Outsourcing marketing services VS. Hiring in-house specialists: Which is the best option for your business?

Whether you’re a business owner or a corporate manager, reaching more customers, generating leads, and increasing revenue are the ultimate goal. With the right vision, a meticulously crafted strategy for execution, and a dedicated team behind you—the sky’s the limit when it comes to propelling your marketing objectives forward. 

For most growing companies, having the right talent to drive the business forward is the name of the game. Depending on your organization’s needs, hiring someone internally to handle all matters pertaining to marketing may be the first approach to consider. However, companies are finding that outsourcing marketing services to freelancers or an agency is just as good of a solution, and in some cases, an even better one. 

So, before pulling the plug on hiring that in-house specialist, marketing agency, or freelancer, take a moment to explore your options. Allocate some time towards understanding your company’s needs and how the difference between outsourcing and hiring in-house can make all the difference when deciding on taking that next step.

DEFINING OUTSOURCED MARKETING

We’ve had that conversation, and can very well relate. Should we consider hiring in-house specialists or look into outsourcing our marketing services? In order to make the right decision on what’s a better fit for your company, let’s get down to the basics when it comes to outsourced marketing and consider the pros and cons between hiring freelancers versus hiring in-house. 

What does it mean to outsource marketing services and what are the benefits? From a strategic and operational standpoint, outsourced marketing involves contracting a company’s marketing efforts to a third-party provider. This outside firm is recognized for its specialized expertise and typically has its own professional staff, or hires freelancers to get the job done.

Typically, companies outsource their marketing efforts when they need help fulfilling their objectives and don’t have the in-house talent, time, or bandwidth to produce quality collateral at the volume or scale that is needed. 

The Pros of Outsourced Marketing

When it comes to crunching the numbers, one of the main benefits to outsourcing marketing services and working with freelancers or an external agency is that it can be cheaper than hiring an in-house specialist on a payroll. 

Let’s consider the pros of outsourced marketing:

1. 1. A world of talent. Every marketing agency has a strong team behind them consisting of a wide range of skills and talent to tap into. Coming mostly from diverse backgrounds and experiences—freelancers and marketing agencies are able to look at things objectively and tackle projects from a fresh perspective. They are quick to analyze patterns and break down the reasons as to why something succeeded or failed in a company’s marketing approach. 
   2. Access to analytics. Working with external agencies offers companies a chance to see the numbers come into play in a company’s marketing efforts—allowing for evaluation of work based on the data at hand. Many agencies have measurable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in place and are able to quantify the work they produce by tracking and measuring most of what they do with analytics. 
   3. Experts from a vast range of industries. Leveraging industry expertise and implementing it to keep marketing strategies fresh is easier with well-rounded specialists who have a broad range of knowledge. 

• The Return on Investment. Having a marketing specialist in-house versus outsourcing, can be extremely costly. By outsourcing marketing services, companies get more bang for their buck when it comes to their bottom line. 

• Training. Forget having to train someone in-house to understand company branding and processes—outsourcing offers the benefit of already trained professionals who are ready to tackle any project. 

The Cons of Outsourced Marketing 

As there are a number of benefits to outsourcing marketing services, let’s take a moment to consider the cons of outsourcing marketing services. Whether you’re dealing with remote overseas freelancers, or hiring local freelancers, one of the main obstacles with outsourcing is the sometimes lack of communication and the inability to get a hold of freelancers in a timely manner.

From access to project updates, to the more simple requests, outsourcing work comes with a different set of responsibilities for companies considering that option. Whereas having an in-house specialist simplifies the communication process and ensures efficiency—if you’re a novice to the outsourcing game, keeping track and being in control of all there is to get done may pose an extra layer of uncertainties to confront.

Weighing the cons of outsourcing:

• Clashing Opinions. As a business owner or corporate manager, being in control of the entire process of execution is a matter of habit. Under an outsourcing arrangement, getting used to the lack of control, misunderstanding, or difference in vision that comes with turning to freelancers or agencies is enough to drive anyone to a state of frustration. Though they mean well, the freelancer’s or agency’s conflicting opinions on the direction of your marketing efforts may cause a strain on your working relationship. 

• Miscommunication. It goes without saying that hiring freelancers for a job is easier when they are local versus offshore. When referencing offshore freelancers, internet connectivity and different time zones pose an additional layer of frustration when you’re trying to get a project done. Collaborating with the right outsourcing partner is essential in order to avoid these communication hurdles. All things considered, streamlining the communication with an in-house team may present less challenges than coordinating with freelancers who have other project commitments. 

• Unmet Expectations. As with every marketing agency or freelancer looking to take on a gig—juggling multiple projects at the same time is not uncommon. Though this can be valuable when it comes to a broader perspective—it is very likely that your company will not be the central focus of the day. 

While some companies consider outsourcing marketing services, others have a preference for hiring talent in-house. As there are two sides to every coin, let’s consider the pros and cons of hiring in-house marketing professionals.

The Pros and Cons of Hiring Marketing Professionals In-House

When considering your options for hiring in-house versus outsourcing marketing services, take a moment to understand the scope of the project at hand. For some companies, outsourcing serves as the most ideal solution—while for others, hiring in-house talent seems like the next best option. 

So, what are the benefits and challenges that come with hiring in-house? Check out the list below to get insight on making the right decision for your business. 

Pros

• Cultural Fit. As more businesses move to the digital arena, who you hire to grow your company is more prevalent than ever before. When hiring in-house talent, the person you bring on board typically shares the same values as your company culture. Hiring in-house has a stronger emphasis on the type of person that joins the team and an impact on the direction of your company, as opposed to outsourcing services. 

1. Control. One of the main benefits of hiring in-house talent is the control a company has on streamlining daily tasks and processes. Whereas outsourcing companies or marketing agencies have a pool of companies requesting their services, in-house hires work on tasks for and are focused specifically on one company.
2. On-Site Availability. With in-house hires, communication and keeping track of daily deliverables is easily managed. Communicating with freelancers may pose its challenges as their response time may be longer given their change in work flow on the day-to-day.

Cons:

• Long Term Costs. When hiring in-house talent, it is essential to consider budget allocations and costs of hourly wages versus the rates of experienced freelance marketers or developers. Typically, the cost to maintain in-house talent may amount to more in the short and long term due to additional expenses invested. By outsourcing services, companies can save on spending that would otherwise have gone towards  healthcare benefits, specialized training or additional education or certification. 

• Limited Skill Sets. Depending on the scope of work and responsibilities, in-house hires may not be entirely qualified to take on tasks beyond their job description. Typically, in-house marketing professionals have one skill set and specialize in specific focus areas such as social media, or search engine optimization, advertising, and more. Outsourcing marketing solutions offers companies an alternative allowing them to hire multiple freelancers that are experts in specific niches within the marketing sector, on an as needed basis–and get more bang for their buck. 

• Investment on Training. In every onboarding process, training new hires is the key to a company’s success. If you’re hiring internally, be prepared to allocate time and budget towards training your talent on internal softwares and processes. This additional investment of time is essential for the growth of any company, and it may be consuming if a company is not prepared for the initial onboarding stages. By considering the outsourcing alternative, companies can take the stress out of training new hires and leave it to experts to get the job done. 

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS TO CONSIDER

If you’re looking for alternative avenues to tackling your company’s marketing endeavors, other options include going through a hiring agency, marketing agency, or remote U.S. based freelancers. 

While hiring agencies specialize in scoping out talent, their capabilities are limited when it comes to finding the right marketing talent that is most suitable for your company’s specific needs. You may eventually find the right talent, but the time and effort placed towards finding that talent through a hiring agency may not justify the cost and time wasted. As the old saying goes, time is money, and as creatures of habit, instant gratification is the name of the game when it comes to hiring the right person for the job. 

Alternatively, conventional marketing agencies may be limited in their ability to meet your budget. Additionally, working with remote U.S. based freelancers may pose the challenge of tracking the time invested on each project.

With all points considered, what if there was a solution that offered the best of both worlds—one that includes the benefits that come with in-house for the price of hiring a freelance marketer or developer? 

What if there was a way to hand-pick local talent based on a proven screening process to ensure excellence for every project and streamline the communication process? 

SkyFi Marketing does just that.

THE SKYFI MARKETING SOLUTION

As the first local freelance marketing and development marketplace for both businesses and freelancers in downtown Fort Lauderdale, SkyFi connects renowned local freelance marketers and developers with companies under one roof. SkyFi Marketing offers companies all the tools and resources to succeed in their marketing and development efforts, and freelancers the ability to focus on their craft with full project management control. 

Benefit from a network of pre-vetted on-demand local freelancers waiting to take on their next project while having access to a full management control platform allowing monitoring in real-time. 

With SkyFi Marketing, think local, on-demand, and on-site. Forget the challenges of remote and overseas freelancers, or the miscommunications that come with hiring agencies and marketing agencies. Build a dream team or work with the best local freelance talent alongside a SkyFi Marketing expert. 

SkyFi offers companies and freelancers access to a collaborative and affordable workspace environment as a member of our local pre-vetted community! Take advantage of flexible workspace arrangements, a member portal including project management, collaboration, communication, payment and monitoring tools all in one place.

So, how can companies maximize their potential with SkyFi Marketing, and how does it work?

SkyFi Marketing’s pre-vetted local freelance marketers and developers ensure transparency, security, and accountability on every step of your journey. The process consists of three simple steps:

• Describe Your Upcoming Project 
• Get Matched With Local Talent
• Monitor Your Project in Real-Time 

SkyFi’s experts help with determining the best strategy to achieve your marketing and development goals. With a proven pre-vetting process in place and a full management control platform and app, SkyFi Marketing ensures quality and excellence for every project.

SkyFi Marketing’s local freelance marketing marketplace offers companies the opportunity to outsource their marketing services, hire qualified freelancers locally, and monitor the process in real-time at a fraction of the cost! 

With SkyFi, reap the benefits of both worlds with local marketing freelancers accessible at the click of a button, while maintaining the quality and control that comes with hiring talent in-house. SkyFi Marketing ensures accountability, full transparency and peace of mind throughout the entire process. 

Take the stress out of marketing with SkyFi Marketing! 

Visit skyfimarketing.com today and select Hire Talent to get matched with local freelance marketers and developers in downtown Fort Lauderdale.