In-House or Outsource Email Marketing? Results

A few months ago, I introduced a survey asking individuals what they thought was the best technique: In-House our Outsourcing Email Marketing? Today, I come back with the results of my mini survey, and a brief analysis.

The Participants

There were a total of 18 participants who started the survey, all of which answered each of the 4 questions. The participants’ responses to their areas of marketing expertise are outlined below. Individuals were allowed to select more than one expertise.

• eMail Marketing (9)
• Research (6)
• Print Media (6)
• Social Marketing (10)
• Internet Marketing Strategy (1)
• Organic SEO (1)

Their current situation in regards to email marketing varied- some used in-house, some outsourced, and some did not currently participate in email marketing.

60% Outsource their Email Marketing

The Question

The main question that was being asked was, ideally, would the participant prefer an in-house email marketing campaign manager, outsourcing your entire email marketing management, or doing a little of both.

The Answer

The survey showed that 50% of those polled would prefer to keep their email marketing in-house, and hire an email marketing campaign manager to handle the design and execution full time.

• Twenty-two percent would have preferred outsourcing their entire email campaign management to an outside company or specialist,
• while 11% wanted a little of both: outsourcing some larger campaigns and managing the smaller ones themselves.
• The remaining 16% polled said that they simply did not use email marketing and did not have a preference.

Analysis

This being my first survey offered to my readers, and not considering how it was to be analyzed, the design of the survey was not ideal, and could have been drastically improved. Also important to point out, there was only 18 individuals that completed the survey.

However, I believe the overall result of the survey accurately portrays what many marketing managers would feel. Ideally, they would like an email marketing expert employed by them full time to completely manage their email marketing campaign. This situation has many advantages over outsourcing, including:

• More power over what is included in your campaigns
• Saving money- you will not have to hire an agency at a ridiculously hourly fee
• Consistent branding- your email marketing specialist will know your company and its goals, resulting in a better portrayal of your company through the messages.
• Better communication- there will be less chance of misunderstanding between the company and the email marketing management company.
• Correction of mistakes immediately- if there is a last minute change that needs to be made to an email, you’ll be able to easily make it, instead of having to worry about if you’ll be able to contact your email marketing management company at an odd hour, or even during normal business hours.

What do you think? Do you agree with these results?