When considering your marketing department structure, it’s important to look at the actual cost of your marketing resources – including those that are in-house.

There are two examples of common marketing department structures:

1. A marketing department with all in-house resources.
2. A marketing department with some in-house resources and some outsourced resources.

Which one do you think is more affordable? The numbers might surprise you!

Consider this case study from one of our clients, a large technology firm:

Cost of outsourcing social media marketing for one-year with professional, skilled resources: $36,000.

Cost of running social media marketing in-house for one year with junior internal resources: more than $80,000 per year including salary, recruitment, turnover, benefits, and commitments.

Beyond the budget, there are other qualities to consider.

When working with an outsourced digital marketing firm, you are guaranteeing professional administration — including optimized content, research, properly formatted posts, expert knowledge of social media communities, professional grasp of the English language and written ability, and more.

And, when you need content created, it’s delivered on time and on schedule because it’s in the contract.

On the other hand, when our client was relying on a junior in-house resource, these qualities were difficult to find and maintain. Some of it was out of the staff member’s control – vacation days, other job duties deemed more of a priority by supervisors, and the like. But some of it was simply a lack of knowledge and expertise.

Weekly social media if done properly is not a full-time job – but it is also not a cut-and-paste exercise as those who don’t understand it in depth sometimes think.

Done properly an internal resource could spend 20 hours per week or more on social media alone. That means for the same money you will have a resource who can do some things well but won’t be able to do near what a digital marketing agency can do – and doesn’t ensure scalability or consistency.

Companies often think hiring in-house is cheaper – but it usually leads to higher costs and lower results.

The better marketing department structure can be to hire some in-house resources to plan strategy and co-ordinate campaigns while outsourcing strategically. This helps you save budget, drive results, and ensure consistency – and professional-grade material.

The Purpose Company offers both marketing department structure consultations and digital marketing outsourcing. Contact us today to go over your own department’s needs and goals.

Call 647-880-9709 or visit www.thepurposecompany.ca.