Is Your Business Ready to Outsource Marketing? Insights from almost 10 years in business.
Celebrating 8 1/2 years in business is a remarkable achievement, and I’m thrilled to share some insights gained during this journey. As a business owner, one of the significant lessons learned is that not every client is immediately ready to take the leap to outsource marketing efforts. It’s a substantial decision, particularly for small business owners deeply connected to their brands. This decision requires both courage and trust. Continue reading for ideas on when you might be ready to outsource marketing
Are You Ready to Outsource Marketing?
When contemplating outsourcing digital marketing, several barriers need careful consideration:
First, do you have a crystal clear brand message?
- Do you truly understand your brand’s message well enough to teach it to someone else? Consistency is key, and if your brand message is ever-evolving or unclear, it becomes challenging to effectively convey it to an external party. My tip is to start with the most pertinent part of your business. Your digital marketing journey can change over time, but you need to start where you feel the most confident and comfortable when considering outsourcing marketing.
Next, have you considered your budget?
- Establishing a marketing budget is crucial. Determine if there is room within your budget to allocate funds to outsource marketing, especially social media efforts. It’s essential not to rely solely on the expectation that marketing will generate immediate returns. Most commonly, the purpose of social media marketing is to generate brand awareness and word-of-mouth marketing. It can be difficult to measure ROI on social media alone so taking time to set up KPIs can help you be sure that you’re spending your marketing budget appropriately. My tip is to set attainable follower goals OR link click goals. Having a website set up to collect data is also a great way to indicate budget regeneration.
Lastly, and possibly most importantly, are you ready to let go of control and trust the process?
- Can you accept that someone else might not replicate your voice and tone exactly? While good digital marketers strive to understand your brand, complete replication is impossible. Letting go of some control is necessary when outsourcing your marketing. This goes hand in hand with having a crystal clear brand message. Who knows, maybe an adjustment in tone or voice may speak to your audience even better than you can. We know it’s hard to be your own cheerleader so taking the pressure off of yourself to toot your own horn can be a relief for a lot of people. Our tip is to set a time frame within your contract that you are going to completely step away from posting on your social media and see what happens. If something is completely out of line, let the person know so they can learn what is ok and not ok to state.
In essence, not every client is ready to outsource marketing, and that’s perfectly fine. Recognizing where your business stands is so important. For those not quite ready, there are valuable training opportunities. This year, we are very excited to be partnering with The Medina County Women’s Journal once again to conduct a cost-effective social media workshop loaded with actionable information. Additionally, we offer in-house one-on-one training and consulting. We’re more than willing to understand your organization’s dynamics and teach you how to leverage your social media effectively.
If you feel ready to outsource marketing and are prepared to offload the daily digital marketing and social media responsibilities, we’re here to help ease your workload. If you’re contemplating letting go of the social media grind, let’s have a chat to explore how we can assist you in making this a smooth transition for your business.
