The Solution to Hiring in 2022? Outsource Your Marketing

If you’ve recently lost an employee, you’re not the only one. In what has been dubbed “The Great Resignation”, people have been leaving their jobs in droves over the past year. In April 2021 alone, a record 4 million people in the U.S. quit their jobs, according to the U.S. Labor Department. And that wasn’t the end of it — by the end of 2021, more than 38 million people had left their jobs. In the midst of this huge wave of employee turnover, employers are struggling to find the right fit for their open positions.

So why are people leaving their jobs, and what does this mean for employers? Can outsourcing play a role in filling some of these positions, either temporarily or permanently? 

As a marketing agency, our answer to this second question is obviously “yes”. But let’s dig into why it’s a good idea to outsource your marketing and how outsourcing can help meet your hiring needs while keeping your company’s marketing goals on track.

The “Great Resignation”: Employees Are Quitting in Search of Greater Flexibility 

Over the past two years, millions of employees got a taste of the flexibility of remote work...and liked it.

For many people, working from home meant less time commuting and more time spent with family, digging into hobbies, or simply resting. In other words, a better work-life balance. 

The pandemic also prompted many people to reassess their priorities, to consider what is most important to them, how valuable their time is, and whether the work they are doing is truly a good fit for their passions and skills. For others, work became overly stressful during the pandemic — as was the case for many in the hospitality, healthcare, and education fields — and it was time to make a change. Still others are hesitant to return to work in person due to ongoing concerns about COVID.

As a result, many people are choosing to quit their jobs in search of greater flexibility, more pay, less stress, or a more fulfilling career...or, in some cases, all of the above. And this trend is expected to continue. Microsoft’s 2021 Work Trend Index predicted that 41 percent of the global workforce would consider leaving their current employer that year. And their 2022 report notes that “53% of employees are more likely to prioritize health and wellbeing over work than before the pandemic.” 

In the midst of this huge employee shift, how can you attract (and keep) the best employees?

What Changes Do You Need To Make To Hire Well In 2022?

One of the biggest benefits of the shift to remote work is that it has significantly expanded the recruiting pool. You have the opportunity to recruit the best talent for your open positions — no matter where in the world they are. 

But this also means that the best talent out there has more options than they once did: people no longer have to leave their homes to expand their careers. With a buffet of opportunity available to them, employees have a chance to sample various positions and careers to find one that best fits their skills and passions. This means that, in order to snag the best employees, employers need to stay competitive. 

A few things to consider as you recruit for your open positions:

Flexibility is here to stay

Flexibility is key, and remote or hybrid work (with some days spent at the office and some working from home) is not a passing fad. If you’re not offering at least a hybrid option, you’re behind the curve.

Try virtual recruiting

Virtual recruiting and hiring are key aspects of offering remote or hybrid positions. Over the past two years, many companies found that not only does a virtual hiring process work, it’s easy to do and cost effective. However, it can be more time consuming than an in-person process, so some companies have begun using a hybrid recruiting option, with a mix of virtual and in-person aspects.

Rethink the employee experience 

Employee expectations have changed over the past year. With many employees leaving their jobs in search of less stressful, more fulfilling careers, the best leaders will empathize with the unique needs of their employees and strive to recognize the importance that flexibility and work-life balance play in making their work experience a fulfilling one.

In other words, it’s in your best interest to consider ways to reduce strain on your employees and create more sustainable working conditions. For example, consider this study out of Iceland where the majority of the workforce reduced their weekly work hours from 40 to 35 or 36 without a reduction in pay — and reported being more energized, less stressed, and, notably, more productive. 

Provide opportunities for employees to connect

One downfall of having a remote work environment is that it’s more difficult for employees to connect with one another and with company leadership. This can leave employees feeling disconnected...and disconnected employees are less likely to stick around.

Consider ways you can implement greater connection among your team, such as a chat option like Slack or Google chat, tacking 15 minutes of casual hangout time onto your weekly virtual team meeting, instituting regular one-on-one employee meetings with management, and so on. Connection can still happen in a remote work environment, but it must be intentional.

These things can help you attract and retain the best employees to fill your open positions. But if you are struggling to fill a marketing position and have been unable to find that one perfect fit who is an expert in all things marketing, there is another option to consider: outsource your marketing to a marketing agency.

Fill Your Marketing Position With a Team of Experts By Outsourcing

Rather than hiring one person to fulfill all of your marketing needs, consider the benefits of hiring a marketing agency instead. When you outsource to an agency, you get:

• More for your money. With a marketing agency, you get a team of experts for less than the cost of hiring one staff member! In addition to saving money on salary, hiring an agency means you also save on the costs of recruiting, hiring, and training staff, as well as employee benefits and perks, payroll taxes, and even office supplies.
• A fresh perspective. It’s easy for in-house staff to get tunnel vision when they’re engrossed in the day-to-day details of doing their jobs, and it can be difficult to see things from the client’s point of view. A marketing agency has a different vantage point — they look at your business from the outside. This helps them identify new opportunities and enhance your current campaigns, injecting fresh blood into your marketing efforts. 
• The skills of a team of experts. It’s impossible for one person to know everything. Even if you hire the best of the best, the knowledge and skills of a single marketing employee can’t compete with the vast expertise of the team of experts you get when you outsource your marketing to an agency. When you hire an agency, you tap into a network of experts who have more collective knowledge than any single in-house staff member ever could. 
• The latest technology and trends. It can be difficult to keep up with the constantly changing trends in marketing tools and technology, especially for in-house marketing staff who are so buried in everyday tasks that they have no time left to learn, grow, and evolve. A marketing agency, on the other hand, has their finger on the pulse of the market and access to the latest tools and software.
• Easy scaling for growth. With an in-house team, growth means hiring new staff and spending countless hours recruiting, hiring, and training employees. With an agency, scaling your marketing to match your growth is a cinch — simply give them a call to upgrade to a bigger marketing plan.

In addition, when you outsource to an agency, you get back the time you would normally spend onboarding and training a new employee. With a marketing agency, you have a well-trained team ready to dive into your marketing strategy — no training necessary.

Want In-House Staff, but Can’t Find the Right Fit? Outsource Your Marketing Temporarily or Partially

If you really want in-house marketing staff, but haven’t found the right person for the job yet, consider outsourcing your marketing until you do. 

You can’t afford to let your marketing slide while you search for the right employee to fill an open position. Temporarily outsourcing your marketing will allow you to stay on track with your marketing goals while you continue the search for the right in-house employee. And when you do hire, your marketing agency can help get your new employee up to date on your marketing strategy so there is no lapse during the transition.

Alternatively, consider outsourcing as a tool to complement the skills of your new hire or current staff. A marketing agency can fill in the gaps, taking care of the tasks your in-house staff isn’t skilled at. Having an agency by your side in this way may even make hiring in-house staff easier, since you won’t need to rely on one employee to fill all of your marketing needs.

Outsource Your Marketing With Wild Fig

Whether you are looking to outsource your marketing temporarily or permanently, partially or fully, the team at Wild Fig Marketing has you covered.

We can help you develop your marketing strategy and meet your goals with content marketing (including blogs, eBooks, and social media), email marketing, lead generation, sales enablement, website design, and process automation. And if you need help with photography, video, or logo design, we can connect you with some of the best in the business through the network of marketing professionals we’ve gathered over our 10 years in business.

When you outsource to Wild Fig, all of these resources are at your disposal...not to mention the extensive knowledge and experience of our staff.

Ready to learn more about how Wild Fig can help you reach your marketing goals and solve your hiring dilemma? Schedule your FREE 30-minute strategy session here!

If you’re still not sure if outsourcing is the right fit for you, download our complimentary eBook to learn more about the benefits of outsourcing your marketing, and don’t hesitate to reach out to us with questions.

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