When you’re running your own business, it always feels like you have a million and one things to do. Marketing is one responsiblity many business owners pass on to an external hire to free up some time. But what if your new marketer just ends up creating more stress? Let’s consider some of the disadvantages of outsourcing your marketing so you can decide if it might be better to either continue doing it yourself for a little longer or to employ someone. 

1. You have little say over how your outsourced help uses their time. 

You and your contractor will certainly agree to deadlines and project details, but you usually cannot dictate that your outsourced content creator, for example, be available for you whenever you call. 

When you outsource your marketing, whether it be a solopreneur or an agency, keep in mind they are balancing multiple clients. If you do require specific availability, explain that up front and put it in your contract with them.

2. Don’t expect your hired-out help to instantly help you at the last minute. 

Any communications company worth their salt will definitely try their best to accommodate all their clients. At the same time, in the case of an emergency, you cannot expect your contractor to drop everything to focus on you. 

When you employ your own people, you can tell them where to spend their time during their work day and assign them to any last-minute tasks that come up. 

3. Outsourcing your marketing to a company in a different country can make legal recourse a real pain. 

This tip aims more at outsourced marketing help that is not in your country. Let’s say you hire a freelance writer who lives in a different country because their rates are cheaper than those of writers in your own country. If you discover a few months later that this writer has provided you with plagiarized material and you’re now in hot water because of it, you may have difficulties suing the writer. It’s possible, of course, but much harder. Therefore, that cheaper price point may not be worth the potential risks. 

4. Reaching your outsourced help may be difficult. 

If your outsourced help doesn’t deliver on time, the first thing you’ll likely do is email to get a status update. But what if you don’t receive a reply? Then you call. Also nothing. So you send a registered letter demanding your deposit back, only to have that letter returned because the company has moved to a new location and didn’t leave a forwarding address. Yes, this is an extreme situation, but every profession has its hacks. You can often eliminate this disadvantage to outsourcing your marketing by working through your network to find a company with a dependable reputation. 

5. You need someone available full-time. 

Generally, if you need someone available 35-40 hours a week, you need to jump through the legal hoops of employing them.

Outsourcing can be the answer to your prayers: you need some work done, and it’s easier to hire it out than do it in-house. But outsourcing also has its disadvantages. As you’re deciding to hire out or in, keep the above five points in mind, and they should help you find a solution that matches your needs. 

For questions on how we can help you as an outsourced writing company, contact us: we’d be happy to talk with you.