How Flexible Resourcing Can Scale Your Marketing Operations

Tips for identifying—and filling—capacity gaps

Your marketing operations team is busier than ever. More work is flowing in every day. Your business is firing on all cylinders and you’re ready to gear up. Sounds like a win, right?

It is—but only if your crew has the capacity to support your growth. Knowing you want to accelerate your business is one thing, but being able to handle it with your existing team is another.

The solution might seem simple: hire more people. But it’s not that easy. In the wake of the pandemic (remote work), recruiting and employee retention are a constant challenge. Many companies have found themselves stuck in place, unable to put their foot on the gas. Like you, they want to scale their marketing efforts, but they lack the in-house resources to do it on their own. Without bringing more people on board, your company will keep stalling out.

So what’s a brand to do? The best road forward depends on your business’ needs, goals, budget, and overall priorities. If you need help now (or yesterday), spending time recruiting will only put you in reverse. But if you’re already on a growth trajectory, padding your in-house team can set you on the fasttrack for long-term success. As marketing experts for some of today’s biggest brands, Brainrider understands the value of both outsourcing your marketing operations and building from within. In this post, we’ll help you figure out what makes the most sense for your business.

“From a budget and profitability perspective, it can be tempting to run a lean team. But this kind of thinking comes at a significant cost.”

Signs That It’s Time to Scale Your Business

We’re hardwired to see growth as the ultimate goal, but all too often companies try to grow too quickly for their teams to keep up. If you’re lacking resources—either people, time, or money—you’ll never be able to get where you want to go. So before you scale your marketing operations, take a look at the current state of your business to determine whether you’ve got resources in the right places. Here are some signs to look out for:

1. You have a bottomless to-do list

There are projects on your team’s to-do list that you never have the time to tackle. In fact, the list keeps growing faster than you can tick things off. You have more tasks on your plate than you can reasonably handle—and even if you can get everything done, you’re not necessarily doing it well. A never-ending list of to-dos is a telltale sign that you’re bumping up against capacity issues and need to add resources to your team.

2. Your team is burnt out

From a budget and profitability perspective, it can be tempting to run a lean team. But this kind of thinking comes at a significant cost: it puts too much pressure on your team members to do it all, leaving them overworked, stressed out, and unable to do their best work. It can also keep leaders stuck in the pit when they should be in the driver’s seat, focusing on big picture priorities like strategy and business development. Remember: a burnt out team is not an effective team.

3. You’re turning down work

By definition, growing your marketing operations means expanding your reach, going faster, and doing more. But what if you’re so bogged down in work that you have no choice but to hit the brakes? Your business will not only come to a standstill—client and customer relationships may suffer as a result. Finding the right people (or partners) to fill the gaps can get your wheels turning again.

How to Scale Your Marketing Efforts

So you know you’re ready to scale your business to increase your marketing capacity. But how exactly do you do it? First, you’ll want to do a capacibility check with your internal team. How much pressure are they under to get things done? Are they feeling overwhelmed with their workload? Once you get aligned on your company goals and understand your team’s current capacity, you’ll be equipped to make a decision on next steps. Here’s a look at your options:

1. Partner with an external agency

Recruiting, hiring, and training takes time and resources that your business may not have. Partnering with an external vendor, however, can fill capacity gaps and help you get work done quickly, without the need to hire full-time employees. It also opens the door for long-term collaboration as your company continues to grow. Think of it as hiring a ready-made pit crew that has the right systems and processes to get you on your way—fast.

When searching for a partner, it’s important to find an agency that’s aligned with your company’s core values. Look for agencies that value relationships based on transparency, authenticity, and communication to keep everyone driving in the same direction.

2. Make a case for headcount

Maybe you’re already well on your way through a steady growth trajectory. Maybe you simply prefer to have your team all living under one roof. If that’s the case, adding to your core team can help you build the foundation for long-term success. You’ll be able to hand-pick the people you want along for the ride and train them up on your way of doing things. They can also help manage additional vendors or freelancers while you continue to grow.

How Flexible Resourcing Can Fill Capacity Gaps

Marketing is and always will be the secret sauce to scaling your business. Today’s marketing teams need agile solutions to meet increasing client demands. That’s where flexible resourcing comes in. Offered by creative and marketing agencies, flexible resourcing models provide the perfect in-between when you need support for high growth but don’t have time to hire. Flexible resourcing can work in a few ways—pay-as-you-use, reserved studio capacity, or fully-embedded team members—to help you scale your marketing efforts. It’s a tailor-made solution for capacity issues so you can get things done in a way that works best for your business. Here’s how each model works:

Take Your Marketing Operations from Zero to 60

If your business is already in growth mode, adding to your internal team might be your best bet for scaling your marketing operations. That way, you’ll have a core group of team members who are in your business for the long haul, all driving towards the same goals. But if you feel like your business is stuck at the starting line, partnering with an external agency can help you go from zero to 60. You’ll have agility and speed on your side, plus the freedom to choose exactly how you want to supplement your in-house marketing efforts.

Whatever your goals are for your business, we can help you create a customized resourcing plan and team so you’ll never fall behind again. We’ll assemble a crew of go-getters to complement your existing team, streamline your marketing operations, and get you where you want to go.

Written by Mackenzie Godard, Senior Content Specialist at Brainrider