Entrepreneurs with new ventures frequently wear many hats. The founder of a company is often the Chief Executive, Bookkeeper, Director of Customer Relations, and Office Janitor; all rolled into one.
As a business grows, however, smart startups will begin to delegate the tasks they can. One such task is email marketing, which often falls into the category of “marketing activities” or “operational expenses” for small business owners who do not want to spend their limited time and resources on this function until it has reached a level of importance in their company.
That said, outsourcing email marketing may be an excellent option for entrepreneurs who are just starting. For example, more than half of all startups use outsourced help with some aspect of their core operations before scaling up to hiring full-time staff.
This article provides tips on how you should approach outsourcing and what questions need answering when looking into modernizing your digital presence.
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What is Outsourced Email Marketing?
Outsourced email marketing is a service in which you retain an outside company to send promotional emails on your behalf. This frequently takes the form of email newsletters, social media marketing, and other advertising channels.
Because email marketing is a specialized skill set in its own right, it makes sense to outsource this service to professionals who are experts in this field.
» MORE: Why Email Marketing Is Important
Top 7 Benefits of Outsourcing Email Marketing
Email marketing is increasingly a must-do for any company with an online presence. It’s not just about sending the occasional newsletter. To stay relevant and rank high on search engine results, you need a strong email strategy that includes multiple channels like social media campaigns or promotions sent via text message.
This can take up considerable time and resources when done internally, which is why companies often outsource the process to senders outside their organization. In fact, many startups use outsourced help with some aspects of their core operations before scaling up to hiring full-time staff.
Here are some of the main benefits of outsourcing your email marketing campaigns:
- Increases output
- Builds brand awareness
- Provides expertise
- Keeps you focused on your core values
- It’s cost-Effective
- Is Time Efficient
- It’s Scalable
1. Outsourcing Increases Output
You will have the opportunity to create more content without hiring in-house staff. Some agencies may even produce both written and video copy, as well as design images for your emails.
2. Outsourcing Builds Brand Awareness
Your audience can expect timely communications from you, which helps build trust with customers and potential leads who might not otherwise know what’s going on at your company. This can allow you to work smarter, not harder when running a business.
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3. Outsourcing Provides Expertise
Outsourcing allows companies like yours access to experts who could teach them things about digital marketing they would never learn otherwise. These experts may also have experience with your target demographic that you don’t, increasing the chances of converting those leads into paying customers.
4. Outsourcing Keeps You Focused on Your Core Values
There are dozens and dozens of options available for any company when it comes to marketing strategies. Outsourcing will allow you to hand off all those small things. So, you can focus more time on what brings in the most revenue: core values like quality control or R&D.
» MORE: Best-Looking Email Marketing Software
5. Outsourcing Is Cost-Effective
One study found that businesses using outsourced email marketing services have 50% higher margins than those that don’t. Other research has shown a clear correlation between consistent email marketing campaigns and increased revenue.
6. Outsourcing Is Time Efficient
When you outsource the time-consuming aspects of your organization, it frees up valuable time for other activities such as driving sales or improving customer experience, leading to more revenue in the long run.
7. Outsourcing is Scalable
It doesn’t matter how many emails need to be sent each month – an outsourcing company can scale with your needs whether you send three per day or 100 per hour! Plus, if any changes are made to your strategy on the fly, they will adapt as needed quickly.
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Best Practices for Outsourcing Email Marketing
If you decide that outsourcing email marketing is the best decision for your company, it’s important to note a few things.
First of all, ensure that whoever handles this job has access to all customer data to target relevant messages accordingly.
Secondly, be wary of how often emails are sent out because spam filters will start blocking more quickly if you go too far in the other direction with frequency (keep an eye on open rates!).
Lastly, set clear deliverability rules: never send anything over 100 KB and always use plain text instead of HTML.
» MORE: How Much Does an Email Marketing Campaign Cost?
FAQs about Outsourcing Email Marketing
Q: How often should I send my customers updates?
A: The answer varies depending upon industry and customer preferences. However, experts recommend sending one promotional update per month or quarter at most – anything more than that may seem spammy to recipients.
Q: Is outsourcing email marketing considered Spam?
A: No, not if done correctly. Email marketing is a legitimate marketing tactic, and many companies have outsourced this to third-party providers. A professional email marketing agency will be familiar with the applicable rules governing email marketing. It will work within those parameters to keep your messages (and overall brand) from being labeled as Spam.
Q: Is it difficult to outsource email marketing?
A: No, not at all. Most of the time, when you are outsourcing your email marketing campaign, you will be able to use templates or drag-and-drop editors. This makes creating a cohesive look for your company much more straightforward. The only difficulty comes in managing multiple campaigns, so many companies choose one agency to trust to manage their emails across the board.
Final Thoughts
The bottom line is, email marketing has become a must-do for any company with an online presence. If you lack the staff or resources to dedicate to it internally, outsourcing your campaigns can be an effective way of staying relevant while saving valuable time and money.
It is important to remember that when selecting a sender outside your organization, you should make sure they are reliable and trustworthy by asking about their prior campaign results before hiring them.
By choosing the right email marketing provider, you can get back to what you do best and feel confident that your emails are being sent out by a company that knows how to reach the right audience at the right time.