Usually there is too much to do in your business and most people only do what they have to because of their work load, often leaving marketing activity to languish. You probably didn’t go into business because you wanted to be a marketing expert. I suspect most of you started your businesses because you wanted to do whatever it is that your business does.
Unfortunately, marketing, which is an extremely important aspect of business profitability and growth, is very easy to put aside as it takes a lot of work just to keep up with the latest trends. With the making, fixing and shipping of products and with administration thrown in, you have little time to work on your marketing. If you end up trying to do everything, your workload won’t allow you to do your marketing well, something has to suffer. It’s usually marketing as it doesn’t always create immediate results.
When you started your business, you probably realised very quickly that marketing work consumes most of your day and working 24/7 to get through the workload, only to find it ages you faster. Many of you will finish an interview or phone call with a client only to feel overwhelmed by how much there is still to do in the marketing area.
Recognise and overcome the tyranny of your present marketing work load. People who are always ‘in the moment’ don’t look ahead and make plans to pursue their important goals and dreams. This is infinitely more important than working on something you are not good at, or don’t like doing.
Marketing work load can be reduced through outsourcing
Reducing your marketing work load is where outsourcing or delegating comes into play. Outsourcing is growing at a rapid rate because businesses view outsourcing as a way to achieve strategic goals. It can reduce costs, improve customer satisfaction and provide other efficiency and effectiveness improvements and marketing is no exception. Outsourcing is a big topic in smaller businesses because it is a very important way of growing profits and sustainability, while reducing the marketing work load.
If the marketing function and associated activities (branding, websites, social media etc) is not one of your core competencies, outsourcing offers potential benefits and most importantly, the energy you apply to it can be redirected to other important tasks that also have a big impact on the business.
Outsourcing must be done carefully, systematically, and with explicit objectives. Businesses that rush into outsourcing without fully understanding what they hope to gain may find themselves caught up in contractual battles as services worsen rather than improve.
Outsourcing should not be an excuse to wash management’s hands of poorly managed, costly, or misunderstood marketing work, otherwise, you could be deciding to outsource for the wrong reason. If outsourcing is not going to improve your profit, growth or health, don’t spend a penny on it until these things can be justified. You may need an experienced advisor to work through the issues with you.
Deciding which marketing work to keep and which to outsource
Not every marketing task needs to leave the building. A simple review of where your time goes can show which activities you should keep in house and which would be better handled by specialists. Write down every marketing task you do in a typical month and how long each one takes.
- Keep the tasks that rely on your personal relationships and knowledge, such as client conversations, networking and approving key messages.
- Outsource the technical or specialist work, such as website design, search engine optimisation, branding and paid advertising.
- Systemise the repetitive tasks, such as social media scheduling and email newsletters, with templates and clear processes.
Before you hand anything over, set clear goals, agree on how results will be reported and decide who in your business will manage the relationship. Regular check-ins keep the work aligned with your priorities. Done well, outsourcing turns marketing work from a burden into a steady engine for growth, while you focus on running the business.
