When it comes to marketing automation (or any type of marketing), there are two options to make it a success for your business… You can choose DIY, keeping it in-house, or you can outsource it to a specialist marketing automation agency.
Yes, we are a marketing automation agency, so you might expect us to tell you that it’s always the best option for your business.
But, that’s not always true, and there are many benefits to doing your marketing automation in-house if you have the capacity to do so.
So, in this blog, we’ll explore the benefits of outsourcing marketing automation and of doing it in-house, so that you can decide which is the right choice for you.
- Related content: Why you shouldn’t outsource your marketing automation
The benefits of outsourcing to a marketing automation agency…
We are big advocates of outsourcing marketing automation (we are one of the experts after all). And a lot of companies agree, with nearly two-thirds of B2B businesses outsourcing their marketing according to HubSpot.
This doesn’t mean that it’s always the best option for businesses.
Agencies (the good ones) are generally not that cheap. If you are a small business with low profit margins, or perhaps a start up, going to an agency to get your marketing automation kick-started might be a little hasty - especially if you're not confident with the ROI.
Don't worry if you fall into that category, we'll explore another option later in this blog.
There are, however, some really amazing benefits that come with outsourcing your marketing automation to a business like ours.
1. Learn about marketing automation...
I know lots of people LOVE the idea of handing their marketing automation over to someone and not having to think about it again.
The truth is, while an agency does the heavy lifting, you still need to be involved in the process for it to be successful. Yes, it’s a lot less work, but it’s not absolutely zero.
Yes, this is a benefit! It allows you to really learn about the strategies behind great marketing automation; why it’s important and why it can be so valuable to your business. This will help you buy in for future implementation, which will ultimately benefit your business.
2. Specific advice for your business...
When you outsource your marketing automation you are, in part, paying for an expert to hold your hand throughout the process.
Learning about marketing automation is brilliant, however, it’s difficult to get a really personalised and tailored approach when you are doing training that was built for multiple businesses.
When you outsource, any advice, critique or implementation is completely and 100% tailored to suit your business. While the processes might have been repeated a million times and proven to work, they are expertly crafted to fit your unique business needs.
And so the results are usually much more successful.
3. You can have all the work done for you…
It depends exactly what you sign up for with an agency. Sometimes, they will just help you with the strategy and the planning, and you’ll have to implement it.
However, oftentimes they will help with everything including strategy, planning, content creation and implementation.
This will save you loads of time, and ensure that the entire marketing automation process is crafted by an expert.
Overall, outsourcing your marketing automation is usually the best option if you want to get the work done in a guided, strategic and structured way.
And it’s also the best option if you are cash-rich but time-poor. It can take the burden off your shoulder and let you get on with whatever it is you do best.
Marketing Automation Domination (MAD): an outsourcing solution...
Marketing Automation Domination (or MAD for short), is our flagship, 6-month programme, that has been developed and fine-tuned over the years in order to help you design and implement your ideal customer journey.
This programme has been perfected by building our own marketing automation strategy and working with clients to create and implement theirs.
Basically, we do all the stages of the marketing automation process for you.
We’ll audit the effectiveness of what you already have (if applicable), and then we will create a plan that works with your existing process and systems, optimising and improving where necessary.
And if you don’t have anything in place then don’t worry we’ll help you build and implement a solid marketing automation strategy.
MAD is all about giving you the best competitive advantage with a supreme behavioural journey.
It really draws on the experience of our team as experts and injects that experience into your business - giving you the very best chance of success.
Get in touch!
The benefits of managing your marketing automation in-house…
Oftentimes, creating and implementing one's own marketing - including all the automation - is a good choice for businesses. And, being completely honest, there are many benefits to doing it yourself.
1. You could save money…
An expert brain comes with an expert price tag - which means that outsourcing your marketing automation will almost always be more expensive than doing it in-house.
This makes an in-house approach a more budget-friendly option.
However, this needs to be weighed up against the time it will take you to learn the strategy, plan everything out, and then create, optimise and implement it.
2. Cater to your own timelines…
When you are working with an agency, they will usually be pushing you to stick to deadlines. This is great as it keeps you accountable and ensures that the work is implemented at a good pace.
However, if you are time-poor, you might not have the capacity to work with an agency and stick to their deadlines.
If you do your marketing automation in-house, you can work to your own timelines and deadlines. This means that you are still getting the work done, but you will not feel overwhelmed.
3. Fit it into your own processes...
The beauty of doing your own marketing automation is that you can design it from the inside out to perfectly fit into your own company processes. No need to shoe-horn established processes into your way of working.
Plus by learning via a membership such as the Marketing Automation Academy you can integrate your own processes with best of class templates - so it’s the best of both worlds.
Ultimately, in-house will usually save you some money, and it’s usually the preferred choice for businesses that are brand new to the world of automation and aren’t quite ready to take the leap and pay for a professional.
But... that doesn’t mean that you can’t get the help of some professionals to make sure it’s a success.
Which one is best for YOUR marketing automation?
You’ll need to decide which option is best for you. And remember, what is right right now, might not always be the best solution.
Generally speaking, outsourcing is the best option if you have some money to invest, but not a lot of time. It ensures that you have a brilliant marketing automation strategy and the content to back it up, implemented in good time, with a high-level of expertise.
In-house is a little more hands-on, however, it is often the best if you are starting out. You might not have a high-budget right now, or maybe, you are simply keen to get stuck in and learn to tie the ropes yourself!
Get in touch!
