In-House vs. Outsourced Marketing Communications for Diagnostics.
I spent most of my commercial career trying to avoid outsourcing wherever possible.
I still have a philosophy that if you can simplify processes to the extent that they can be successfully done by ‘subject matter experts’, then the final product could be far more relevant and 'in-tune' with the customer.
This was applied particularly to e-learning materials which are expensive to produce, particularly if any modifications are needed for specific applications but, equally, marketing materials benefitted from the same sense of dynamism.
Even with an enthusiasm for creativity, I still needed to seek the help of creative experts, design, video, organisational skills, in order to achieve a satisfying result. I do think that an understanding and involvement in the process, even when outsourcing was required, genuinely helped both the strategy and the quality of materials.
It is ironic that I now find myself on the other side of the coin, offering freelance assistance.
I speak from experience that, undoubtedly, there is a need to outsource on occasions, but there are still many instances where companies can be more effective by utilising in-house skills even where there is no dedicated marketing communications team.
Even if there is, those resources available internally will vary enormously for skills such as graphic design, content creation, events management and social media management, but there are short cuts and templates that can be used to enable subject matter experts to be effective with certain tasks and streamline the generation of creative content.
Regardless of whether activities are managed internally or with the assistance of outside agencies, the detailed knowledge of diagnostic products and the needs of the customer will generally rest with company specialists and it is important to create a synergy between strategy, technological information, and communications.
Outsourced Communications
Pros
· Dedicated professionals can normally produce materials to a higher standard with a faster turnaround
· Can fill skills gaps such as graphic design
· Time not spent on marketing communications can be dedicated to strategy and the sales process
· May have greater knowledge of the effectiveness of different communications strategies
Cons
· May not have a full understanding of the specific product or market
· Could encourage materials by quantity (number of social media posts, articles etc.) rather than what fits strategically with the company’s activity
· Can be expensive
In-House Communications
Pros
· Better company, product and/or customer knowledge
· Can be quicker to produce content, particularly for timebound communications such as social media.
· Easier to create synergy between marketing/sales strategy and communications
Cons
· Badly produced materials can damage the brand profile
· Can be very time consuming and take team members away from vital tasks
· It is unusual for a company to have team members with all the skills required so individuals
need to multitask
· Requirements for communications can be sporadic – e.g. needed for major exhibitions and/or product launches but much less requirement at other times
When to outsource and when to develop in-house?
There are no hard and fast rules for this because it will depend on a company’s strategy, products and their lifecycles, and what in-house resources they have at their disposal. It is a good idea to start with an audit of the current situation.
Ask the following questions:
What skills are available within the internal teams? Copywriting? Graphic design? Web design and management? Events/exhibition strategy and planning? Social media campaigning? Email campaigning? Product knowledge? Marketing strategy? Videography?
How successful is your current communications program? Does it work to raise the company profile or generate leads? What is your vision for the future? Can you measure the effect of your current activities - website clicks, leads generated, footfall at an exhibition?
By mapping the current situation and looking at where you want to go, you should be able to start identifying where there may be gaps or barriers to reaching your goals.
Then ask yourself:
How big are these gaps? What are their requirements for time and cost? How easy would it be to bridge them internally? Are these skills easily learnt?
For example, web design; the overall platform, design and layout of a website is not updated often, or it could confuse the customer and give rise to an inconsistent brand image. Therefore, for most companies, the overall design would be outsourced but it is useful to have in-house skills who can update content/news.
When choosing the web design and platform, consideration should be given to how it will be maintained going forward so that it can be mostly managed in-house rather than risk delays, miscommunication, and the expense of needing to rely on the developer for minor changes or updates.
Finding the Balance
As I have mentioned, tempting though it may be to hand over marketing in its entirety to internal teams, outsourced professionals, or a combination of the two, it is really important that the sales and technical organisations of a company still have input and involvement in the process. To achieve this balance, they need to have an appreciation of how marketing communications can work for them and their customers.
How to achieve it?
From my experience, I believe that all customer-facing teams can get involved and help generate communications materials. Areas that lend themselves to this are:
Social media activities – where team members can help generate discussion, provide engaging content, and help spread the word.
Case studies and applications notes – where the real stories are generated that connect the customer, the company services, and the product.
Customer Newsletters – to help companies to keep in touch with their existing and prospective customers and also demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of their field of expertise.
To promote this further, I will shortly be launching a new ‘Kickstarter’ program to encourage teams to venture into the world of communications by providing training and editorial support in these key areas.
Watch this space.
In Conclusion
Outsourcing has an important role to play in in-vitro diagnostics communications strategy but, by getting involved and developing in-house skills and capabilities, companies can ensure that the final materials are engaging and relevant was well as being on brand, on time and on budget.
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