There are many reasons that companies will try to handle their marketing communications needs in-house. Sometimes, budget is the primary driver, but more often, there’s a belief that nobody in the outside world could ever understand the company as well as its employees.
That’s probably true, and it’s exactly why an outsider offers you a significant advantage.
You see, your marketplace doesn’t look at you through your eyes. They don’t view your company, your products, or your people through your viewpoint. They don’t see the intention behind what you’re doing or recognize the superiority of your current efforts over previous ones. Fact is, they’re pretty ignorant when it comes to what they know about you.
That creates a real danger for companies. By assuming that their customers and prospects think the same way they do, they miss what those stakeholders are really thinking and what they need. They don’t realize that the dilemma that your staff grappled over for weeks is important. Actually, it means nothing to them. You’re so proud that everyone internally reached a consensus on that key issue, but it matters not a bit to the people who may buy what you sell. Your view of everything is shaped by internal attitudes and concerns.
An outsider doesn’t have all that baggage. He or she will bring more objectivity to the process. For example, an outsider will be better able to point out how your audience might not come away with the same impression of what you plan to say. An outsider will have the ability to ask tough questions that internal folks may be uncomfortable voicing. At the very least, he or she will bring a different perspective to the table that just might keep you from inadvertently embarrassing yourself in the marketplace.
Sometimes ignorance is a healthy thing.
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