Of course, marketing agencies specialize in the big-picture of web development. They’re about strategy. They’re about messaging. Driving leads, building credibility. Architecture, positioning.
Where the money is.
But they end up doing the small stuff, too. Such as, when a client just wants a button added to an already existing web page, or needs some oddball new page added to the site. Yep, the agency is going to do it.
And then there’s maybe the broken slider or broken plugin that needs attention. A fill-in form that isn’t filling in. Removing a link, adding a link.
Unfortunately, it’s never just one collective annual spring cleaning done all in shot. But random, unplanned requests at any given time, all year long.
Distractions.
Death by a thousand cuts.
However, there is ad hoc help available. Outsource partners, and white labels have complementary service offerings such as site maintenance.
Troubleshooting. Optimization. Content updates. Page additions. Etc.
First of all, good outsources do indeed create wide-sweeping cornerstone work… complex websites, intellectual property, and digital tools. To do that, they need a cast of thousands… developers, admins, designers, SMEs, QAs, SEO, UI/UX, and 3D renderers.
Well, not really thousands. But a cast of dozens and dozens is not unusual, but that’s still a lot. And because every project doesn’t require every expert, every step of the way, certain specialists can provide those add-on services separately. A dedicated team that focuses on ad-hoc work. As a result, outsources are geared toward those types of client requests, not distracted by them.
Instead of tying up an agency’s best account leaders and designers, and front-end personnel, an outsource can untangle that hairball without the agency being bothered with it. The separate “ad-hoc” service can even be marketed to clients as a maintenance package or bundle. A source of revenue for the agency owner versus a source of grief.
And it is all done at a variable, wholesale pass-along cost with plenty of room for margin. Much more efficient than either staffing up anew or tying up an existing staff with petty ad hoc work. Yet another way to optimize adjusted gross income.
Agencies can then focus on the specialized, niche work and intelligence that makes them unique and leave the commoditized production services to a resource that is dedicated to doing just that.
Only the poet can look beyond the detail and see the whole picture.
—Helen Hayes
