A Consortium

Pros Only, No Cons It’s important to weigh the Pros and Cons of In-House versus Outsourced Marketing. Unfortunately, a few bad apples have spoiled it for the whole bushel of external resources by providing poor service, overcharging, and dictating rather than listening. There really are high-quality marketing professionals out there who play fair, pay close attention, become immersed in all aspects of a brand, and treat them as if they are the only client. Our role is to support and enhance a company’s marketing efforts and to truly become an extension of their team.

Orchestration of Instruments What does Marketing really mean? The original definition doesn’t come close to describing what marketing is today. It’s become a complex mix of about a hundred individual disciplines spanning product pricing, branding, advertising, social content, digital campaigns, direct response, events, publicity, promotions, strategic partnerships, and so on. For companies to sustain internal marketing resources across all areas is nearly impossible. Yet, external marketing boutiques make it their business to live on the leading edge of the newest technologies and tactics. They’ve evolved from specialists to multi-disciplinary experts with the ability to harmonize an entire orchestra of marketing instruments.

Lost in Translation Some companies may be afflicted with silo syndrome. With each new member added to in-house marketing teams, the number of silos grow, making cohesive communications more difficult. Product or division marketing, PR, content marketing, and other subsets become further removed from core brand strategies. Sales staff either receive mixed messages or become another isolated silo. Third-party unification is the antidote, which is best administered by a highly experienced external marketing team.

From the Outside In Few companies look at their business from the outside in, consider what customers really want and develop marketing strategies from that perspective. Instead, most tend to work from the inside (looking) out, that is, from the company’s perspective. Internal thinking isn’t necessarily wrong, but can result in one-sided marketing decisions. To clearly see 360, businesses need expert eyes looking in from a "forest" point of view, unobstructed by "trees."

Internal/External Math There appears to be a rising number of recruitment ads for in-house marketing personnel. Many companies are filling multiple positions, such as brand, product, partnership marketing etc. With a minimum of 3 to 5 staff members per marketing department and salaries averaging $100K each, internal talent easily becomes a $300K to $500K slice of the budget pie. Alternatively, an average of $50K to $75K per year buys an outsourced marketing boutique with equivalent number of staff (or more) dedicated to each client’s business. The right external team will not only support company marketing directors, but free up budget for expanded initiatives and increased results, rather than increased personnel.