You Can't Outsource Yourself

You likely outsource your graphic design, your web development, your marketing automation system support, and maybe even your PR function.  But there’s one thing  you just can’t outsource—yourself.

Most companies are already managing physical marketing assets, such as printed collateral, sales sheets, booth and event materials, and branded promotional items.  These physical materials are likely being managed by various marketing team members.  Outsourcing your physical marketing materials can lead to tremendous benefits in saved time and increased revenue.

Physical marketing assets are great for generating awareness and revenue, driving new leads, thanking valuable customers, and welcoming new employees. But managing it all can take a huge amount of time.

Managing physical assets typically requires a lot of research and coordination. 

1. First, you’ll need to identify both print and promo vendors, and research products to find the best product at the right price. 
2. You may also have to navigate an unfamiliar world of print and promo terms to determine exactly how to produce your materials to best represent your valuable brand. 
3. Then, you’ll need to figure out where to store all of these materials. Is anyone in the office to access your storage closet?  Or do you need to identify a fulfillment vendor to help with storage, fulfillment, and inventory management? 
4. You then need to ensure the materials get to where they need to go—to your sales team, to customers, to employees, and at some point in the future even out to the trade show floor or other events (in-person event will come back!) This starts with capturing addresses with full privacy compliance. 
5. Next, you have to package materials and prepare them for shipment. Depending on your target audience and campaign, this may be one or thousands of kits to be prepared. 
6. And finally, as you figure out how to deliver materials, you’ll need to research the various shipping vendors–FedEx, UPS, USPS and others–to determine how to get materials delivered on time and within budget. Not to mention navigating possible issues with common international shipping delays related to VAT or customs.
7. There’s also the ongoing chore of tracking accurate inventory counts. if you've ever prepped for an event only to realize you’re out of a key product, you know the pain of not having the right inventory tracking process.  That is why an ecommerce and fulfillment software (aka your marketing portal, sending platform, or corporate store) that includes inventory management is so important.

Thinking about all of that work probably feels overwhelming and might make you want to just give up.  But physical materials are key components of your marketing campaign and have been proven to drive awareness, customer satisfaction, and ultimately, revenue. 

So what’s a marketer to do? 

This is where using a single vendor to purchase, store, and distribute your physical marketing materials with a customized marketing portal can save you hours of time.  On average, our customers say they bump productivity by 20% after outsourcing this process.  That’s equivalent to one full day per week you can instead spend on developing strategic marketing campaigns and driving revenue. 

If this resonates with you, book a 30 minute meeting with our expert team to discuss how we can help you and then get your own OnFulfillment sweatshirt and 'Because You Can't Outsource Yourself' t-shirt!