by Nkemdilim Uwaje-Begho
Digital marketing is entirely a world of its own and a digital marketing revolution is taking over the world! It is almost impossible to know every element as it comprises numerous features, limitless possibilities and ever changing features. It is a challenging task to have mastery of the subject when it is not a core business focus.
To be competitive, investing in a well-planned digital marketing plan is a clever decision for your company and you should either outsource partially or completely to a digital marketing agency. In this article, we will highlight 7 reasons why:
Experience and Expertise
Typically an effective digital marketing team would be comprised of experts in strategy, marketing, content, design, branding, lead generation, ad campaign managers, development and more with the right experience across multiple industries. When you outsource, you hire the best in the field to aid you and your company in the digital marketing plan that you have devised for the best outcomes. Experts in multiple marketing disciplines are at your beck and call. A plethora of inputs received from these resources will be consistent and have tremendous value, which might be a major issue with an internal marketing team.
Good agencies also have access to special tools and software which gives them the benefit of fast and accurate research, analysis and strategy, less repetitive activities, faster implementation, optimum ROI and faster achievement of business goals. Plus, these applications require a considerable amount of investment. By outsourcing, your costs are saved instantly and you get access to an integrated, technology-rich set of marketing applications.
Innovation
The team members in an agency constantly research and brainstorm ideas to enhance digital marketing results and improve their brand image in the market. Well acquainted with and experienced in the digital field, their minds are always brimming with fresh ideas to provide innovative, creative and new solutions. You cannot afford the time it takes to create an in-house team of digital marketing professionals comprising strategist, researcher, analyst, SEO expert, campaign experts, content writer. Scaling businesses should find an agency that takes up the job of creating an online strategy and execute it in a way that gives your business an immediate edge over its top competitors.
Free from daily operations
Agencies have a balanced structure. The various departments consist of strategists, copywriters, graphic designers, illustrators, content writers, web designers etc. There’s an equal distribution of work between the employees who do the work allotted to them within a set deadline. Running a successful digital marketing plan requires a skilled group of people to strategize a plan, only after which implementation of it occurs.
We are in the era of outsourcing. Growing businesses are increasingly opting for outsourcing non-core activities to third parties. The focus on outsourcing is based upon the simple fact that it is not possible to be competitive in non-core activities and it is therefore advisable to hand over such activities to the third parties.
The digital marketing process is not the core area of your business and outsourcing it is a tactical and beneficial decision. You and your company will not be bogged down by the trivial issues and can concentrate on the central aspect of your business.
Availability of options
In order to achieve results with digital marketing, all functions involved must work together to achieve business goals. The functions being, a good digital strategy, creative design, quality content production, analytics, inbound marketing, search marketing, content marketing, social media, digital media buying, ad campaign management and more.
One option is to partially outsource digital marketing. For instance, you may decide to keep the strategy part of digital marketing in-house and outsource other components. Another option could be that you outsource strategy, content production and social media marketing, and manage other components in-house. Hybrid models are possible and many are already doing it. Evaluate your strengths and weaknesses, then you can decide what to outsource and what to manage in-house.
Changes in the profit of your company will instantly affect your marketing plan. The costs of expansion and contraction of digital marketing functions can be very expensive when done internally. Outsourcing will avoid this as most agencies charge according to project and the option of scaling up and down your marketing plan is always available.
Maintenance and development
Good agencies will do anything in their power to bring a business into prominence, as the success of their clients adds to the success of the agency itself. The reputation of an agency depends on the amount of success their clients have achieved. The work of agencies does not stop after the creation of a website, social media channels or a strategy. They are in charge of the further maintenance and development of the website and its respective content. Thus ensuring that the stability and innovation of the content created is maintained.
Transparency in review, analysis and reporting
A good agency has systems in place to monitor time lines and deliverables. They also continually review the digital strategy to further optimize the results. A digital marketing agency by virtue of its core business keeps itself informed of the latest technology, trends, industry updates and case studies. Working with clients from a wide range of industries with different visions and goals, they are equipped with better insights to know what combinations of digital channels will best suit your business type. They will also be prepared for possible risks with mitigation plans.
Improving ROI trend is necessary for an agency to retain a client. This is why agencies go the extra mile to maintain transparency with the client. The client is able to see the quantum of their investment and the channels where it is being deployed. This also enables the client to track ROI trends of different digital channels and status of the overall business goals.
Full service innovation, marketing and communications
To increase traffic, brand awareness, customer engagement and sales, your company needs to be active in multiple digital marketing and advertising platforms. An integrated multi-channel digital marketing and communications strategy is what brands look at. If you plan to start digital marketing with a fully exhaustive approach and manage it in-house, you will have to build a big team.
Alternatively, outsourcing to a full-service digital marketing agency could be an option. Can you set up an in-house digital marketing team? Do you already have one? Setting up and managing a full digital marketing department involves time and money. You will need experts in strategy, content, design, branding, lead generation, ad campaign managers, development and more with the right experience.
Digital marketing is very dynamic. For success in the digital world, it’s crucial that marketers stay on top of emerging trends, best practices, and new technologies. If you manage digital marketing in-house, training and development will also consume resources. Alternatively, if you outsource, you save on training and development costs. To make the most of digital marketing opportunities and grow your business, outsourcing to a digital marketing agency seems like a really good idea.
Nkemdilim Uwaje Begho is a seasoned Information Technology professional with over 15 years of industry experience in Africa’s largest emerging economy with a deep purpose and focus on bridging the digital divide and transforming Africa by harnessing the benefits of digital. At home in technology from childhood, Nkemdilim is walking in her fathers’ footsteps as a second-generation Nigerian Information Technology expert. Currently CEO of Future Software Resources Ltd. (Futuresoft), one of Nigeria’s leading digital & technology solutions companies, providing a broad range of solutions for the scaling African enterprise, to consistently attract and retain its target audience, optimize its processes and increase its bottom line.
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