Is an outsourced marketing solution for you? If either of the following scenarios sounds familiar, the short answer is definitely yes.
We often see two different situations playing out when working with organizations. The first is often witnessed in the nonprofit space or executed by small business ventures that only have a handful of employees. We call it the “all hands on deck” approach. An organization’s situation may look something like Sally from accounting is also the social media manager; Jeremiah from sales dabbles in websites and manages the organization’s Wix account; Sarah, the Executive Director, labors intensely over the monthly newsletter; and so on down the line…
The second situation is frequently found in the slightly larger organizations and/or enterprises that have room in their budget for one or two dedicated marketing personnel. In this scenario, one employee typically “manages” the efforts, while a the same time, the second is a specialist in one of many marketing domains. We call this the “jack of all trades” approach: there is an expectation that the combined talent can cover web development, email marketing, social media management, video promotions, SEO, advertising, graphic design, content creation, photography, podcasting, and all of the other aspects of a robust marketing strategy.
It does not take a Harvard MBA to see the challenges with each of these approaches. In the first one, the job is essentially handed off with the hopes that latent talent or interest will be sufficient to earn public trust and develop a strong brand. In the second approach, the hope is that the team can cover all of the bases just well enough to keep the plates spinning.
Neither of these options tends to work fully, so, what is the solution? Outsourced marketing.
What is an Outsourced Marketing Solution?
Just like it sounds, an outsourced marketing solution is where an organization partners with a full-service marketing agency that essentially becomes the marketing department. While on the face it may seem that this solution could be cost-prohibitive or more complicated, that could not be farther from the truth.
The cost of an outsourced marketing solution depends significantly on organizational needs. At the lower end, for basic social media management, light graphic design, fresh content creation, and strategic directives, the price tag can range from $900 – $2000 / month. Obviously, more extensive packages can increase from there. Let’s break these costs down a bit considering the previously mentioned scenarios.
In the “all hands on deck approach,” assume that 15-20% of each personnel’s time is devoted to their marketing role. Suppose the accountant, the sales rep, and the executive director’s salaries were even in the low range of $50K. You are looking at a loss of $7500 – $10K in time for each of them. Plus, as their positions are not meant to be marketing focused, they are likely missing out on some of the major trends, current research, and efficiencies that professionals would bring to the table. So, there is substantial cost savings and higher quality measures with an outsourced solution even at the high range of a low outsourced marketing solution ($24K).
For the “jack-of-all-trades” approach, assume the personnel is an entry-level marketer with a $32K salary and benefits (+$10K). Well, the numbers speak for themselves here, not to mention the experience that comes with working with an agency. Developing and maintaining an internal marketing department can be extremely expensive. Ranging from providing tech, software, and resources, to the hidden costs of hiring, retaining, and engaging employees, and not to mention lapses in coverage for vacation or sick days… These all cost money and time. In contrast, outsourcing to an agency resolves each of these challenges.
Now that you know what Outsourced Marketing IS, what steps does your organization need to take to apply it? Come back for part 2 on How to Implement Outsourced Marketing and Optimize Your Marketing Budget!
For all your marketing, training, and development needs, contact Coeus Creative Group today!