In case you’ve been living somewhere without phone, TV, newspaper, internet or media of any kind, let me be the first to tell you. Budgets are being cut. And universities are looking for ways to save money.
One of the first things colleges look into is outsourcing. I’m not talking about ‘outsourcing’ in the same sense that Nike might outsource its entire manufacturing facility overseas. I mean ‘outsourcing’ in the sense that you might decide to hire outside companies to do work for your university that is currently done in-house.
A prime target for this: marketing and recruiting. Can it be done cheaper? You bet. And cost savings are key…but look before you leap!
-Make sure you get reviews and recommendations on the marketing firm. It’s not enough to just ask for a portfolio. They may be creative but their process might not work with your school’s way of doing things. Or, they may come on strong but finish weak. Talk to people they’ve worked with before about their entire experience with the firm…from beginning to end.
-If the cost-savings are too good to be true, they probably are. Don’t pay too little for the work. This is your school’s brand, after all, and you don’t want to sacrifice it. At some point, you do get what you pay for. Also, by the way, a little trick some agencies like to pull: show a price sheet that looks really low-cost and then add in small costs to every single little thing after that. Agencies make tons of money doing that and you, in the end, could actually pay more than if you did everything up front.
-Project management is essential. Even if the work is being done off-campus, it is still your responsibility to oversee the project. Get progress reports and status updates from the agency. Establish right from the beginning how these reports will be given to you. Do you prefer in-person meetings? Or would you prefer a log-in to their online project management system so you can just check for yourself? Agencies have their own internal processes, sure, but they must be flexible enough to give you the information you need, when you need it, how you need it.
You liked the article? You might be interested in this!
