Rising Trend: Marketers Turn to Outsourcing Due to Skill Shortage and Team Size Reduction
An increasing number of marketers are opting to outsource parts of their teams, driven by a shortage of in-house skills and the downsizing of teams. This trend highlights the importance of adapting to evolving workforce challenges in the marketing industry.
Outsourcing is becoming increasingly common as nearly half of marketers say an element of marketing was outsourced in 2024.
Our Website’s exclusive Career & Salary Survey reveals that 46.2% of marketers have outsourced a marketing element to an agency, specialist, or consultancy in the past year.
This percentage is not unexpected, especially given the slow job market and the additional workloads and responsibilities that marketers have had to shoulder, as discussed in our previous data analysis.
Nearly one-third (28.7%) of marketers outsource certain areas of marketing due to shrinking team sizes. Other reasons include a lack of in-house skills (48.7%), not needing a full-time employee for the task (28.9%), and cost-saving measures (14.4%).
To address the skills gap, outsourcing has become essential for many marketing teams. In fact, in 2024, nearly a quarter (24.5%) of marketers utilized consultancies or freelancers to help alleviate the workload.
Outsourcing is more common in B2B than in B2C. A study found that over half (53%) of marketers in B2B have outsourced a part of their business, compared to 40.6% in B2C. For those dealing with both B2B and B2C, the percentage falls in the middle at 43.5%.
When it comes to outsourcing by marketing teams, digital marketing is the most commonly delegated aspect. About 28.2% of marketers have outsourced digital marketing, which is much higher than content (16.6%), public relations (13.5%), and market research (10.3%). Additionally, 9.5% of marketing teams have outsourced social media.
Digital marketing is the most popular aspect of marketing to outsource across B2B (29.3%), B2C (28.7%), and businesses with a mixture of B2B and B2C (26.5%). Content and public relations follow closely behind, regardless of whether you work in B2B, B2C, or a combination of both.
Our website will be releasing a series of exclusive news and features based on the findings of the 2024 Career & Salary Survey. This will include insights on the impact of burnout and the changing trends in working patterns. Click here to see all the content we have published so far.
Editor's P/S:
The article highlights the rising trend of outsourcing in marketing, with nearly half of marketers engaging in it in 2024. It reveals that shrinking team sizes and the need for specialized skills are driving this outsourcing surge. Digital marketing, in particular, is a commonly outsourced aspect.
This trend reflects the challenges marketers face, including increased workloads and limited internal resources. Outsourcing offers a cost-effective and flexible solution, allowing businesses to access expertise and offload certain tasks, freeing up their time for core strategic activities. The data presented suggests that outsourcing has become a crucial component in modern marketing operations.
