The speed at which advertising trends change is often too much for marketers to handle. The second you get one tactic down, another one emerges and you’re back at square one. Because of this, it’s become increasingly common for businesses to outsource much of their marketing activities to an experienced agency or vendor. In fact, up to 50 percent of digital marketing activities are now being outsourced, according to Gartner’s 2013 “U.S. Digital Marketing Spending Survey.”
Responses from the survey, which polled 285 individuals from organizations that generate more than $500 million in annual revenue across eight different industries, revealed that digital marketers are in need of some help, particularly when it comes to specialized, complex tasks such as SEO, mobile marketing and content creation. According to the aforementioned study, marketers outsource one-third or more of their work to an agency, digital services organization, or other external vendor.
Outsourcing your digital activities is a great strategy when you don’t have the resources to keep up with the industry’s newest technologies or techniques. However, it’s important to get “all your ducks in a row” before settling on a vendor. In other words, you have to make sure that you’re thoroughly prepared before bringing in new team players. Below are some steps you can take to help get you ready:
1.Evaluate your strengths and weaknesses: There’s a reason why you’ve turned to a content strategy vendor for help. Maybe it’s because your internal team doesn’t have the time or resources to crank out quality content week after week or maybe they aren’t the best writers. Whatever it is, identify and evaluate your strengths and weakness before your begin your search.
2.Determine your goals: Here at Content Boost, the first question we ask our clients is “what goals do you want to achieve with your program?” The majority of the time, the client knows what they want—they just need to iron out their ideas. Whether it’s lead generation or establishing thought leadership, it’s important to determine your goals as this will help guide your program in the right direction.
3.Designate a dedicated point person: You’re going to want to appoint a dedicated point person who’s responsible for communicating with the vendor on a frequent basis. This person, or champion, should have the authority to make strategic decisions and be readily available. The best working relationships are built on communication.
4.Gather helpful materials: While your content strategy vendor is there to help do the heavy lifting, you can’t expect them to know everything about your company right off the bat. Gather helpful materials— such as sales sheets, PowerPoint presentations, eNewsletters, and other internal documents—to help the vendor get to know your company.
The more you prepare internally, the better your partnership will be. Looking for a content strategy vendor to help take your marketing strategy to the next level? Check out how we can help you by clicking here.
