Outsourcing has long been used for many business functions, from payroll to customer service. Now, some small companies are tapping outside resources for marketing planning and execution. The reasons are much the same as those behind the outsourcing of any function - it allows these organizations to focus on their core competencies.

For companies that lack the resources to develop and pursue an active and aggressive marketing plan, outsourced marketing can be an attractive option. It’s not an all-or-nothing proposition; many marketing firms will work on a project-by-project basis, assisting with the creation of marketing materials and executing specific tasks contained within the company’s overall marketing plan.

The advantages of getting outside help

Beyond pure resource issues, there are several advantages to outsourcing some or all of your organization’s marketing functions.

• Outsourcing provides a fresh perspective. An outside resource can introduce an organization to fresh marketing perspectives and innovative sales approaches. Outside consultants can also assist in identifying and deploying the resources needed based on a calculated analysis of a company’s goals, market position, and budget. Best of all, recommendations are unlikely to be influenced by inside politics or cultural impediments.
  
  
• It reinforces a customer-centric culture. Companies sometimes become so tied up in the day-to-day demands of running a business that they lose sight of their customers’ perspectives. An outside contractor can help refocus on customer needs and reinforce customer-centric thinking through marketing strategies, programs, and materials.
  
  
• It draws on broader experiences. Whether it’s planning, copywriting, or design, a seasoned consultant or firm can bring strategies, techniques and tools from a variety of marketing disciplines and experiences. And because they’re plugged in to the market, they can offer ideas on what currently works and what doesn’t. Organizations can tap this experience to find the correct solutions for their business needs.
  
  
• It ensures that key projects won’t slip. A good marketing consultant or outside team can keep the focus on agreed-upon responsibilities and maintain the momentum for critical projects more effectively than company insiders. Their distance from a company’s day-to-day activities prevents what commonly happens in most organizations, when other tasks begin to eat up time earmarked for marketing and deflect energy and resources from primary objectives. When using an outside firm, projects aren’t likely to drop down the priority list or fall by the wayside. 

All marketing efforts should stem from one basic, but essential, document: the marketing plan. Marketing plans can be created as a collaborative effort between an organization’s management and the contractor. An outside consultant can help ensure that a company’s marketing plan stays squarely focused on the customer.

A good marketing consultant will make sure that the marketing plan reaches across various media and is based on strategic analysis of the business and the targeted marketplace. Plans should include project development and budgeting for a wide spectrum of opportunities - for example, trade shows, public relations, advertising, and ongoing collateral development.

By entrusting a portion of a company’s marketing tasks to competent outside hands, employees can focus on core activities that have the greatest impact on performance. This in turn can have a significant positive impact on employee morale, productivity, and profitability.