A lot of small businesses start out by handling any ‘marketing’ themselves. As they grow, they may ‘gift’ the task to a younger team member. They may even dabble with freelance marketing managers. All those options can be perfect for a business, but at what point should you consider outsourcing?  

Let’s go back to basics…  

Do I need to be marketing my business?

First and foremost, marketing helps generate income for your business. No matter how awesome you think your product or service may be, you still need to inform people about it and influence their decision-making. While you won’t see instant income generation, the long-term effects are undeniable and can give you an edge over your competition. 

But, for marketing to be effective, it needs to be innovative and engaging. While you may be capable of taking photos, creating graphics and posting regularly, there’s far more to marketing than that.  

Outsourced marketing agencies VS freelance marketing managers 

The positive effects of marketing take time and the landscape is ever changing. Outsourcing to an agency connects you to a whole team of people who have their own skillsets, experience and creativity. At Naturally Social, we have 7 team members who specialise in a variety of marketing skills; and we make it our job to stay ahead of the curve.  

It may seem more cost-effective to have one marketing freelancer, but they could represent a single point of failure. They may struggle with the following:

• Staying up to date with learning and development
• Only work set hours
• Struggle to manage all their tasks and clients; a team like ours means we all know the client and if someone has time off, we’ve got them covered! 

Outsourced marketing agencies VS in-house marketing 

So you might not be using a freelance marketing manager, and instead, you’ve got a full in-house marketing team. You might then be wondering why it matters if your marketing is carried out by people outside of your organisation. Surely your internal team has a better grasp on the nuances of your business? Well, it’s an agency’s job to fully understand your company and tell that story to potential clients. If an agency can’t grasp who you are and what you do, chances are your target audience can’t either. These professionals can offer an outsider’s perspective of your business and bring new, exciting ideas and strategies to the table. 

Maintaining a salaried in-house marketing team can also be expensive, and depending on your marketing requirements, often unnecessary. The cost of in-house team members goes further than just salary. You also need to consider the cost of training, HR and any additional benefits you give your employees. Chances are, the amount you pay for one in-house marketing manager, will get you 7 skilled marketers in an agency.