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In today’s digital age, a solid online presence is essential for a company to thrive. However, digital marketing can be resource-intensive, especially for small businesses. Business process outsourcing (BPO) can help with this challenge. It offers access to digital marketing experts and specialized technologies, ensuring cost efficiency.
If you want to learn more about outsourcing digital marketing, this article is for you. It explores the practice’s nature and benefits and provides quick tips for ensuring a successful endeavor.
Outsourcing in the context of digital marketing
To better understand how digital marketing outsourcing can help your business’s growth, let’s first answer the question: What is BPO?
BPO is the practice of subcontracting non-core functions to an external team. In digital marketing, outsourcing involves offloading specific marketing tasks or entire campaigns. This has become a widespread practice, with Deloitte’s 2023 Global Shared Services and Outsourcing Survey reporting that 14% of executives delegate their marketing processes.
Some commonly outsourced digital marketing tasks include the following:
- Search engine optimization (SEO) (e.g., keyword research, on-page and off-page optimization, technical SEO, and local SEO)
- Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising (e.g., campaign setup, keyword bidding, ad copywriting, landing page optimization, and campaign monitoring and optimization)
- Social media marketing (e.g., platform selection, content creation, community management, social media advertising, and influencer marketing)
- Content marketing (e.g., content strategy, scheduling, creation, distribution, and promotion)
- Email marketing (e.g., email list building, email campaign creation, email automation, and email analytics)
- Web design and development (e.g., website design, website building, e-commerce shop development, and website maintenance)
- Analytics and reporting (e.g., web analytics, marketing analytics, data visualization, and reporting)
Six key benefits of outsourcing digital marketing services
How outsourcing works makes it a widespread practice across businesses of all sizes and industries. According to Statista, the global BPO market can reach $390 billion in 2024 and grow to $490 billion by 2029.
What do you gain by outsourcing digital marketing? Here are six primary advantages:
1. Access to specialized expertise
Outsourcing lets you connect with digital marketing specialists worldwide. These thoroughly screened marketing professionals have the training, experience, and qualifications to deliver high-quality services.
They possess a deep understanding of various digital marketing channels and can help you with the following:
- Improve your website’s visibility in search engine results.
- Run effective targeted online advertising campaigns.
- Manage social media channels and engage with audiences.
- Create and distribute valuable content to attract and retain customers.
- Design and execute email campaigns to nurture leads and drive sales.
- Create and maintain websites and online stores.
- Track and analyze your marketing strategy’s performance.
Outsourcing digital marketing gives you access to specialized knowledge through experts who stay current with the latest industry trends and best practices.
These experts can analyze your specific needs and develop customized plans that align seamlessly with your unique objectives, target audience, and specific sector. This well-executed digital marketing strategy can significantly boost your return on investment (ROI).
2. Use of advanced technology
Another significant advantage of outsourcing digital marketing is the access to cutting-edge software and tools. BPO agencies invest heavily in the latest software and platforms to optimize marketing efforts and deliver exceptional results.
Additionally, the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the BPO industry has revolutionized the delivery of digital marketing services. AI-powered tools can automate routine tasks, analyze large datasets, and provide data-driven insights, allowing BPO teams to deliver more efficient and effective digital marketing campaigns.
Your outsourcing partner improves your digital marketing strategies through the following tools:
- Advanced analytics (collecting, analyzing, and interpreting vast amounts of data to inform decisions based on customer behavior, market trends, and campaign performance)
- Predictive analytics (analyzing historical data to forecast trends and identify potential opportunities, allowing you to stay ahead of the curve and capitalize on emerging trends)
- Automated marketing tasks (streamlining repetitive tasks, such as social media posting, email marketing, and content distribution)
- Enhanced A/B testing (conducting A/B tests to experiment with different marketing elements, such as headlines, images, and call-to-actions, to identify the most effective strategies and optimize campaign performance)
- Real-time optimization (monitoring campaign performance in real time to make quick adjustments, improve results, and align marketing efforts with the latest trends and best practices)
3. Significant cost savings
The most known benefit of outsourcing is cost reduction. According to Deloitte’s 2022 outsourcing survey, 57% of executives outsource to cut expenses. But how exactly does outsourcing digital marketing help you save?
Here are some factors that contribute to this advantage:
- Lower labor costs: BPO providers actively recruit marketing professionals from countries with lower costs of living, such as the Philippines, Mexico, and India. This approach translates to lower salaries. For instance, the monthly wage of a Filipino SEO specialist is $616. Meanwhile, a U.S. SEO specialist receives $4,500 monthly.
- Reduced hiring expenses: Outsourcing digital marketing tasks also means you delegate the process of hiring, onboarding, and training for these roles. This allows you to avoid associated costs when building an in-house marketing team.
- Fewer technology investments: As mentioned, BPO providers carry the latest tools and software for digital marketing. This lets you avoid large purchases, investments, subscriptions, and loans. It also saves you from costs associated with maintaining and updating such technologies.
- Minimized overhead: Outsourcing often entails remote work, especially when delegating digital marketing tasks. This lets you save on office rent, equipment, furniture, utilities, and maintenance costs.
- Economies of scale: BPO providers often serve multiple clients, allowing them to spread infrastructure, technology, and management overhead. This reduces the cost per client, making outsourcing a more affordable option.
4. Improved scalability and flexibility
Outsourcing allows you to scale your marketing efforts as needed. This is particularly valuable if your business is experiencing rapid growth or often encounters seasonal fluctuations.
The benefits of improved scalability and flexibility by outsourcing digital marketing include the following:
- Rapid response to market changes: Market trends and consumer preferences can change rapidly in today’s digital landscape. Outsourcing allows you to quickly adapt to these changes and implement new strategies without significant overhead costs.
- Seamless growth: As your business expands, your marketing needs evolve. Outsourcing provides the flexibility to scale your marketing efforts to accommodate increased demand. Whether you need to launch a new product, enter a new market, or increase brand awareness, outsourcing can help you achieve your marketing goals.
- Efficient resource allocation: Outsourcing non-core marketing functions can reallocate internal resources to more strategic initiatives, improving efficiency and productivity.
5. Fresh perspectives, innovation, and reduced risks
As mentioned, outsourcing digital marketing gives you access to global specialized expertise. Business.com names the Philippines, Mexico, and India as top outsourcing destinations as of 2023. Outsourcing to these countries lets you tap into unique digital marketing strategies.
Here’s how outsourcing provides you with new perspectives, fosters innovation, and reduces risks:
- Objective analysis: BPO teams bring a fresh pair of eyes to your marketing strategies, identifying potential blind spots and areas for improvement.
- Challenging the status quo: BPO teams are not constrained by internal politics or historical practices, encouraging a more open and innovative approach.
- Industry insights: Outsourcing agencies specializing in digital marketing are constantly exposed to the latest industry trends, technologies, and best practices. They can share these insights with you, stimulating new ideas.
- Benchmarking: By working with multiple clients, BPO providers can benchmark best practices and identify innovative approaches that can be applied to your business.
- Shared risk: Outsourcing allows you to share the risk of implementing new marketing strategies. If a particular approach doesn’t yield the desired results, the impact on your internal team and resources is minimal.
- Faster time to market: Many outsourcing providers have streamlined workflows and agile methodologies that enable them to quickly adapt to changing market conditions and implement new digital marketing strategies.
6. Increased focus on core competencies
With experts handling your digital marketing tasks and tools to streamline your processes, your internal team has more time and resources to focus on activities directly affecting your business’s core functions. These can include product development, customer relationship management, or business expansion.
Alleviating your internal team from the burden of digital marketing reduces burnout and employee absenteeism. It improves their work satisfaction, directly enhancing productivity and quality.
Ultimately, outsourcing digital marketing benefits your business by allowing your team to focus on what they do best. It helps you gain a competitive edge, improve customer satisfaction, and drive long-term growth.
Quick, actionable tips for successful digital marketing outsourcing
To maximize outsourcing’s benefits and ensure a positive ROI, adequate preparation and proactive management are critical. Here are some best practices to implement when outsourcing your digital marketing processes:
- Identify your business needs. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your existing digital marketing strategy. Determine which specific areas of digital marketing need improvement. Is it SEO, PPC, social media, or content marketing?
- Define your outsourcing objectives. Specify what you want to achieve through outsourcing, whether it’s increasing brand awareness, generating leads, or boosting sales. Define which tasks or projects you want to outsource and establish specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals.
- Choose the right BPO provider. Look for outsourcing providers with a proven track record in digital marketing, expertise in your business’s industry, and positive client reviews. Assess their technical skills, experience, and ability to meet your needs.
- Set clear expectations. Develop a detailed service-level agreement (SLA) where you outline specific tasks, deliverables, timelines, and performance metrics. Establish clear communication channels and regular check-ins to ensure alignment and address any issues promptly.
- Foster a strong partnership. Build a collaborative relationship based on mutual respect and understanding. Share relevant data, brand guidelines, and any other information your outsourcing provider needs for digital marketing to succeed. Offer constructive feedback and be available to answer any questions or concerns.
- Monitor outsourced processes regularly. Track key performance indicators (KPIs), such as website traffic, lead generation, and ROI. Conduct periodic audits to ensure that the outsourcing provider is meeting your expectations. Stay informed about industry trends and best practices, and proactively identify opportunities for improvement.
The bottom line
Digital marketing outsourcing might be the secret to scaling your business in the digital age. It provides you with qualified marketing professionals who can perform digital marketing tasks at a high standard. It also lets you leverage advanced technologies that streamline and scale your efforts without breaking the bank.
Aside from improving your digital marketing strategies, outsourcing empowers you to focus on your core business functions, positioning your business toward sustainable growth.
Are you considering outsourcing digital marketing services? Let’s connect and find the best solution for your marketing goals and needs!
