You know the clock is ticking on growth. You need to expand your capacity fast, but your budget is stretched thin. So, where do you start?
Many business leaders wrestle with this exact dilemma: Deciding whether to outsource a technical function that maintains stability or a creative function that drives revenue.
According to Clutch, IT services (37%) and digital marketing (34%) are two of the most externally delegated functions.
Both are essential, yet also require specialised, high-cost local skills that are hard to find. The answer isn’t ‘which is better,’ but ‘which solves your most painful, immediate bottleneck.’
If your internal systems are constantly breaking, revenue growth won’t matter. If your sales funnel is dry, stable systems won’t matter either.
Let’s break down outsourcing IT vs marketing, their strategic differences, the roles that deliver the fastest returns, and how to choose the right skills strategy for your business to solve these problems.
IT outsourcing means handing over the management and execution of your company’s information technology needs to an external, often offshore, provider.
This work is all about stability, security, and maintenance. It’s operational work that ensures your internal systems (your networks, software, hardware, and data security) run smoothly without fail.
This type of work is highly technical, process-driven, and demands constant vigilance. It’s a cost centre, but it prevents catastrophic losses. When you outsource IT, you are trading the risk of downtime for the certainty of specialised support.
What is Marketing Outsourcing?
Marketing outsourcing means entrusting the tasks that generate leads, build brand awareness, and drive customer acquisition to an external team. This work is inherently creative, strategic, and focused entirely on revenue growth.
You’d be delegating work that includes everything from managing your social media accounts and running paid ad campaigns to writing blog content and designing user experiences.
Unlike IT, which focuses inward on stability, marketing focuses outward on the customer and the market.
Marketing outsourcing is a revenue centre because you invest in it to get a measurable return (ROI). When you outsource marketing, you gain specialised creative and analytical horsepower necessary to compete in a noisy marketplace.
Outsourcing IT vs Marketing: Which Should You Outsource First?
Deciding between IT and Marketing is a strategic question, not a preference question. The answer lies in identifying your biggest business threat right now.
Choose IT outsourcing if:
✔ Your Internal Systems Fail Constantly
If you experience frequent downtime, network slowdowns, or software crashes, your foundation is weak. Stability must precede growth.
Outsourcing Level 1 and Level 2 IT support prevents internal chaos, stops your high-cost local team from wasting time on simple fixes, and secures your data.
✔ You Face Security Risks
The World Economic Forum revealed that cybersecurity will remain a constant concern, especially with the rising usage of tech-enabled services.
If you lack dedicated expertise in managing firewall updates, compliance, and intrusion detection, outsourcing IT security is an absolute must. You protect your assets and your reputation.
✔ You Need 24/7 Availability
Outsourcing to a team in a different timezone gives you immediate round-the-clock monitoring and support, fixing problems before your local staff even logs on.
Choose marketing outsourcing if
✔ You Have Sales Capacity but No Leads.
If your sales team has time to burn, but the marketing funnel is dry, the priority shifts to demand generation. Outsourcing content creation, SEO, or social media management immediately fills the top of your funnel.
✔ You Need Niche Expertise Quickly
You need to launch an Instagram ad campaign or optimise your Google Ads, but your local generalist team lacks the deep, platform-specific knowledge.
Outsourcing gives you immediate access to highly specialised, campaign-tested experts.
✔ Your Local Team is Maxed Out on Strategy
Marketing strategy is essential, but execution takes up huge chunks of time. Outsourcing execution frees your local team to focus purely on high-level strategy and competitive analysis.
The rule is simple: If your systems are secure and functional, outsource marketing for growth. If your systems are unreliable and insecure, outsource IT for stability.
Key IT and Marketing Roles Perfect for Outsourcing
When you decide to outsource, you don’t send the entire department; you send specific, process-driven roles that offer the highest return on investment (ROI).
These roles are easily defined, measurable, and don’t require C-level strategic input:
| IT Roles (Stability and Maintenance) | Marketing Roles (Growth and Revenue) |
| Level 1/2 Helpdesk Support | Social Media Manager |
| Software Developers | Content Writer/Editor |
| Network Administrators | SEO Specialist |
| Data Analysts / BI Specialists | Digital Marketing Assistant |
| Cybersecurity Analysts | Graphic Designer |
IT roles to secure your foundation
- Level 1/2 Helpdesk Support. These staff handle the bulk of daily issues like password resets, minor software troubleshooting, and basic hardware setup. Outsourcing this eliminates the mundane, so your senior IT staff can focus on infrastructure projects.
- Software Developers (Frontend/Backend). Developers are notoriously expensive and hard to find locally.
Outsourcing developers means you can quickly scale up project teams for specific apps, maintenance, or core product enhancements without hiring permanent, high-cost local staff.
- Network Administrators. They remotely monitor your servers, ensure network performance is optimal, handle routine maintenance, and perform necessary software and firewall updates.
- Data Analysts / BI Specialists. These team members clean, process, and visualise large datasets, turning raw information into actionable business intelligence reports. This work is highly measurable and easily done remotely.
- Cybersecurity Analysts. They monitor your systems 24/7, analyze security logs for threats, and manage endpoint security tools. Outsourcing this provides continuous vigilance against attacks, something your local team cannot realistically offer.
Marketing roles to fuel your growth
- Social Media Manager. This role handles the daily grind of social media, like scheduling posts, engaging with comments, running analytics, and managing community feedback. They ensure your brand stays active, engaged, and relevant around the clock.
- Content Writer/Editor. Forbes shared a piece on how content is the fuel for SEO and lead generation. If you outsource writers, you can churn out high-quality, targeted blog posts, white papers, and website copy consistently, ensuring your business always attracts new organic online traffic.
- SEO Specialist. Search engine optimisation (SEO) requires constant, methodical technical work, keyword research, and link-building.
This process-driven work is ideal for a dedicated remote specialist who can focus exclusively on improving your search rankings.
- Digital Marketing Assistant. This generalist role handles the administrative side of marketing: updating campaign spreadsheets, organizing creative assets, sending email newsletters, and coordinating campaign logistics.
They are the essential right-hand person for your local marketing manager.
- Graphic Designer. Design is a volume game. Outsourced designers create the constant stream of assets you need for social media ads, blog banners, email headers, and website updates.
They keep your brand looking fresh without the cost of a full-time local creative director.
Which Outsourced Role is Right for Your Business?
You have seen the options. Now, how do you make the final decision? It comes down to two factors: risk and reward.
The risk assessment: Start by looking inward. If your systems are constantly crashing, if customer data is insecure, or if your local employees spend hours battling tech issues, the risk of inaction on IT is high. High risk means high priority. Secure the foundation first.
The reward assessment: If your systems are humming along, the reward of outsourcing Marketing is high. Marketing talent acquisition is complex, but the potential ROI from a successful campaign can instantly justify the investment.
In most thriving businesses, the answer is often both, but in a phased approach. Start by outsourcing your Level 1 IT helpdesk to stabilise the environment and free up your expensive local tech team.
Once that stability is secure, immediately shift focus to outsourcing a content writer or a social media manager to start generating new revenue.
Hire the workers who solve your most immediate problem. That’s the quickest way to win.
FAQs
Is it harder to manage an outsourced IT team or a marketing team?
Neither is harder, but they require different management styles. IT teams require clear, measurable service level agreements (SLAs) and defined escalation processes; management is largely process and metric-driven.
Marketing teams require more creative briefing, frequent feedback on tone and brand voice, and a deep understanding of campaign goals. Management for this function is more collaborative and strategic.
Can a remote IT support role handle physical hardware issues?
Remote IT support specialists definitely can handle physical hardware issues, but within limits.
Outsourced IT support is brilliant for remote management. That includes letting an external team troubleshoot software errors, granting access, monitoring network health, and managing cloud systems.
They can also guide local staff through physical fixes (rebooting a router, checking a cable) via video call.
However, they cannot physically replace a server or rewire an office. For complex hardware installation, you would still need local ‘smart hands’ support, often coordinated by your offshore IT administrator.
What is the average cost saving when outsourcing IT or marketing roles?
You can typically expect significant cost savings in both areas, often reaching up to 70% compared to hiring the equivalent expertise locally.
This substantial saving comes from leveraging the lower cost of living in key outsourcing hubs like the Philippines.
Crucially, the quality of labour remains high, as you are still accessing highly educated professionals dedicated to their field. The financial benefit allows you to hire two to three full-time offshore experts for the price of one local hire.