Working with an external design team can be a beneficial game-changer for your business. But how do you know when you are ready for that step, and how can you maximize the experience to exponentially grow your brand?
Many companies don’t have the desire or capability to add staff with an in-house team. Even if you do, it’s rarely the right decision. One mid-level design or marketing employee can cost a company $50,000-75,000 per year plus benefits; an external design team can provide you with senior-level professionals and an entire team of diverse talent for the same cost or less. The leadership and team model of an external team will increase efficiency, depth of talent, and value for business.
We emphasize great communication from the start because it makes our clients more comfortable, especially if they have never worked with an external design team before.
If this is going to be your first time working with a design team, outsourcing can help you consider whether it’s necessary to build your own-house team or give you added time to recruit the staff you will need. An external design team also gives you flexibility, allowing you to pivot creatively or financially as your business scenario dictates.
Perhaps the biggest advantage of bringing in an external design team is the positive impact a fresh approach can bring to your marketing efforts. Digital design and marketing can change so rapidly; the ability of an external team to see what is new or innovative in your market can help to highlight your brand’s value in original, creative ways. The team can think outside the box because they are, literally, outside your box.
Working with an external design team such as Trillion will bring vision and expertise to your brand. Like any collaboration, of course, there are best practices that you can follow to keep it operating smoothly and with mutual benefit. Here are the things to keep in mind so that your work together can help you achieve—and possibly exceed—your marketing goals.
Learn How Your External Design Team Works
Capitalizing on your design team’s fresh perspective requires excellent communication and transparency. You may be overwhelmed by marketing decisions, or you may know exactly where you want to go. Either way, your design team will have ideas to get you there. Encourage them to explain their thinking and process. Frank conversations at the outset will establish the right tone for the relationship. Understand what their approach will be so that you can be comfortable with their process. “We emphasize great communication from the start because it makes our clients more comfortable, especially if they have never worked with an external design team before,” explains Lou Leonardis, Partner and Creative Director at Trillion. “For example, explaining why an email campaign might be a better fit than a social media focus will help the client feel confident in the approach we bring to their brand.”
Set Clear Goals With Your Design Team
Once you are on the same page about how you will work together, agree on the deliverables and the schedule. Are you expecting a brand identity makeover, or do you just need help with your ongoing marketing? Who on the team will you be working with? Identify your point person for your projects. Layout the schedule clearly, with all parties agreeing on the deadlines and leaving room in the timeline for feedback and adjustments along the way. You may want to utilize some form of project management software or shared files so you can see the status of your projects at a glance. Establishing clear goals and boundaries can help the team from under (or over) delivering.
As projects move forward, understand when you will review and offer feedback (Read our article How to Share Constructive Feedback with Your Graphic Designer). Be prompt and clear with your opinions, whether the notes are about overall concept or something as specific as changing a photo in the design. Revisions are a normal part of the process, the more responsive and forthcoming you can be, the more efficient the development process will be. A good design team will be amenable and inventive in finding the right solution.
Use tracking and scheduling tools that all team members can access and interact with. This is a simple way to keep everyone connected and up to date on projects. That kind of sharing and accessibility can go a long way to reducing any stress in the development and rollout—and building a mutually beneficial partnership.
Let Your Design Team Inspire You
An external design team can help you focus on both short- and long-term goals of promotion. They can share ideas now and in the future that you may not have identified. Reimagining your website, for example, may include creating a blog or landing pages to help drive traffic to your site over several months or years. Marketing and promotion are not isolated events; they are an ongoing process vital to the health of any brand. Your team will have talent, creativity, and experience—let them reveal new ways to elevate your brand.
Assess Progress With Your Design Team
A good design team will have solid, measurable methods to track the success of their work. They are experts at analyzing the metrics and then evolving their strategies to capitalize on what is working and to create more new opportunities for your brand. “Tracking our multifaceted efforts is a key component of success,” reports Larissa Montecuollo, Partner and Creative Director at Trillion. “For our client Mulberry House Restaurant, we were able to increase their private events by 300% monthly. We did this by monitoring the social media posts, optimized web pages, and email campaigns to track which outreach brought the best results.”
Following these practices should yield great dividends for your company. If you think Trillion might be the design team you’ve been looking for, contact us today. Our award-winning team will help you reach your goals with flexibility and vision.
