The Pros and Cons of Outsourcing Your Online Marketing
Author: admin | Filed under: GeneralWhat to consider when starting your own small business
Outsourcing your online marketing activities can be a great way to save time when starting a small business. Read on below to find out some of the main pros and cons of outsourcing various aspects of your small business online marketing.
- Web design
A professional online presence is a must for the majority of small business start-ups. First impression really matter online and you need to weigh up the cost of having a website designed professionally or using one of the many cheap packages out there that allow you to do it yourself.
Advantage of outsourcing: a professional website for your business
Disadvantage of outsourcing: the cost can be a problem for many start-ups
- Copywriting
The words you use on your website have the power to drive sales/enquiries or act as a barrier to them. Hiring a professional copywriter could deliver a massive return on your investment and ensure your site gets off to the best possible start after launching.
Advantage of outsourcing: drive sales/enquiries from day one
Disadvantage of outsourcing: can be time consuming to find the right copywriter at the right price
- SEO
Search engine optimisation is an area many small business owners find difficult to get to grips with. When you’ve invested money, time and effort into your website it pays to get it promoted properly so you can start to see a return.
Advantage of outsourcing: free up your time for other things
Disadvantage of outsourcing: paying for a service you could learn to do yourself
- Email marketing
Email marketing can be a great way for small businesses to grow without spending a huge amount of money.
Communicating with your existing and potential customers in a timely and professional way can deliver real results for your small business.
Advantage of outsourcing: better results and a professional image
Disadvantage of outsourcing: paying for email template design and newsletter copywriting
- Social media
The social media explosion in recent years has added a new dimension to the way small businesses market and promote themselves online.
While social media activities aren’t right for every business, for many small companies, they can bring about increased brand awareness and sales/enquiries.
Advantage of outsourcing: social media gives your business a wide reach online
Disadvantage of outsourcing: having someone else being ‘social’ on behalf of your business
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by DC Web Designers, Julie Mitchell-Mehta and Mich Barclay, Jamie Fairbairn. Jamie Fairbairn said: The Pros and Cons of Outsourcing Your Online Marketing: http://t.co/iModGVK #smallbiz #onlinemarketing #sme [...]
As always it is a question of balance. I would advise business owners to outsource the things that they are not competent or qualified to do themselves.
Try and get some background knowledge of the things that you have to outsource, so that you have a stronger base when it comes to negotiations and, crucially, a better understanding of what you’re paying for!
Found you via the 4N Forum.
Phil recently posted..London – tick
Interesting post with good insights for and against- thanks.
There are 2 main reasons why start up businesses outsource their on-line marketing to us
1) As Phil says they have a gap in their knowledge. Running your own business seems to require Superman abilities knowing how to do sales, modelling, delivery, trade, networking, finances, management… the list goes on. We’ve found for most startups online marketing is one area that is not a priority for them to learn about, especially when their are companies around they can outsource to.
2) Lack of time. Being Superman takes up a lot of time. Particularly if the start up owner is still working full time, there just is not time to do everything the new business needs. Instead of not ignoring on-line marketing due a lack of time and missing potential business, they outsource it to us instead.
Hi Lynne, thanks for taking the time to comment. It’s a very good point you make about people starting up businesses when they’re still working full-time. It’s a case of striking a balance between the amount of time you have to do things yourself and the available budget to outsource.