Outsourcing certain services makes perfect sense, especially when there is a clear-cut financial benefit. Many companies outsource services because they are not of a size that can sustain or justify in-house personnel. For example, in HR, every employer will need advice at some point, but most SMEs don’t have the demand or the number of staff to justify any in-house personnel. So, outsourcing is the perfect solution.
Indeed, there are many services that SMEs can, and arguably should, outsource to specialist providers. Some obvious ones that come to mind are IT, Payroll, Bookkeeping and HR; all of these come down to economics; the business doesn’t need full-time (or even part-time) personnel to fulfil the function adequately.
Other services may be less obvious, and the decision to outsource is more complex. Functions such as cleaning, business development, and training. For example, with cleaning, it may be better to outsource this rather than having to find cover for your cleaner’s holidays and any sick leave. Conversely, it may be cheaper to pay a commission to an outsourced Business Development/Sales agency, but will they be as passionate as you, and will they properly represent your brand?
Marketing is a function that can be outsourced effectively; however, there are pros and cons to doing so. Yes, in-house staff could arguably have a deeper understanding of the brand or be better placed to respond immediately to marketing opportunities. Still, we do intentionally use the word ‘arguably’. More crucially, in-house staff will inevitably leave. Then, you start the recruitment and brand training process all over again. Yes, agency staff also go, but we always have more than one person working on a client’s account, so we can promise continuity when someone leaves or even if they go on holiday or become ill.
One of the primary reasons that businesses outsource their marketing to fatBuzz is to benefit from the range of skills they wouldn’t have from one or two in-house staff. Clients get support daily from experienced marketing professionals, graphic designers, website developers, SEO experts, PPC, and social advertising executives. Employing all of this expertise would cost a great deal, and you’d need to be a reasonably sizeable business to keep them all occupied.
That said, all businesses, big or small, need this full range of services. The lines between website design, marketing, and SEO are becoming increasingly blurred; companies need to do all of these things well in order to compete effectively.
You should also note that it’s rarely one or the other, in-house or outsourced. Invariably, our clients have a marketing officer or marketing departments. Still, rather than building the team internally, they choose to add a range of external skills that complement those of the in-house personnel using the expertise available from fatBuzz. Indeed, this is the best of both worlds, where we have a point of contact in the business who understands the marketing function. That’s why all clients are different; every company needs a bespoke range of services that are agreed upon during initial discussions.
But here’s the thing: if we compare the services a year later, they are never the same as initially agreed, and they should be different. Change happens. Businesses expand and contract, products and services are introduced and dropped, and trends can dictate the need to change. The reality is that organisations must be agile and able to respond to change. It is easier to adjust and get the right skills if you are buying them as you need them. We frequently review what is provided in a retainer agreement and change the service provision depending on what the company needs; not only is it inevitable, but we actively encourage it! It’s the best way to ensure we are adding value.
If you’d like to have a chat about your current and future marketing requirements, we’d be delighted to meet you for a coffee and explore the options. Give us a call at 0141 247 0727 or email caitlin@fatbuzz.com, and we can arrange a suitable time.