The shift to the "as a service" world is accelerating. Marketing is no stranger to working with agencies to deliver specific skill sets, such as creative and PR. But now Australia's small and medium business sector is seeing the rise of whole-of-function outsourcing applied to marketing. Firms are recognising that marketing is undergoing a fundamental transition and they aren't able to keep up. Paul Roetzer, author of the marketing performance blueprint calls it "the marketing performance gap". He talks of three gaps:
- An inability to develop strategy appropriate for the era of the newly empowered, always online, educated buyer
- A lack of breadth in marketing skills for the digital age
- An inability to integrate marketing technology into a firm's business
To close this gap and restart their stalled lead generation engines firms are turning to a new breed of marketing partner. A partner with hybrid skills that straddle strategy development, campaign execution and technology deployment.
There are six specific benefits of outsourcing marketing:
- Speed: Working with an expert partner who does this type of work all day every day means firms are able to execute campaigns faster, avoid mistakes and missteps and reach their goals faster.
- Resource Flexibility: The business has plans to grow, but its not clear exactly how fast it might happen. Hiring full time employees in an uncertain environment isn’t smart. Better to work with a Marketing as a Service (MaaS) provider. Firms can dial marketing capacity up or down, as need dictates.
- Access To Skills: Finding and keeping people with the right skills for today’s smorgasbord of requirements is very, very tough. Using MaaS providers gives you access to a wide range of skills, but only for as long as you need them.
- Technology infrastructure: Modern marketing has made huge strides in use of technology. Massive gains in efficiency and effectiveness await those who do it right. Marketing automation and Customer relationship management software are vital tools for small and medium businesses – leading to significant savings and efficiencies. It gives smaller firms a chance to complete with the big end of town.
- Measurement & Accountability: Good MaaS providers are able to measure and report on everything they do. Progress reports should be available 24x7 on marketing campaigns. Campaign goals are tied to your business’ revenue targets. Senior executives now have visibility and accountability and can calculate the ROI of their investment.
- Access to best practices: Massive change is sweeping the marketing function. Keeping up with the latest best practices is very tough. Utilising MaaS providers means accessing the best thinking and proven tactics for generating leads, giving firms a jump on their competition.
If you'd like to hear more on this topic listen to this on demand webinar. Or to read more on B2B marketing and lead generation in the modern era, access our complimentary eBook below.
