The idea of outsourcing marketing, at least beyond advertising, is a relatively new concept. Businesses traditionally outsource several corporate functions such as IT and HR but why has it taken marketing so long to catch on?

I think it’s the old right-brain vs. left-brain adage … in this information age where one-to-one marketing has become a mainstay, companies are looking outside their four walls for the left-brain analytical skills that are often lacking within their in-house marketing departments.

New lead generation and communications strategies and tactics are being employed and rely heavily on analytics to spotlight trends and move prospects in the right direction.

Most companies don’t use dinosaur mass marketing tools to reach prospective customers any longer, we customize our messaging to suite the individual prospect. How many of you still use direct mail? I am pretty sure that very few of your still do, most of us use drip campaigns and microsites to target messaging – right?

Still, your CMO and management know your customers best and they should be ultimately responsible for your marketing strategy. But outsourcing the tactics and analytics is a recommended alternative. Just remember … your outsourced marketing agent or agency should be seen as a partner … or your left-arm, in order to get the best results.