Guest post by PointVisible.

For small and medium-sized businesses that have limited budgets and are short on staff, outsourcing marketing (or at least parts of it) can be a great way to get access to specialized tools and skilled workers.

Instead of investing money in training existing workers or hiring new ones, companies get the ability to focus on their core business while a digital agency does all (or much of) the heavy lifting. It’s also easier to scale costs up or down, providing greater budget flexibility.

As much as outsourcing can be a great way to get help and grow your business with reliable partners, it does come with some risks. Doing business with an unknown company creates  fears and challenges. We decided to find out more about those fears, challenges, and ultimately the overall experience companies have while outsourcing digital marketing and how they make the selection.

The research was conducted through a survey with a list of multiple-choice answers as well as a few open-end questions. The focus group selected for this research were business owners and CMOs, as we wanted to target the decision makers in companies that have previous experience with outsourcing to marketing agencies.

As shown in the infographic below, over 60% of outsourcing experiences are positive, while less than 8% were viewed as negative or mostly negative. However, some companies still have trouble in finding the right partners and recognizing the red flags. The biggest warning sign when choosing the outsourcing partner selected in the survey was “lack of testimonials and case studies.”

This was followed closely by “overpromising results” and “poor communication.” If a company can’t back up their promise of results with examples of previous campaigns and customer testimonials, it’s quite likely they lack the necessary experience to do the best job possible.

“Always make sure to read some case studies of their previous clients. Companies that can showcase the exact results they got for their previous clients are much more trustworthy than someone just claiming to be good at what they do. Also, don’t be stingy. Good marketing requires a good investment.” – S. Jain, founder of Attention Always

When choosing a digital marketing consultant or agency to help you grow your business, it’s important to focus on the little things that separate them from hundreds of others. It’s not surprising that the highest-ranked issue when outsourcing is the quality of services provided, along with the level of communication and understanding of clients’ needs.

Beyond quality of work, when reviewing an agency, the focus is also on their overall trustworthiness and the ability to set goals and objectives. As mentioned above, respectable agencies and service provides with experience and expertise have the results to back them up. Communicating goals and handling expectations between the client and the agency is of utmost importance.

“Choose the right partner, keep an eye out for good communication and transparency, and try to forge a mutually beneficial partnership where you’re both working towards better results for your business.” – G. Moskovitch, Head of SEO at Full Measure Digital

Whether you’re a business owner and you’re looking for an agency / consultant or the other way around, remember that clear and fast communication with mutual understanding can go a long way in creating a great business relationship that will work in everyone’s favor.

For a quick breakdown of our research, check out the infographic below. If you are interested in a more detailed analysis, tips, and all of the helpful comments the survey participants left, be sure to check the full guide on how to outsource digital marketing services.

 

The post How to Outsource Digital Marketing the Right Way [Infographic] appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog | Webbiquity.