Marketing and sales are two of the biggest drivers of any business. However, they can also be two of the most expensive departments.
That’s where outsourced sales and marketing come in. Because hiring in-house staff can be a costlier gamble.
According to LinkedIn, it turns out that 59% of companies outsource to save costs.
If aligning your in-house sales and marketing teams is already challenging, then the thought of outsourcing one or both departments can scare business owners.
Don’t worry.
In this blog post, we’ll take a look at some of the key benefits of outsourcing. We’ll also talk about which sales and marketing activities can be outsourced.
In other words, what you need to know before you try it.
So if you’re thinking about outsourcing your sales and marketing campaigns, keep reading.
What is outsourced sales and marketing?
Outsourced sales and marketing is the act of contracting business functions to a third-party source. They’re people outside your company who you make responsible for achieving your defined goals.
Outsourcing can be done through a direct hire or an agency agreement.
Successful outsourcing can help a business accelerate its revenue at a fraction of your sales and marketing investment if you hire in-house. Though there still seems to be a good debate between outsourcing and keeping everything in-house.
Since sales and marketing are two separate functions, it isn’t compulsory to do both when you outsource. You can outsource marketing and have in-house sales teams. Or you can outsource sales while having an in-house marketing team.
Let’s see how they compare. We’ll examine the difference between the two ways you can do sales and marketing.
In-house vs. outsourcing
Wondering if you should outsource or do business functions in-house? Let’s weigh the two options:
| In-house team | Outsourced team |
|---|---|
+ You have more control over how operations are done. + You have direct communication with whoever is responsible for a task. + You have less risk with the security of internal data. + Your team can respond faster, so the turnaround of projects is fluid. + Your employees have a clear corporate culture. | + You can save overhead expenses. + You have wider access to experts in various fields who can help you grow your business. + You decide when the project is done and can terminate the relationship at any time. + You can get started quickly and easily without investing in expensive infrastructure or training. + You and your team can focus on your core business activities. |
| – Your team will only be as good as their skill set allows, which may not be enough for some complex projects. – Internal teams can often be biased toward their own work and ideas, which can hinder innovation and creativity. – In-house teams are typically more expensive to maintain. – In-house teams can quickly become overworked if they don’t have the proper resources. | – There’s a higher risk of confidential information being leaked if you’re not careful. – Communication can be difficult when working with an outsourcing partner due to time zone, cultural differences, and the fact that you are one of many clients for them. – You lose control over the quality of the work that’s being done. – Outsourced teams don’t know your product as well as in-house teams. |
Here’s some inspiration if you’re thinking of outsourcing your sales and marketing activities but don’t know where to start.
10 Sales and marketing activities you can outsource
1. LinkedIn lead generation
Generating leads through LinkedIn can be a challenge, especially if you’re not familiar with the platform or don’t have the time to dedicate to it.
Outsourcing your LinkedIn lead generation to a professional company can help you get the most out of this social network. By outsourcing your lead generation, you’ll have access to experienced professionals who know how to generate high-quality leads through LinkedIn.
Here’s an example:
LinkedSelling specializes in lead generation through LinkedIn. They helped an IT company reach a larger audience than their current technique. And in less than 2 months, LinkedSelling brought in 111 qualified leads for them.
2. Cold email
Another great lead generation medium, when done right, is cold emailing. The problem is it’s hard and time-consuming to create a prospect’s list and craft a message that’ll catch their interest. Let alone setting up an entirely new domain or getting the leads to respond and book calls with you.
Better to simply outsource your cold email outreach to experienced professionals who wouldn’t get your main domain banned.
They can help you create a campaign that targets your ideal customer and gets results. Like Growth Rhino, a reliable provider of cold email services. For a client, they got open rates of 40%-80% & CTR from 15% to 35%. That’s about 10 to 25 contact sessions.
3. Email marketing
People have been saying email marketing is dead for the past two decades. If it is, then it’s like a zombie that never really got buried in the tombstone.
The numbers say that email is still growing and relevant today. In fact, it’s still the most preferred channel by brands and professionals. And marketers say email’s still the most effective tactic for awareness, acquisition, conversion, and retention.
Email marketing is one of the most important things you can do for your business, but it’s also one of the most difficult things to get started with.
You need a strategy. You need copy. And you need to make sure the right messages go to the right people at the right time (without accidentally firing a test email or a flood of emails at the same time).
The question is, do you have the time to learn and implement email marketing yourself?
If you don’t, then it’s better to outsource.
You can hire experts who will help you:
- create campaigns that reach your target audience and drive results
- automate repetitive follow-ups
- and even establish your CRM lead tracking
And if they’re paired with a marketing automation platform that does sales automation like Encharge, the work gets cut in half.
With Encharge, you get access to email marketing experts and premium services. That’s their team taking care of everything from planning to launching and optimizing your repetitive projects that require automation.
3. Content marketing
Content marketing helps you create trust, cultivate connections, enhance conversions, and generate leads by providing the answers your market is looking for.
But the effort required to create quality content is huge. It takes a lot of time, effort, and research pieces. Plus, it’s hard to keep up with the business’s demands.
Entrusting your content marketing to a professional agency can help you save time and produce better results. They can assure that the right people will see your content and that it will help you achieve your business goals.
There are tons of places where you can outsource them to freelance writers. One is Express Writers. You can hire different content writers for different jobs. If you go for the more experienced writers, you will have to pay more.
4. Social media marketing
Social media is a great way to connect with customers and promote your products. There are over 3.6 billion people on social media worldwide, and that’s projected to grow to almost 4.41 billion by 2025. So if you’re not marketing to this channel, you could be losing money.
You can rest easy knowing your social media accounts are in good hands by hiring a professional social media marketer. They will help you create a winning social media strategy that fits your brand and target audience.
Sociallyn claim to help companies with their social media marketing strategy. In one instance, they even helped a client beat their goal by $25,000.
5. Web Design
Your web design matters. A lot. Visual appeal constitutes 75% of website credibility. So not having a well-designed website is costing you business. You could lose out on potential customers who are looking for your products or services online.
By working with a professional web design company, you can get a high-quality website that will help you grow your business. Just like Oppo, Uber, and Corsair ― proud clients of Clay. They’re one of the top web design outsourcing agencies in the U.S.
6. SEO
Do you want your website to rank higher in search engines? SEO can help you with that. Yet, it can be one of the most complex and time-consuming tasks. So doing it yourself might not be the best idea.
Getting a professional agency to handle your SEO can take the hassle out of ranking your website and leave you more time to focus on what you’re good at. An example is Soderman, a Phoenix SEO Agency. They grew a client’s organic traffic from 0 to 6,000+ monthly. Their results promise you to appear among the top-ranking results of a tough keyword.
7. Analytics
If you’re a business owner, a marketer, or a sales manager, you know that analytics are important. They can be incredibly valuable when it comes to an understanding your customers and making data-driven decisions.
But they’re also complex. And your resources need to be top-notch.
Outsourcing your analytics to professionals can let you focus on running your business. InsightsAnalytics is an outsourcing company for services related to data analytics. InsightAnalytics work with a plethora of analytical tools like BI tools, A/B testing tools, data lakes, and more and can set up a full analytical program within a month.
8. Sales development representative (SDR)
SDRs are necessary for any sales organization. But hiring and training one can be expensive and take forever. It can take months for them to become fully productive.
Outsourcing your SDR function to an experienced provider can help you quickly ramp up your sales efforts. That is without the expense or risk of hiring someone new.
An example is The Sales Factory. They got good reviews from clients who experienced results from their outsourced sales team in prospecting leads.
9. Copywriting
I’m not sure if you also believe this, but copywriting is believed to be the #1 marketing skill.
The majority of the activities we mentioned here involve copywriting. Other activities involve copywriters indirectly.
Okay, so here’s why it’s better to outsource copywriting than do it yourself.
Copywriting is generally not for a business owner. It’s better to delegate it if you want to focus on projects with higher ROI, like hiring and planning operations. Copywriting requires time and attention.
Outsourced copywriting services aren’t hard to find one either. An example here is the CaaSocio SaaS copywriting agency. A good copywriter can help you double your free trial conversions, increase demo bookings, and bump up product activation by a good percentage. You shouldn’t underestimate copy.
But is it expensive to hire an outsourced sales and marketing team?
If you’ve decided to outsource the sales and marketing functions, then you’re already aware of its pros and cons (as we’ve presented earlier). You’re now concerned if they’re expensive. Don’t worry; it makes sense.
You’ve got to understand this.
All services need TIME, PLANNING, and STRATEGY. So if you think a certain service takes less time or is easier to plan, you’ll probably be charged less for it. Because you’ll see how its value increases if you see its complexity.
Some of the sales and marketing tasks include
- Lead generation,
- Lead management,
- Customer support,
- and Inbound/outbound marketing.
However, sales and marketing are not linear. In terms of figures, it may range anywhere from $1,000 to $20,000+ per month. But some agencies charge a flat rate. So it’s important to find a company that can provide you with the services you need at a price you can afford.
How do you get started with outsourcing?
We’re now close to doing what matters most to you, whether that’s growing your business or spending more time with your family. Here are ways to get started:
First, these questions need your honest answers:
- Is it the right time to look into outsourcing?
- Do I have everything I need to outsource?
- What should I look for when outsourcing my sales and marketing tasks?
- Where should I look when I’m looking to outsource?
If you’re unsure about your answers, use these considerations to guide you:
1. The right time to look into outsourcing
- Costs are rising, but productivity isn’t. You’re spending more money but not getting the return you want.
- Your sales and marketing team are overwhelmed with work. You can’t keep up with the demand, and there’s too much on your plate.
- Your team is stretched too thin. Meaning you don’t have the manpower to take on new projects or meet deadlines.
- You do not see results from your in-house efforts. Their tasks are taking longer to be completed (than they should), and quality is suffering.
2. Things that you should have in place before outsourcing
- The budget you’re willing to spend on outsourcing.
- Communication and accountability systems are in place.
- A clear understanding of what you want the outsourced team to do for you.
- Detailed specifications and requirements for the work to be done.
- Your organization’s perfect customer. Create a profile of the most suitable candidates for your solutions.
3. Things to look for when hiring an outsourced sales or marketing team
- Experience and expertise in your industry or niche.
- Confirm that they have a proven track record of success with similar projects.
- Their business process for working with clients.
- Get an estimate for the project and make sure it’s within your budget.
4. Where to look for when looking to outsource
- Freelance websites like UpWork, Fiverr, and Guru are great places to find freelancers to outsource work to.
- Facebook groups and LinkedIn groups are great places to find people who can help you with your project.
- Professional networks can be a great resource for finding qualified professionals to help you with your project.
Here’s a tip from Phillip Rivers that will help your outsourcing decisions:
But really, the best outsourcing agency or individual comes from referrals from friends and colleagues in the same industry.
Chances are, someone you know has worked with great outsourcing professionals or teams in the past. So if anyone you know has successfully outsourced and gotten results, get the name of their outsourcing team.
Thoughts on outsourced sales and marketing
Outsourcing can be a great way to get the help you need without having to hire and train new employees.
If you’re considering outsourcing your sales and marketing efforts, there are a few things you need to know first. We’ve outlined the most important considerations in this post, and we hope it helps you make the best decision for your business.
But whether you choose in-house or outsourcing, you don’t need to worry about email marketing and sales automation. Encharge can take care of that.
At Encharge, we offer a free trial so that you can test out our services and see if they’re a good fit for your business. We would love to partner with you and help grow your company.
