There’s a debate that surfaces every few years about outsourcing digital marketing. Should one agency handle all my digital marketing? Or should I outsource pay per click (PPC marketing) to one firm? Use another firm for display ad marketing? And find a third for social media outreach?
The theory of outsourcing different types of digital advertising to different firms that specialize in one area is attractive. After all, they do that one niche very well. If you assemble a group of agencies, freelancers or close friends to tackle individual pieces of your campaigns, you’re getting the best expertise in each area for your company. Again, it’s great… in theory.
When you divide your digital marketing into pieces, it takes more time and effort for someone on staff to coordinate the moving parts and make sure tactics and messages work together. That’s how marketing works – a well-oiled cog. From Google Ads to remarketing display ads to social media messaging, coordination is key.
It’s rare for a customer to have no interaction with your brand, see one digital ad, and immediately become a customer. More realistically, customers experience your brand messages over time in different settings (online and/or offline) and decide to know, like, and trust you. When they know you and like you, then can they trust you enough to become your customer.
A more detailed flow of the interaction looks like this:
- Customers search for a product or service online. Through good search engine optimization (SEO) or PPC, your company appears in the results. They click to your website and take a brief look around. Then they leave. (They may be doing more research, or maybe a child was crying in the distance. It’s not your fault, and it happens all the time. Some estimate that 70 percent shopping carts are abandoned.)
- Because these people have become your target audience, next they see a Facebook or LinkedIn ad that reminds them you exist – and that they have a need for your product or service. They click to your website to read more, but they’re not ready to fill out your contact form yet.
- Thanks to your search marketing ad, website, and social media working together, they’re now in your remarketing program and see your retargeting ad. In fact, your ad is “following” them around the internet. Your product or service is top of mind and maybe it’s time to submit that form or call.
That’s a modern customer journey. No individual digital marketing tactic should get credit for working better than the others. They work in tandem – that’s how integrated marketing communications is successful. Each of those messages should be carefully coordinated giving the same brand message and creative look. And message creators need to understand their role in the customer journey.
At EAG Advertising & Marketing, we find ourselves in every possible marketing role for our clients. There are some relationships where we serve as a fully outsourced marketing department, reporting directly to the CEO or to the head of marketing or sales. For others, we’re the lead agency and we work in partnership with one to two vendors where the company had a previous relationship. And in a few cases, we’re just one small part of a larger team – for example developing and executing the company’s employment brand and recruitment marketing. How you construct your marketing team is important, but it ultimately has to work (together) for you and your business.
We understand roles. And we understand customer journeys. If you’d like to see how we’d fit into your outsourced marketing program, let’s talk