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In-House vs. Agency: When Should You Outsource Your Marketing?

by Brian Colling - October 29, 2019

12 Reasons to Outsource Your Marketing

A company can quickly outgrow its internal marketing capacity. If you find yourself struggling to keep up with marketing campaigns, or just don’t seem to be getting the results you expect, you should consider getting outside help. Advertising agencies are able to create complete strategies for your company from the ground up, helping it grow. What are some signs it’s time to outsource your marketing needs?

You Find Your Sales Dropping

Every business gets a small boost when it first starts. People are excited to learn about a new business, and they’re interested in trying it out. But as the “freshness” wanes, it becomes more difficult to keep the business growing. Your marketing needs to be able to draw new people in. If you’ve found your sales dropping and you aren’t sure why — marketing is likely the culprit.

Advertising agencies reinvigorate your marketing campaigns and help you reach out to your audience. You can connect with previous and current customers, and expand your customer base — both enhance your company’s stability and growth. 

You Can No Longer Keep Track of Your Social Media Accounts

Are things slipping past you? Are messages going unanswered? Are events going unadvertised? When you can no longer give your social media accounts the attention they need, it’s likely you need to consider outsourcing. Some businesses today don’t even have social media accounts, out of fear they won’t have time to manage them. Social media business accounts are no longer optional.

A substantial amount of traffic can be had simply by engaging followers through social media. Advertising agencies help get your social media channels humming again.

Your Business Has Grown Tremendously

If your business has expanded rapidly, it may be time to stop doing things in-house. There’s an opportunity cost involved with a growing business. The time you’re spending on advertising tasks means less time running your business. It may no longer be “worth it” for your company to continue handling its own advertising. Look at the budget and see what you could be spending on an agency instead. 

You’re Spending Too Much Time on Social Media

If it seems as though you’re spending more time on your social media than on your business, it’s time to outsource. An advertising agency will be able to do what they do best, while you’ll be able to concentrate on growing your company. 

Social media can quickly become a tremendous time sink. It’s easy to spend hours simply responding to messages. If you’re trying to build a following for your business, you may be spending all your time on it — only to be frustrated when you don’t see direct results.

Through a combination of advanced tools and experience, advertising specialists are able to accomplish the same tasks on social media even faster. Through their reports and analysis, they’re also able to focus on the areas of social media that make the most difference. 

Your Marketing Isn’t Getting the Results You Want

Maybe you’re spending money on advertising but it’s not bringing in new customers. Advertising is an art and a science, and sometimes counterintuitive. It may not be anything wrong with your advertising strategy. Your business may operate in a particularly challenging market, or reach out to a challenging demographic. Experts who create advertising campaigns every day may just be what your business needs to get back on track.

You Feel Yourself Losing Control Over Your Brand

What does your company stand for? What is your mission statement? What are your company culture and its values? An advertising company doesn’t just create marketing strategies for you; it also helps form your company’s brand.  If you aren’t able to retain control of your brand, you will find yourself losing control over your company.

You’re Interested in Expanding Your Business

If you’re launching a new product, service, or location, it’s time to up your marketing efforts. Expansion is the perfect time to drum up additional interest. Promoting new products and services takes a lot of work, and it’s often impossible to do this while you’re focusing on business operations.

Your Business is Getting Negative Reviews

Third-party review sites like Yelp have become a critical part of the advertising process. If you’re getting negative reviews and are able to address them quickly, you may need an advertising company to perform some fast reputation management. Most customers today look up a business and its reviews online before engaging. Negative reviews make it difficult for acquiring new customers.

You Hate Doing Your Businesses’ Advertising

Some business owners just hate advertising, hate having to promote themselves, and hate having to “sell” themselves. Not sure what to promote in your newsletter, unsure of what images to use, or not comfortable writing copy? Agencies have professionals with experience and expertise for completing these kinds of tasks. 

Your Business Doesn’t Rank in SEO

When you search for your products and services, is your company the first one listed? Or are there other companies shown before yours? People are looking for your business online. People want to find things through smartphones and other devices. Customers are less find your business if you aren’t ranking in searches. Search engine optimization (SEO) is a complex and constantly changing marketing tactic. Advertising agencies stay on top of SEO changes and work with companies to improve search rankings.

Your Company Branding Is Dated

Do your logo, tagline, and other branding elements not resonate with the current generation? Are you concerned that it may be too old and antiquated? It may be time to make some adjustments. Every company, even large companies such as Coca-Cola, needs to re-brand at intervals to remain fresh and relevant. A professional service will be able to find the brand that will really connect with the newer generations, while still not losing your current audience. 

You’re Ready to Expand Your Marketing

An outsourced advertising agency can save you both time and money. As your business scales upwards, it becomes impossible to take charge of your advertising while also running your business. Advertising brings in dollars: it has a positive ROI. The more advertising you do, the more you’ll be able to bring new customers in to enjoy your products.

Contact Colling Media for more on how to help your businesses grow by outsourcing marketing services.

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