Today, I’m so excited to bring you a guest blog post from my friend and fellow marketer Tayler Cusick Hollman! As the founder and visionary of the marketing software Enji, she thinks about marketing all day every day. She knows the power of outsourcing first-hand, and I can’t wait for you to learn from her experience. So keep reading!

Full disclosure: I use Enji for my own business marketing, and I wouldn’t be talking about it unless I loved it! If you sign up using any of my affiliate links in this post, you’ll support me AND you’ll get your first 2 months of Enji for just $19 per month or $40 off an annual subscription (discount will be automatically applied—no code needed).

Now let’s hear from Tayler on her marketing and outsourcing advice for small business owners!

Let’s be honest—marketing your small business is no walk in the park. Between juggling emails, client work, and (oh yeah) actually running your business, finding time and energy for marketing can feel like squeezing blood from a stone. But here’s the good news: you don’t have to do it all yourself forever. Outsourcing parts of your marketing can help you make sure things get done in seasons when you just need (or want) to pass it off, freeing up your time to do the things you like doing way more. And in this blog post, I’m breaking down the things you need to know before outsourcing marketing. 

Here’s what we’ll chat about:

• What is outsourcing in marketing?
• How to know when it’s time to bring in help
• What parts of your marketing you should outsource first
• How to set yourself (and who you’ve hired) up for outsourcing success

If you’re asking yourself questions like, “Do I scale my marketing back?,” “Should I hire an employee to work on marketing full time?,” or “How can I still do some of my own marketing but not all of it?,” you should definitely keep reading.

What Is Outsourcing in Marketing?

Outsourcing in marketing is simply hiring someone else—whether it’s an agency, freelancer, or virtual assistant—to handle specific marketing tasks for you. Think of it as handing off the stuff that eats up your time or just isn’t your thing. Maybe you bring in Stephanie for blogging and Pinterest marketing services or hire a part-time social media manager to keep your social media plan actually rolling.

Regardless, you’re still in the driver’s seat as the business owner—you’ve just got a reliable co-pilot handling the execution. And (ultimately), a lot of small business owners outsource marketing because it saves time, reduces stress, and lets you focus on the parts of your business you do best or enjoy the most.

Signs It’s Time to Outsource Your Marketing

So, how do you know when it’s time to call for backup? Well, this looks different for everyone but there are definitely some common reasons a small business owner like yourself might start thinking it’s time to hire marketing help.

Here are some tell-tale signs you’re ready to outsource:

• You’re the bottleneck. If your marketing plan is collecting dust because you don’t have the time to actually do it, it might be time to delegate
• Consistency is a struggle. If your blog hasn’t seen a new post since last year or your Instagram is a ghost town, outsourcing can bring much-needed regularity to your marketing—and visibility to your business
• You have the budget (and the desire) to let parts of your marketing go. Even if you’re not drowning, maybe you just don’t want to be in charge of doing certain marketing tasks. So if it’s not your jam and you have the resources, why not let someone else take it on?
• You want to focus on high-impact things or just the stuff you’re actually passionate about. Outsourcing frees you up to do the things that fill that proverbial cup we’re all trying to not go dry

Which Aspects of Marketing Should You Outsource First?

Not all marketing is marketing you should outsource—parts of it are great for outsourcing, while others really need your touch as the business owner. The good news is, there are a few marketing things that make a ton of sense to outsource first.

Here’s what to consider outsourcing first:

• Outsource blog writing: Many small business owners aren’t comfortable with writing, and even with AI tools, optimizing for SEO can be daunting. Outsourcing your blogging to an SEO expert like Stephanie means you get well-written, search-friendly posts that help you get found online—without the headache.
• Outsource Pinterest management: Pinterest is a powerful search engine, but doing it right takes time. A Pinterest manager like Stephanie can keep your boards active, your pins fresh, and your website traffic growing while you focus elsewhere.

How to Set Yourself Up for Outsourcing Success

Handing over parts of your marketing can feel a little scary (we get it—you’ve built this business from the ground up and poured everything into it). But hiring marketing help doesn’t mean it’ll just automatically be worth it. There are plenty of ways this could end up not working. And since that’s the opposite of what you’d want, let’s chat about what you need to do to make sure you and your new marketing partner up for a smooth ride.

1. Document your marketing plan: Even if you’re bringing in an expert, it’s crucial to have your marketing plan mapped out (read: it can’t just live in your head). What are your big-picture business goals? What do you want this part of your marketing to achieve? The more clarity you provide, the easier it is to work towards getting the right results.
2. Set your expectations: Share your brand guidelines, voice, and any must-have messaging. If you want blog posts to sound like you or your Instagram to look a certain way, let them know!
3. Create a shared calendar: You want to make sure things are getting done when they are supposed to, so you need to be looking at the same calendar as the person you hired. If you try to do this in two different places, things will slip through the cracks.
4. Set up a workflow: How are things going to get planned, drafted, reviewed, and posted? Create a process so everyone’s on the same page.
5. Track results: As much as the person you hired can be a trusted expert, don’t just cut them loose to do the work—you have to track how things are going. Are you seeing more website traffic? Are you getting more saves on your pins? Make sure your investment is moving the needle.

How Enji Can Help You Manage Your Marketing

Enji can step in to make your marketing more organized and easier than ever—whether you’re doing your marketing on your own or have outsourced parts of it. Because Enji’s suite of marketing tools were designed to help small business owners plan, do, and review your marketing efforts in one place. 

Here’s how Enji helps small business owners do their own marketing:

• The Marketing Strategy Generator creates a clear and customized marketing plan for you
• The Social Media Scheduler (with an AI caption writer) makes it easy to schedule posts in the same place as your plan
• The KPI Dashboard tracks your results so you know what’s working and what needs tweaking

Outsourcing your marketing isn’t about giving up control—it’s about making the right decision to make sure your small business isn’t invisible. So don’t be afraid to hire help when and where you need it. Just be sure to set clear expectations, have a process, and use the right tools to manage everything. Because when you do, you can keep your marketing machine running smoothly without burning out. So go ahead—delegate that blog, hand off those pins, and watch your business grow while you focus on what you love.

Guest blog post written by Tayler Cusick Hollman.