Overhead costs are something a lot of digital marketing companies tend to overlook, strangely. However, overpaying for utilities and overspending on operation costs could make a significant impact on your bottom line. Not to mention that saving on overheads is sometimes only a matter of making minor changes, or correcting certain bad habits.
By knowing where you’re spending too much, and acting on it, you can free up a lot of money that could be used to grow your business instead of simply running it. Here are some of the things digital marketing companies can do to save on costs.
Go Agile
The less people you have at the office, the less energy you’ll consume. And the beauty of digital marketing agencies is that most of the work can be done completely remotely. Some people may be intimidated by going fully agile, but it can be done if your employees are on board, have the maturity to follow through on work and deadlines, and you have the proper systems in place.
One of the things you could do is use a cloud based Kanban tool for project management. This system that was developed by Toyota in the mid-20th century uses a clear system of note cards that go through different phases of a project. This way, you can see where each project is in terms of progress and who’s working on it. You can also add new tasks into the pipeline that team members can pick up. This facilitates workflow, allows you to delegate tasks without unnecessary communication, and also allows you to keep an eye on everyone in your team wherever they are.
Haggle Down Energy Prices
A lot of people make the mistake of staying with the same gas and electricity company, either because of convenience, or because they think they’re getting a good deal. But there’s no reason not to start looking out there to see if you can get a better deal.
There are plenty of services like Utility Bidder that allow you to compare business gas prices. You’ll be able to look up quotes from a wide number of providers in a second, and check if you could get a better price elsewhere. You’ll also be able to use these quotes to negotiate a better deal with your current provider.
Outsource What You Can
Evaluate the cost benefit of some of your functions and see if it wouldn’t be a better idea to outsource. For instance, if you don’t have immediate hiring needs, then you don’t need an in-house HR department. You may not need an in-house accountant or payroll. You could outsource all of these functions as well. If some of your people have to find things to do to keep them occupied, then it’s a sign that you should outsource.
Be More Energy Efficient
What fits nicely with a reduced energy supplier deal? We’d say using less energy in the digital marketing business in the first place.
Digital marketing businesses uses many computer and other equipment that require power. It’s easy to get careless about how much this is costing every quarter. Avoid leaving PCs on when they’re not needed. Have employees put them in a power saving mode when out for lunch or in a long meeting.
Also, avoid getting high-end PCs when they’re not required for that type of job. Computers with powerful dedicated graphic cards use far more energy than a lower powered processor designed for more basic tasks like administration, spreadsheet management, producing documents, etc. While all employees probably would like a superfast PC, most don’t need all the bells and whistles.
Reduce Software Dependence
There’s a tendency with digital-based businesses to own or subscribe to many different software packages and SaaS solutions. It quickly becomes something that adds unnecessarily to the monthly cost of running the business.
For instance, there’s Trello for advanced task management which charges for Business Class plans and the number of users. However, free web-based alternatives can be installed on the network and only be accessible internally. Similarly, Google Sheets makes a free spreadsheet alternative for anyone usually needing access to the Office 365 subscription to get their work done.
By saving money on software and subscriptions, it’s possible to invest in the best creative tools for staff who really need them.
Reducing your overhead costs as a digital marketing company shouldn’t be complicated. Just make sure that you take advantage of your options, see where you could trim the fat, and see where you can reduce your energy loads.