In recent years outsourcing has become a buzz words that has left many companies in a bit of dire straits – on the one hand they are saving money hand over fist, but on the other hand their reputation is being damaged to such an extent that the money they are spending of fixing the damage is equal to, and in some cases more, than they are actually saving. Understanding the pitfalls of outsourcing your Internet marketing will help you to make the best decision possible for your company’s presence as well as its future.

For example, the public outcry that might accompany your outsourcing the Internet marketing function may be severe. If you have to lay off employees, the adverse public reaction will be higher than if you are able to shift those employees to other departments, in which case the outcry might be non-existent. On the other hand, even if you are able to keep on all employees, if you take your Internet marketing operation and move it off shore, you will most likely be on the receiving end of a public backlash from which your business may suffer a rather substantial hit.

Another pitfall that might make the idea of a public backlash pale in comparison is the failure to account for a difference in language use. Since any Internet marketing you send off shore is most likely being done in the language of the country where the business ends up, the possibility of word use and terminology that could be considered offensive in this country is high. Add to this that in many other countries political correctness is not a term that is followed to the extent that the United States does, the ability to offend entire segments of a population based on religious, ethnic, cultural or gender specific bases is likely. Once your company’s name is associated with such an offense, unintended though it may be, it is very hard to extricate your business from this negative publicity and it will live on indefinitely on the Internet.

Failure to protect your company by having an ironclad contractual agreement with the company who will receive your outsourced Internet marketing operation is another pitfall that must be avoided. In some cases the failure to spell out exactly what the financial remuneration will be has led to the generation of false leads by unethical independent contractors utilized by the Internet marketing company. These false leads cost you a significant amount of money and you will receive nothing in return. Similarly, if you include email marketing to your ‘Net marketing portfolio, the danger of becoming associated with a company that might SPAM in order to garner a bit of profit is very high. Being associated with such a marketing effort will have a highly negative effect for your company’s name and reputation and while the ability to point fingers at another company may seem petty, the fact that you will be able to mitigate financial damages this way will come in handy in the short run. Unfortunately, in the long run it will stain your company’s status.

Possibly the biggest pitfall you need to be aware of when outsourcing your Internet marketing rests in the fact that you might experience a case of “guilt by association.” This may happen if your ads are displayed on web pages that offer questionable or even illegal content.