5 Steps to Outsource B2B Digital Marketing

With people constantly glued to the internet, digital marketing has become one of the most effective ways to reach buyers – even in B2B and niche industries. Users are not only accessing email on the go, but also relying on search engines and AI-powered assistants to help them find how-tos, products, and services. 

When it comes to how to outsource digital marketing, however, the path has many potential twists and turns – not to mention pitfalls. 

Buyers can research and compare on their own with minimal seller interaction, leaving CEOs and marketing/sales heads wondering: What work remains for their teams? And who’s best equipped to do it?

One thing’s for sure: Brands need to optimize their digital presence for the new age of buyer expectations and AI’s intrusion. Some statistics to think about:

• U.S. marketers report allocating 19% of their marketing budgets to mobile advertising (Statista). Knowing where and when to allocate marketing funds is crucial in a fluid market. 
• Hubspot research determined that 29% of marketers list SEO (Search Engine Optimization) as a top trend they leverage.
• In the U.S., 41% of adults use voice search daily, finding it easier and faster than traditional searches (TechReport, 2023). Your presence in voice search results is more important than ever. 

Because a digital marketing campaign’s scope is often vast, it can be a challenge to find the best approach while maintaining a realistic budget. This is the time to leverage a third-party partnership with experienced professionals to maximize the juice you squeeze from the fruit of your labors. 

Below we’ll trace the five steps you must take to launch a successful partnership.

How to Outsource Internet Marketing in 5 Steps

Once you’ve decided to outsource some – or all – of your marketing needs, the details become the main focus. Knowing your limits and flexibility before meeting with an agency or handing off tasks to a freelancer means greater success in the long run. Before you reach out for serious discussions, have the following outlined: 

1. How you’ll pick an agency
2. Budget
3. Goals
4. Liaison
5. Accountability

Agency Search Plans

Working with an agency may seem expensive, but it can cost less than retaining one marketing employee on your payroll. In addition to not worrying about paying benefits, you don’t have to worry about paid time off, what hats that employee will need to wear, or what their focus should be daily.

With the right agency, you get expertise in handling the content deliverables of your desired marketing campaign, as well as advanced analytics capabilities and up-to-date training on trends and technologies. 

An agency should still give you input over exactly what tasks will be part of the campaign (and who will do them).

Budget Decisions

Effective marketing strategies start with a realistic view of the budget available to achieve the year’s growth goals. Review the current state of your marketing and all business successes. From there, you can get a better idea of the investment needed to reach the target ROI - and how best to spend the budget at hand.

Content creation can be time-consuming. Outsourcing everything to a full-service agency means a faster start to this process, as they have the employees available to execute your strategy and content needs. 

Marketing Goals

While you’re determining who to work with and how extensive that partnership(s) will be, decide what your goals are and how fast you want to reach them. 

Determine your target market, goals, potential obstacles, the brand stories you want to tell. Analyze both competitor content and your sales teams’ historical knowledge of buyer loves and hates.

By setting SMART goals, it’ll be easier for both sides to decide what marketing channels to prioritize. 

While outlining your marketing scope, you can also determine the intended volume within a certain timeframe. For a more immediate boost to your ROI, you can choose to work with an agency with a wide range of talented staff that can handle a variety of content. 

Unsure of where to go next with your marketing strategy? Consider a full audit: How to Audit your Online Marketing.

Pick a Liaison

For clarity and consistency, choosing one person to handle the interactions with the marketing agency is a forward-thinking move. This includes: 

• Managing the review process
• Communication with the marketing agency
• Payments
• Strategy final say 

This individual in your company can be your eyes and ears, while also managing outreach to other in-house experts as needed. More people may seem like the better way to go, but this only reduces forward momentum due to conflicting opinions or unclear outlines of responsibilities. 

Accountability & Other Roles

As noted above, too many people involved in the collaboration process can muddy the waters. Be sure that clear directions are available for all responsible parties. 

Now is also the time to identify the person within your organization who will provide the assets needed for content creation (i.e. media) and the logins to access all social media platforms, the website, and other necessary resources. The right person to provide knowledge for content, or a general plan for facilitating access to company experts, is a good item to knock off the to-do list now as well. 

Finally, it is a good idea to be clear about who is going to review content as it is created and who has the responsibility for final approval. 

Weighing the Options: Digital Marketing Outsourcing Companies

In the end, there are three main options to consider for your digital marketing. 

You can choose to handle it all in-house, which provides the most control but requires significant time and resources. You can share the work with an outside digital marketing agency, which can provide specialized coaching and take some of the workload off your plate. The third option is to have an agency (or agencies) handle all of your digital marketing efforts, which is the most hands-off approach but may mean less direct control. Ultimately, the best choice will depend on your specific business needs, budget, and marketing goals.

Understanding the various elements of agency choice, from budget decisions to who will handle what part of the approval and communication processes can give you a better idea of how things will progress once you have decided on your outsourcing needs.