1. 111 Congressional Blvd., Suite 150
Carmel, IN 46032
317.577.1804
Carm
Understanding the Benefits of Outsourced Marketing Services
By Kim LaSalle, Brand Marketing Director
2.0 Group
As a small, independent agency 2.0 Group is often selected to represent business start-ups and medium-
sized companies that are hiring an agency for the first time.
It's not uncommon for these business owners to worry about the expense of outsourcing. And with good
cause. It's critical that every dollar you spend produce a solid return on investment. We often hear
questions such as:
 How much should we spend on our marketing and public relations programs?
 Is it more cost effective to hire an individual or engage an agency?
 Should I build a marketing team in house or outsource?
Few companies have all the marketing expertise they need in house. While outsourcing marketing might
offer a challenge to new or growing companies, Professor Gail J. McGovern of Harvard Business School
notes that about half of American companies outsource marketing and this trend is on the rise.
"The outsourcing of marketing activities is catching on," said McGovern." In fact, in a recent poll of
marketing executives, 53 percent reported plans to outsource most of their marketing activities."
The benefits to business include cost savings and improved quality. Moreover, many companies lack
"left-brain" analytical skills in-house, even though those skills are more important than ever in this age of
one-to-one marketing.
Some business owners believe they can hire one person internally to provide the same services as an
agency. While we encourage our clients to invest in internal marketing expertise, we gently remind them
that one person can't be expected to provide the same service that is provided by a team of agency
professionals. That would require the individual to provide a very rare combination of skills and
experience:
 Product Manager
 Strategist
 Quantitative/Qualitative Research Analyst
 Creative Director
 Production Specialist
 Media Buyer
 Ad and Features Copywriter
 Public Relations Professional
 Analyst
 Graphic Designer
 Web Graphics Designer
 Social Media Specialist
 Programmer (versed in multiple languages and
 Project Manager
technical skills)
 Brand Manager
 Direct Response Specialist
 Email Marketer
 Marketing Operations Analyst
According to Salary.Com, a Marketing Director in Indianapolis with at least 10 years experience can
expect to command an annual salary of no less than $90K. The median salary is $134K. (See page 2)
When you add insurance benefits and overhead like technology and office space you significantly add to
expenses beyond salary. There are also other resources your marketing director will need such as wire
distribution services, professional membership fees, and media databases (which can costs thousands of
dollars per year) that add to the overall costs.
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2. 111 Congressional Blvd., Suite 150
Carmel, IN 46032
317.577.1804
Carm
As it's highly unlikely that one person on staff will have all the bandwidth or skills provided through
outsourced agency services, we checked average salaries for other job titles as well:
(Continued on page 3)
Salary.Com Job
Description:
Marketing Director
Directs and oversees an
organization's marketing
policies, objectives, and
initiatives. Conducts
market research and
develops marketing
plans for specific
products, services, or
business lines. Reviews
changes to the
marketplace and
industry and adjusts
marketing plan
accordingly.
Requires a bachelor's degree with at least 10 years of experience in the field. Familiar with a variety of
the field's concepts, practices, and procedures. Relies on extensive experience and judgment to plan and
accomplish goals. Performs a variety of tasks. Leads and directs the work of others. A wide degree of
creativity and latitude is expected. Typically reports to top management.
Salary.com's data is
proprietary and based
on employer-reported
data. It does not
contain data from
individual site users,
placement agencies,
job postings, or any
other sources that
would traditionally be
characterized as
"unreliable" by
compensation or
human resource
professionals. To
determine the market
pay ranges,
Salary.com's
compensation consultants have collected and reviewed data covering more than 29 million individuals
working at more than 16,000 companies.
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3. 111 Congressional Blvd., Suite 150
Carmel, IN 46032
317.577.1804
Carm
More than 90 percent of the jobs in the Salary Wizard report market pay levels based on more than 100
incumbent salaries Salary.com's team of compensation consultants reviews available, applicable market
pay data to determine the true market for each job in the Salary Wizard.
Creative Director: Salary Range $66K - $122K; Median Salary of $93K
Responsible for directing creative work including audience promotions and advertising. May oversee print
production, graphic art, and desktop publishing. Assists with audience research and develops creative
briefs and design concepts to meet business objectives. Requires a bachelor's degree with at least 7
years of experience in the field. Familiar with a variety of the field's concepts, practices, and procedures.
Relies on extensive experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals. Performs a variety of tasks.
Leads and directs the work of others. A wide degree of creativity and latitude is expected. Typically
reports to top management.
Creative Director - Web: Salary Range $108K - $188K; Median Salary of $123,900
Directs web-based creative work. Develops creative briefs and design concepts to meet the business
objectives of the organization. Responsible for establishing creative direction for the entire line of online
services, products, and programs. Requires a bachelor's degree with at least 5 years of experience in the
field. Familiar with a variety of the field's concepts, practices, and procedures. Relies on experience and
judgment to plan and accomplish goals. Performs a variety of tasks. Leads and directs the work of others.
A wide degree of creativity and latitude is expected. Typically reports to a head of a unit/department.
Senior Graphic Design Specialist: Salary Range $43K - $70K; Median Salary of $56,300
Uses knowledge of current graphic design software to produce graphic art and visual materials for
promotions, advertisements, films, packaging, and informative and instructional material through a variety
of media outlets such as websites and CD-ROMs. Generates and manipulates graphic images,
animations, sound, text and video into consolidated and seamless multimedia programs. Must remain
abreast of technological advances in the field and be able to identify areas of use in the organization. May
require a bachelor's degree or its equivalent and at least 4 years of experience in the field or in a related
area. Familiar with standard concepts, practices, and procedures within a particular field. Relies on limited
experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals. Performs a variety of tasks. Works under general
supervision; typically reports to a supervisor or manager. A great deal of creativity and latitude is
expected.
Account Executive, Advertising: Salary Range $53K - $91K; Median Salary of $64,900
Maintains relationships and favorable contacts with current and potential advertising accounts. Targets
potential advertising clients and develops relationships in order to acquire new advertising accounts. May
require a bachelor's degree and at least 3 years of experience in the field or in a related area with a high
volume of sales. Familiar with a variety of the field's concepts, practices, and procedures. Relies on
extensive experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals. Performs a variety of tasks. May lead
and direct the work of others. A wide degree of creativity and latitude is expected. Typically reports to a
supervisor or manager.
Cost to ROI Comparison
We expect that smaller companies may pay somewhat less than larger ones for marketing professionals.
However, when you consider competitive wages for these positions, the cost-to-ROI comparison between
agency and in-house staff becomes significant.
At 2.0 Group, we usually recommend small to medium businesses be prepared to spend at least $5,000
per month minimum in order to implement an effective marketing or PR program that can actually help
them grow. We offer a team of 8 marketing professionals with a wealth of knowledge at all levels of
experience. Realistically, you couldn’t hire that many marketing professionals for $5,000 a month
anywhere.
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4. 111 Congressional Blvd., Suite 150
Carmel, IN 46032
317.577.1804
Carm
So the next time you’re weighing the costs of hiring an individual or an agency, remember how many
internal people and resources you’ll need in order to match the service and professionalism provided by
the team at 2.0 Group.
About 2.0 Group (www.2-0group.com)
2.0 Group is a full-service marketing communications firm based in Carmel, IN. Minority owned and
operated, services include Advertising, Branding, Creative Development, Market Research, Web and
Video Production. For additional information, call 317.577.1804 or visit www.2-0group.com.
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