally.