Marketing Collateral 101: When to Create In-House vs. Outsource

If you’ve ever worked at a small or mid-sized company, you’ve likely learned how to juggle priorities and wear multiple hats in your position. And if you’re the primary marketer for your company, I’m sure you put forth a valiant effort to do every marketing task on your own, assuming you have enough time. But when you don’t have enough time to get everything done because of other priorities, it’s time to delegate.

Along those lines, every small to mid-sized company I have worked for has needed to decide how it will create marketing collateral. Different companies’ sales forces have different needs, but if your company needs fact sheets, sell sheets, white papers, etc. of any kind, it’s important to decide what to do yourself and what to trust to an external vendor.

 

Creating Marketing Collateral Internally

Pros: You know your brand (and your sales force) better than anyone.

Cons: Creating marketing collateral takes time and it can be challenging to get things done in a timely manner if you have other priorities to juggle.

Key Tip: Keep a folder with all of your past marketing collateral. Working from past projects and templates can save you a lot of time.

 

Hiring a Vendor to Create Marketing Collateral

Pros: Using a vendor can save you time, will be professional work, and will allow you to focus your attention on other projects.

Cons: It’s not free, and it can turn into a longer approval process.

Key Tip: Create a folder with brand standard elements such as colors, fonts, and logos to make it easier to send to vendors when needed.

 

For more advice on choosing whether to produce your marketing collateral in-house or to outsource, read the rest of this blog, originally posted on the Deluxe website.

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