7 Reasons Why Inbound Marketing isn’t Working
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Everyone says it’s more efficient to simply outsource your digital marketing than keep an in-house team. They have all the pros and cons ready for both options, but here’s why this article is not one of those articles. This one will be a little different.
We think in-house marketing teams are great! They are always updated with the latest company news and can find information much more quickly than any marketing agency you might outsource from. But it doesn’t mean that companies who already have in-house teams don’t need to outsource. If only everything was as simple as that!
Whether you have your own insider team or you are just starting to invest in marketing (in which case, where have you been all this time?!), here are 6 practical reasons you should find extra help with digital.
1. It’s Cheaper … Really Really Cheaper
Starting with the most obvious one, I know! The reason why this is the #1 reason on our list is that budgets determine if you can afford it or not. To give you a better idea about what it can cost, you will be able to outsource an entire inbound marketing department for the cost of ONE qualified on-staff marketing professional.
We’ll give you time to process that a little. Picture this: one person sitting in your office, taking care of the content strategy, website maintenance, social media, SEO, email marketing, landing pages, sales support, PR, and reporting. Web design and maintenance are not included. Now imagine the same amount of work being done by an entire team. Now, compare the costs, the scope, and the quality of having one person vs. an entire team. There, now you know why I used the word “cheap” instead of “affordable.”
Remember, that cheap doesn’t always equal bad quality. The organization of work and resources at digital marketing companies allow their teams to handle multiple projects, make sure each task is done by a professional, and meet all the deadlines. Interestingly, the cheaper option includes higher quality.
2. You’ll Have a Competitive Digital Marketing Strategy
I’ll tell you a secret. A big part of executing a successful marketing campaign is being aware of the trends and changing consumer behaviors at all times. Outdated SEO tactics can harm your website once and for all, and cliché email subjects might condemn your domain to the spam folder.
Digital marketing agencies usually don’t base their strategies on random blog posts published on random websites. We prefer reports (like the State of Inbound report by HubSpot, you should take a look at it!), case studies, and articles published on reputable websites only, and yes, we do have our own sources.
This is why our strategies don’t change overnight, we keep our campaigns consistent, and experiment only with tactics and specific tasks. A collaboration between your Marketing Director and a digital marketing agency can be the most effective you’ve had for a while. Combining big data and experience (contributed by the marketing agency) with in-depth knowledge of the industry and the client company itself (contributed by your Marketing Director) can create targeting that humankind hasn’t seen before … or maybe your readers haven’t experienced before.
3. A Chance to Expand Your Marketing Anytime
Businesses usually don’t grow overnight, but when major growth happens, your marketing department should also be expanded. Now, if you’re relying on an in-house marketing team, expansion for you will mean new hires.
This is perhaps one of the most practical reasons listed here. You can add and remove additional services (like a website re-designed, more campaigns, more content) anytime your company needs. In this scenario, your Marketing Director will perform as the coordinator of the operations and your marketing company as the service provider.
Companies that hold events (seminars, expos, trainings, product launches) enjoy this benefit the most, as the amount of content and social media involvement needed during events or new product launches is much larger than on an average sunny Wednesday.
4. Minimal Management & HR
Many companies are on the right track, with a clear strategy and plan of execution, but sometimes manpower is what’s missing. This is especially true for companies using the inbound methodology; after making the initial commitment some of you might realize that maintaining the strategy with the amount of content you planned is not an easy task after all. You don’t want to minimize the quality to gain more quantity, but the load is too much for your team to handle.
Whether you realized it after opting-in to HubSpot’s marketing automation platform or presenting the plan for growth to your supervisor, the solution is all the same.
A digital marketing agency still requires some coordination, but as they already have their internal structure and management all set up, your Marketing Director needs the information of only two people: their primary contact, who is usually their Account Manager, and a Plan B contact person, when your Account Manager is not available.
Most of the agencies who offer inbound marketing display a very serious approach towards team training; they have to make sure that their team can write, communicate effectively, be creative, and show results. This ensures that you don’t have to train your people to write good content.
And the best part is … your digital marketing agency will always want to deliver great results for you, because in case you feel like you’re being cheated, you can always leave the partnership.
5. Established Processes
Digital marketing companies who have been in the business for a while have already established time-saving marketing processes. While your team is testing a new tactic for a month, an agency next door already has a clear processing procedure for it. And it takes them less time to evaluate the results, especially if they are using marketing automation.
Although it might seem to be a tiny detail that you can handle (and you really can!), it will take time and management to achieve it. Sometimes it’s just easier to use the service that is quicker and has an experience background.
6. A Fully-Equipped Team
To kick start your digital marketing plan you’ll need to start with a website design or re-design. To ensure your users can use it, you will need a developer to take care of the functionality. You will need someone (or a few people) to develop content, then distribute it on social media, optimize them for search engines, manage your contacts and send out regular Email newsletters. Overall, here’s the average team you can get by working with a digital marketing agency:
- Developer
- Web & graphic designer
- Marketer
- Copywriter/ content writer
- SEO expert
- Advertising expert (which can be your marketer)
Six team members, instead of one.
Do you now agree that it is very practical to outsource your digital marketing? Wait, don’t rush into signing contracts! We can’t let you go without recommending to do a thorough research on the company you’ve shortlisted before you give them your signature, especially if this is your first time. It will help you avoid disappointments and wasted resources in the future.
By the way, if you’re having trouble selling a high-end product or service, you can read our brand new ebook on luxury marketing before you even contact us. Get your free copy below!