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Thursday, February 05, 2004
Toral: Outsourcing marketing
By Janette Toral
Digital FILIPINO
OVERLOOKED. How do you regard marketing? How important is it to your organization? For most companies in the Philippines, especially the small and medium enterprises, marketing is often overlooked and underestimated.
That is why there are now consultants offering outsourced marketing services like Michael Abasolo of Assault Management and Consultancy Services.
Traditional advertising usually takes the form of television, print, and radio. But with the Internet, Web-based and email-based marketing promotions have come into play.
Mobile advertising via SMS, on the other hand, is intended for short and quick messages.
In countries like the Philippines, most print, radio, and television advertisements are now integrating text messaging in their campaigns. Instead of the usual “see posters and flyers for details,” a consumer will be asked to send a text message to a mobile phone number.
This allows the mass audience, with mobile phones, to participate immediately. The transition here from interest to consumer response is instantaneous, measurable, and accurate.
It is cost-effective. Payment can be made based on the number of recipients regardless of location (for as long as there’s a cellular signal).
The only way to undertake a truly effective marketing campaign is by integrating it across all media and working on each inherited strength and weakness.
However, it is a reality that most entrepreneurs today are focused on building their products right. Sales are usually generated through referrals and their networks of contacts.
But press releases and magazine features may only take you to a certain extent.
For a small organization that aspires to grow bigger, there’s a great need to invest in doing marketing without compromising time spent in quality assurance and product innovation.
Companies now are encouraged to outsource corporate activities needed for a short span of time.
According to Michael: “Instead of hiring a
marketing manager to write your marketing plan, and training salespeople, these tasks can be outsourced and be done in three months.”
His firm also offers to become the virtual marketing management team arm of an organization.
Michael believes that outsourced marketing is the way to go. Companies will never again have to worry about new and resigning marketing and sales staff, confidentiality of the client database, and intellectual property of product information, among others, as these can be covered in a contract with an outsourced marketing firm.
Service firms are encouraged to continually come up with unique services to solve problems typical organizations face.
(email: janette@digitalfilipino.com.)
(February 5, 2004 issue)
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