As part of the Outsourcing and Shared Services (OSS) industry, outsourced Digital Marketing related activities are some of the top non-core business processes outsourced by many enterprises to specialized outsourcing providers.
On top of the almost 70% savings on workforce costs, small, medium, and large enterprises outsourcing to digital marketing agencies benefit from the increase in business opportunities as well. These, and other tangible and intangible benefits, are enticing more and more enterprises to take a look at outsourcing digital marketing as a viable business option.
With the current COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the globe, Business Process Outsourcing companies, including Digital Marketing agencies, are becoming more aggressive in offering their services to global enterprises currently beset by the worldwide slowdown.
Top outsourcing destinations like the Philippines that consider BPOs as a top industry that delivers consistent dollar inflows to the economy have given substantial support and priority to help the sector ease back to normal operations.
The tremendous benefits derived from outsourcing have been established, and in light of these global developments, enterprises should seriously consider outsourcing non-critical business processes, including digital marketing operations.
The Current State of Digital Marketing Outsourcing
The global outsourcing market has practically doubled in size during the last eight years, raking in revenues of up to US$92.5 billion in the year 2019 alone. These include revenues from Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO), Social Media Outsourcing (SMO), and Digital Marketing Outsourcing (DMO).
As much as 85% of logistics leaders rely on outsourcing to supplement their global operations to meet business objectives. Other business sectors are following suit and are planning on boosting their outsourcing budgets. Experts have foreseen a continuous growth in the industry, which is expected to exceed 11% by the year 2023.
The global slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic may dampen the momentum of this rapid growth, as businesses reel from the impact of lockdowns and work stoppages. Given these developments, enterprises from around the world are shifting to new work practices to adjust to the situation. These include shifting to Cloud-based operations, work-from-home arrangements, and outsourcing processes like digital marketing to offshore agencies in top destinations like the Philippines.
In the Philippines, the BPO industry is considered one of the top and vital industries that the government fully supports and would ensure continued operations under the “Enhanced Community Quarantine” while guaranteeing the safety and welfare of its workers. Experts are expecting the Philippine BPO industry to benefit from the situation, as global enterprises opt to cut costs by outsourcing.
In this global slowdown, businesses should start rethinking how they operate and explore innovative outsourced services, including social media management and digital marketing. When the quarantine ends and the world slowly resume normal operations, enterprises who sought the outsourcing route will continue to reap the benefits.
Considerations Before Outsourcing Digital Marketing
Digital marketing has proven to be a useful tool that many enterprises have harnessed to strengthen their branding and market reach. Enterprises that are planning on implementing productive and successful digital marketing outsourcing initiatives should first consider the following factors and pre-requisites before embarking on their outsourced digital marketing project.
- Outsourcing Areas
Digital marketing is one of the strategic marketing initiatives many enterprises are considering outsourcing. Many enterprises believe that outsourced digital marketing can provide their businesses with more significant potential to generate more clientele and subsequent growth.
Before deciding on outsourcing your digital marketing operations, you must first identify which areas will be outsourced and which shall be retained in-house. These areas may include but are not limited to:
- Content Creation
- Brand Management
- Social Media Management
- Search Engine Optimization
- Website Optimization, Maintenance, and Analytics
- Internet Reputation Management and Digital Public Relations
- Mobile Marketing
- Competition Analytics and Tracking
- Advertising and Campaign Management
- Digital Event Management
- Competitiveness
While cost is a primary consideration in choosing a digital marketing agency, you should also consider the competitiveness, skill sets, expertise, and range of digital marketing service offerings they can offer.
- Communication and Workforce Management
The digital marketing agency you are planning to work with should have excellent communication systems and practices, particularly in keeping track of activities and project status, as well as keeping you updated on milestones, insights, and potential issues.
The outsourcing digital marketing agency should also make use of the latest and most effective communication tools available for both internal and external communication, including:
- Project Management Tools
- Communication Facilities Like Audio and Video Conferencing Tools
- Performance Tracking and Monitoring Tools, and
- Project Reporting Tools
- Data Protection and Security
Your digital marketing outsourcing partner should put data protection and security as a top priority. The company should have proper data protection and security protocols and implementation in place, keeping the extra effort in maintaining compliance with information security laws.
- Reputation in the Market
Market reputation is crucial, and this holds when choosing the best outsourcing digital marketing agency who you can partner with. Perform a background check on the company you are considering partnering with, particularly with regards to:
- Their reputation in the market
- What their current and previous clientele are saying about them,
- Their clientele and clientele reach
- What industry bodies and saying about them
- Technologies
There are many advancements in internet and digital marketing technologies that are proven to deliver better results. It would be best to choose an outsourcing partner who is skilled and knowledgeable with these technologies and is extensively using them in their operations.
The Take Away
The outsourcing industry, including significant sectors like digital marketing, remains to be relevant in 2020 and will continue to be consistent in the coming years. This is even made more evident in the worldwide slowdown brought about by quarantine measures adopted to curve the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In these scenarios, the outsourcing industry remains to be resilient with their continued operations amidst these setbacks while implementing alternative measures and work environments to adjust to the current situation while continuously delivering valuable services. With more effective technological advances and increased efficacy in handling strategic outsourced processes, now is the time to put digital marketing outsourcing your top business priority in 2020 and beyond.
Jomer B. Gregorio is a well-rounded expert when it comes digital marketing. Jomer is also known as a semantic SEO evangelist and practitioner. Check out our Digital Marketing Services today and let us help you in achieving positive and profitable results for your business.