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7 Little-Known Strategies for Outsourcing Marketing Tasks While Ensuring Top Quality

7 Little-Known Strategies for Outsourcing Marketing Tasks While Ensuring Top Quality

As a business owner, you know that effective marketing is essential for success. But developing and executing a comprehensive marketing strategy takes significant time, specialized skills, and resources that you may not have in-house. This is where outsourcing marketing tasks to experts can be a game-changer.

However, many have concerns about maintaining quality when delegating this important function.

Having helped numerous companies successfully outsource marketing activities, we've gained key insights into striking the right balance. Here are 7 strategies most people don't know about outsourcing marketing tasks the smart way:

1. Keep strategic functions in-house.

You'll get the most value by keeping strategic marketing functions like branding and overall campaign planning in-house. Outsource tasks that require specialized skills or significant time, like content creation, digital ad management, web development, graphic design, and analytics.

2. Hire for skill and industry fit.

Seek out marketing freelancers or agencies with deep expertise in the specific skills you need, like SEO writing, email marketing, or Facebook ads. An understanding of your particular industry is also valuable. Don't be swayed by the lowest price - skill and results are what matter most. Pro Tip: Ask for case studies, references, and examples of past work to vet potential partners.

3. Set clear expectations.

Provide detailed project briefs that specify your brand guidelines, target audience, project goals, metrics for success, and relationship expectations. Have kickoff calls to align on the details. The more direction you can give, the better the outcome.

4. Implement a review process.

Establish a quality assurance workflow where you review and provide feedback on deliverables before they are finalized. This is especially important in the beginning of an outsourcing relationship. As trust builds, you can move to a more exception-based review approach.

5. Stay actively involved.

Outsourcing doesn't mean wiping your hands of marketing. Schedule regular check-in calls or video chats to stay abreast of progress, provide input, and course-correct if needed. Use project management and collaboration tools to facilitate two-way communication.

6. Leverage their outside perspective.

Smart outsourced marketers will bring new ideas to the table based on their experience with other clients and industries. They can help you see your own business and marketing efforts with fresh eyes. Be open to their suggestions on new tactics to try or ways to optimize.

7. Think long-term.

While some marketing tasks are well-suited for short projects, in general you'll gain more value from longer engagements. You'll waste less time and money getting new freelancers up to speed. And as they gain deeper knowledge of your business, they'll be able to generate better results.

Taking the leap to outsource marketing can be daunting. But with the strategies above, you can efficiently delegate tasks while ensuring high quality and maximum impact. In fact, outsourcing to the right partner can significantly level-up your marketing.

Amplify your marketing and accelerate your growth

At Starfish, we specialize in connecting our clients with top-tier marketing experts across a range of disciplines. Schedule a free consultation with us now to learn how we can support your success.