For the Love of Outsourcing

Outsourcing

How many of you prepare your own Income Tax Return? Unless you’re one of the few who can still file form 1040EZ, my bet is you use a CPA or professional tax preparation company. It’s their job to know about changes in tax law, what you can deduct as a business expense, and a multitude of other details that would make your head spin if you had to stay abreast of it in addition to all your other responsibilities. That’s a sensible application of outsourcing; paying a professional to handle tasks you either don’t have time for, or don’t have the expertise to execute them efficiently. It’s the same logic behind taking your good suits to a dry cleaner or having an ASE-certified mechanic repair your car’s engine.

According to an article in Harvard Business Review about outsourcing marketing and advertising,  “The benefits to business include cost savings and improved quality.”  If outsourcing can save you money and deliver a better quality service or product, why wouldn’t you? Harvard Business School professor Gail J. McGovern, the article’s author, said, “The outsourcing of marketing activities is catching on; in fact, in a recent poll of business owners and executives, 53 percent reported plans to outsource all or most of their marketing activities.”  The number one reason for outsourcing? You’ve heard it before. Outsourcing frees up your time to focus on your core business; the stuff you know how to do best.

Just what types of activities do businesses outsource? Find out in this article from Marketing Profs. Then call us and we’ll dispel the myth that you can’t afford to outsource your marketing. Unless you have time and money to burn, many businesses can’t afford not to.

Feelin’ Lucky?

 

If you’re superstitious, you may think Friday the 13th is a day fraught with danger: don’t cross a path with a black cat, don’t walk under a ladder, don’t break a mirror, don’t don’t don’t, or Heaven knows what bad luck may befall you. The truth is, there is no verifiable history on why Friday the 13th has earned such a bad rap. In spite of that fact, according to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in North Carolina, about 17 million people fear Friday the 13th. There’s even a name for it: friggatriskaidekaphobia.

Frankly, the number 13 has always been rather lucky for me, perhaps because I simply choose to believe it’s lucky. And who can find fault with Friday? For most of us working stiffs, there’s a lot to like about Friday, such as the end of the work week and payday.

By now you’re probably wondering what all this has to do with marketing. On Friday the 13th, people actually go out less. They make fewer decisions. And they shop less! Research from Entrepreneur Magazine  estimates the negative impact ranges from $800 million to $900 million in the U.S. That’s why a lot of retail businesses tie “lucky” promotions to the 13th. To counteract the substantiated inactivity, many businesses advertise specials or hold Friday the 13th Sales.

I’ll do my part to dispel the unlucky myth by giving something away. If you’d like a complimentary copy of “10 Questions You Must Answer Before You Spend a Dime on Advertising”, simply click on Let’s Connect at the top of the page, enter your email address, and type ’10 Questions’ in the message box. No strings attached! The  first 10 people to respond will receive a free copy, emailed as a .pdf file, within 24 hours! (excluding weekends. Our website is so old-fashioned, it’s actually managed by humans, not robots.) Good luck!