The Importance of Outsourcing in Digital Marketing

When we think about marketing and where we are today, the digital marketing industry is enormously complex. Interestingly enough, this fast-paced, intricate industry has only developed within the last 5-10 years, whereas other industries such as the architecture and building industry have decades upon decades of experience to look back on. In digital marketing, we are up against algorithms, changing consumer habits, large companies driving up competition, new software, new forms of media – the list goes on. 

As technology advances, consumer behavior changes and new channels emerge, we’ve found it increasingly important to outsource experts in the field. Think about it this way: architects need to outsource interior designers, and developers require builders or construction teams to finish a project, right? Delivering a successful digital marketing campaign works in a similar way. 

In this blog, we explore the various factors that contribute to the complexity of marketing and discuss how our agency brand relationship allows our clients to succeed in today’s digital landscape.

Differentiating Digital Channels Demands Different Experts

One of the biggest challenges of digital marketing is the fragmentation of digital channels. There are numerous channels available to businesses today, including search engines, social media, websites, email marketing, paid media, and more. Each of these channels has its own unique set of characteristics and requires a different approach (and management) to marketing. These differentiating characteristics determine how different platforms operate, the specific metrics we track, the objectives we utilize, and the way users interact with different channels. By taking a deeper look into the variations of marketing platforms, it becomes clear as to why certain channels demand dedicated experts. 

For example, SEO operates to send qualified users who are actively searching for your product or service to discover your brand on Google search. Whereas website development and CRO/UX operate to optimize user experience and conversion rate, which makes it more likely for a user to stay on your website once they discover it (whether it’s through a Facebook ad, Google search, or a paid advertisement). The differences in channel variations determine the distinct metrics we measure and the objectives we use.

Furthermore, SEO is one of the most sought-after digital marketing channels because it generates leads and increases your long-term ROI. However, with benefits comes complexity. SEO needs to be constantly optimized to stay in line with Google’s algorithm changes (which can occur up to 500-700 times per year), core updates, ranking factor developments, website optimizations, and more. Due to its intricacy, the channel requires technical expertise to perform consistent website optimizations to rank higher in search results.

Increased Data Availability

Digital marketing generates vast amounts of data, which can be both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, data provides valuable insights into consumer behavior and helps us make more informed decisions about your marketing strategy. On the other hand, there are thousands of data tools out there, and knowing which platforms to use and how to interpret this data can be a large feat for any internal team to tackle.

For example, our CRO team utilizes user-behavior tools to track website activity and analyze conversion rates. This data helps us identify which pages are performing well and which ones need improvement, which in turn benefits your user experience and conversion rate. Using their vast knowledge and expertise, our CRO/UX team analyzes your metrics and makes data-driven recommendations.

Outsourcing experts allows us to succeed in a complex industry, where we can utilize the correct tools and data platforms that impact our strategic decisions and promote more successful outcomes for our clients. 

Rising Competition 

Competition in any industry can be fierce, driving up the cost of advertising and making it more difficult for businesses to achieve a positive ROI (especially without the help of experts). The rise of digital marketing has created a level playing field, allowing businesses of all sizes to compete for attention. While this can be great for consumers, it means that businesses face increased competition in the digital space.

A lackluster website or a low-performing SEO strategy makes it even more challenging for you to stand out from the crowd and attract new customers. However, when a dedicated web development or SEO team steps in, their knowledge makes it so our clients rise above the competition, whether you need an individualized web design or a custom SEO strategy. 

A dedicated team is vital to your success in the face of your industry competition for multiple reasons. The first being that your competitors are likely already using experts in the field to beat changing algorithms, initiate website updates, keep up with industry changes and so on. The other reason is that our experts constantly perform competitor analyses and gap analyses, which helps give your company authority within your industry.

Constantly Changing Consumer Behavior

Ever-changing consumer behavior evidently makes it challenging for businesses to keep up with the latest trends and preferences. The rise of mobile devices alone has led to a shift in consumer behavior, with more people using their smartphones to search for products and make purchases.

Businesses need to stay on top of these trends and adapt their digital marketing strategies accordingly. As a company, you need a mobile-responsive design to ensure that your website is optimized for mobile devices and create mobile-specific campaigns to target mobile users.

At the end of the day, our team at Unframed Digital remains experts in buyer behavior and stays current with changing consumer habits. Our industry knowledge ultimately helps impact the strategies behind our technology and platform experts. 

The Importance of Our Digital Marketing Vendors

Agencies often get a bad rap for working with outside vendors, but it’s important to understand the importance of an outside partnership. We are commonly asked if our team is in-house or if we provide services on a vendor basis. What do we say? We always give the utmost transparency, in that there is no way to run complex marketing channels without vendors, specialists and experts that are staying up on trends. 

In the architecture and building industry, you also need outside experts to complete a project. Whether it’s outsourcing an electrician, flooring manufacturer, civil engineer, or interior designer, have you ever completed a project using solely your in-house team? Our analogy proves that It takes multiple industry experts to provide outstanding work when it comes to a project’s success.  

Final Thoughts

Digital marketing is a constantly evolving landscape, and those who are willing to adapt and innovate will be the ones that succeed in the long run. While we stay up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies, analyze data to inform our decision-making, and make refinements to our digital strategies, we need the help of vendors for complex marketing campaigns just like you need the help of other industry experts. By leaning on our vendors (we prefer to call them teammates), we are able to execute effective strategies that reach and engage audiences, drive conversions, and ultimately, grow your business. To learn more about how Unframed Digital can help, contact us.