A good digital outsource solution will change your operation by adding significant value to your firm in terms of productivity, cost, and quality. Building exceptional relationships with digital agencies can be the key to making the best of your collaboration process. That's why it's important to stick to the best practices and do your research before working with anyone.
With this in mind, we’d like to share with you some of the core elements to assess when choosing an outsourced partner. This way, you can get a clearer idea of the right digital ally to help grow your content.
What you need to look for in an agency partner
Many content marketing agencies offer digital outsourcing services that prove to be worth the investment. Having the five things below in place will help you choose the right partner for your agency.
How well they meet your needs
In order for you to choose the right option, you must have a clear outlook of the services you want to outsource, and how you expect the collaboration to play out. By having a grasp of what you need, you can filter the services you require from a partner, making it easier to find one. Make a list of the things that you deem important for an agency to have that align with your project’s goals.
Experience and skills
One of the most effective ways to determine what experience and skills your potential partner has is through their portfolio. You can request to take a look at the projects they have participated in: what was the scope? What about the challenges they faced? How did they overcome them?
Go over the services they offer and dig deep into the kind of digital products they develop. Inquire about the resources and technology they use and how these will fit with your agency’s projects.
Team compatibility
As a manager you may place a lot of value in team dynamics, which is why it’s important you know how your partner works; there must exist a mutual understanding of each other’s process and value systems.
Understand the role management would play, and if possible, find out who would be working on your project and what their credentials are. Ultimately, you want your digital production partner to function as an extension of your in-house team, so establishing compatibility with working styles is important.
Response time
Make sure to know when your outsourced team will be available to inquiries or feedback, and what their usual response time is. Communication is key when outsourcing digital services, which is why you must look for a partnership that will prioritize it and not make you wait indefinitely to get in touch.
Take into account different time zones in your research, you want to minimize ruptures in contact. You can get an idea of how the relationship will be in terms of communication from your first interaction with the company, when making the assessment of your options.
Costs
That’s right, you need to have tough conversations. Money is not an easy subject to broach, which is why it’s important to establish early on. This effort might ensure smooth sailing in the relationship between your agency and your outsourced partner. Go over their policies to better understand how the agency will adjust your budget and what, if anything, could alter it.
After all, one of the great benefits of outsourcing is cost reduction, so studying the rates that the agency has can help you decide between one option and another, focusing on the benefit that you will provide cost wise to your client in the long term.
If you are considering hiring an external partner to help optimize your digital advertising strategy, it is important to look for candidates that match your agency in these regards. Settling for the right outsourcing services provider will prove to be beneficial to your efforts and result in higher productivity for your organization.
With a team of skilled professionals in major digital production areas, WAM is the kind of partner who can fit your company’s model and adapt to face your challenges, allowing for greater results and your client’s satisfaction.
Make sure you have all the cards! Take a look at our complete guide on digital outsourcing before venturing on this journey.