Today’s marketing arena is fast becoming completely digital, with the internet offering collaborative capabilities like never seen before. Instant messaging and cloud-hosted file transferring has allowed organisations of all shapes and sizes to team up with marketing partners across the planet, collaborating on projects from completely different countries and time zones. Not sure if partnering with a far-flung marketing agency is right for you? Here’s how to overcome resistance to distance:
Concern: Isn’t it easier to deal with a local marketing agency?
Reality: With the capabilities of the internet, it makes no difference.
Communication through email and instant messaging platforms, and cloud-based file transferring platforms like DropBox and WeTransfer, have made dealing with a marketing agency on the other side of the planet as easy as running something down to the offices in the next building. What’s more, ‘face-to-face’ meetings can be arranged via apps like Skype and Google Hangouts. This means you don’t even have to leave the comfort of your office chair to communicate effectively with your marketing team!
Concern: Won’t the distance cause project delays?
Reality: Not with instant transfer of data through cloud sharing.
As mentioned above, with cloud sharing technologies, transferring files and relevant project documents is easy and instant! There is still the chance that your long-distance marketing agency, like local marketing partners, might have delays on their side. However, most marketing agencies will prioritise their foreign clients, impressing them with quick turnarounds and exceptional quality in order to improve their chances of expanding into that geographical region.
Concern: What do foreign agencies know about my local market?
Reality: Multinational partnerships award in-depth access to markets.
This really depends on the specific distanced marketing agency you’re considering a partnership with. For example, marketing firms whose directors or managers have lived and worked in your region will have a keen understanding of your market. If you’re partnering with a marketing agency that is part of a global network, Like Waverly Digital, then you’re in even safer hands! This is because well-networked agencies have access to data from multiple countries and markets – which is great should you be considering expanding into other territories.
Concern: Won’t foreign content developers struggle with language differences?
Reality: Not if the agency’s copy writers write in your dialect.
Since English is the lingua franca of planet Earth, most marketing content is developed in English, except when specifically targeting a market that speaks another language as their first language. A good idea would be to partner with a foreign marketer who writes in your dialect. For example, WSI Durban, our sister company, is based in South Africa. They write in British English, which means that marketing content developed in South Africa will be applicable in the United Kingdom.
Concern: How will the financial implications affect my marketing budget?
Reality: Economies of scale often render foreign marketing more affordable.
How much do your local marketing agencies charge for a blog article? The average cost of a standard 500-word blog article in the UK is around £100. The average cost of a similar blog article in South Africa is around R700. Now, if we convert R700 to pounds you’re looking at a much lower cost per blog article of around £40. This is a saving of more than 50% when using the South African marketing agency, and – since they write in British English – it’ll be as if a Londoner developed the article.
