5 Benefits of a digital marketing partnership

5 benefits of hiring a digital marketing partner

When you realize you need to invest additional resources into marketing, be careful not to underestimate the amount of work and special talent needs required to generate measurable results. It’s tempting to hire one or two in-house marketing specialists and consider the problem solved.

The truth is that digital marketing today is highly technical in nature. It requires the right tools, digital tracking strategies and technology integrations to drive measurable business results. The digital, technical and creative skills needed to be successful are not readily discovered in one or two employees.

Small in-house marketing teams are often expected to fill a “jack-of-all-specialized-trades” role to stay on top of critical undertakings like:

Qualitative audience research
Brand strategy
Technical search engine optimization (SEO)
Measurable data analytics strategies
User experience (UX) design
Web design and optimization
Marketing technologies integration
Video strategy and production
Content strategy and development
Social media strategy
Search engine marketing (SEM)
Campaign development
Lead generation
Traditional media advertising
And more

This list doesn’t even include daily administrative responsibilities like budget tracking, stakeholder meetings, responding to requests, ordering marketing materials, maintaining email lists and working with outside vendors. All this work leaves little time to strategize, think outside the box and produce the best results.

Pulling in a digital marketing partner that complements your in-house team to fill in the talent gaps can be a cost-effective way to maximize your return on investment (ROI).

When to engage a digital marketing partner

A good digital marketing partner meets you where you are to fill in existing technical and specialty gaps. Here are a few examples of times when it may be smart to consider outside talent.

New product or service launches

The design and implementation of a new campaign is extensive and often doesn’t replace the daily responsibilities of your digital marketing team. Digital marketing partners are known for working efficiently and can help manage tasks your employees simply don’t have time for, like in-depth audience research, overarching strategy design and making sure all pieces of the campaign are executed on time.

When it’s time to redo your website

Overhauling a website is no simple task, and it’s also an optimal time to refine your overarching brand strategy. Successful website launches require expertise in technical SEO, UX design, mobile optimization, integration of the right analytics tools, coding and other highly technical skills, and a marketing partner should have these resources on hand to produce the best, most time-effective results.

When your workload becomes overwhelming

Digital marketing is critical to lead and business growth. The workload will only continue to expand into new channels and media. The right digital marketing partner helps you stay on top of fast-changing rules, algorithms and trends to avoid problems like burnout and employee retention.

Staffing shortages

With today’s booming job market and increased popularity of remote work, finding top talent is challenging. Consider partnering with an agency for specialized digital marketing knowledge and talent benefits.

When you’re trying to build credibility

Inconsistent branding and outdated websites can be harmful to your brand and credibility. Some digital marketing teams, such as TruStar Marketing, specialize in brand messaging as well as website development that pays special attention to user experience design.

Projects that require technical specialties

Digital marketing partners understand that SEO, online visibility and success require content strategy. Tap them also for content development, graphic design, media, web design, coding and more.

Five benefits of a digital marketing partnership

From an economic and business growth standpoint, there are many benefits of engaging an outside digital marketing agency.

1. Grow your team with reduced risk

When you hire someone in house to fill a marketing role, you assume extra costs such as salary, health benefits, work equipment/software, paid time off and more. When you hire a digital marketing partner, 100% of your investment goes toward campaign development and execution. You will get the expertise you need at an economical cost. You could also consider it a “trial run” to see if hiring an in-house marketer would make sense.

2. Tap into the total skill set you need

It’s impossible to find one person who can fill all your needs, such as how to strategize, write, design, code, shoot and edit photos/videos, implement and perform any other jobs needed to run a successful campaign. Good digital marketing partners have all of these resources available in one place, making it easier and more efficient than hiring individual freelancers.

3. Gain outside perspective

In-house teams can often develop tunnel vision when it comes to strategic messaging because they have biases and assumptions about what their audience knows and wants. A digital marketing partner comes with fresh eyes and ears to distill information often more objectively, which can result in a clearer message.

4. More stability

Turnover is one of the biggest challenges faced by in-house marketing teams. You can gain the security of knowing the work will get done each month regardless of internal changes.

5. Share accountability for digital marketing results

You are expected to demonstrate measurable key performance indicators (KPIs) to company leadership in leads generated, engagement metrics and sales. Teams like TruStar Marketing specialize in this type of accountability to ensure campaigns are working and to change course when they’re not. Take pressure off of internal teams so they can focus on other priorities. You will have the reporting you need when you need it.

What to look for in a digital marketing partner

Always do your research to make sure a company is credible, reliable, trustworthy and committed before you sign on any dotted line. Here are a few questions you should be asking to guide your search:

Do they have demonstrated experience in your industry?
Is their team willing to collaborate with you and your other outside vendors?
Do they have a proven track record for improving marketing results?
Can they share proof that their work is successful?
Do they conduct thorough, qualitative research to understand your audience?
Does their work generate more leads?
Can they help maximize your ROI?

In the end, a good digital marketing partner should feel like an extension of your internal team. The best marketing campaigns combine an equal mix of your expertise in your company and industry and your partner’s proficiency in digital marketing strategy and implementation.

Start your digital marketing partnership today

TruStar Marketing partners with clients to help drive more business and measure your success along the way. Our organizational structure is designed to provide the expertise you need to fill the skill and technical gaps in your team.