Publishing a branded magazine or newsletter in house? This deck will give you the insight and tools to help make an informed decision about outsourcing this critical function.

1. 7 Reasons to Outsource
Your Branded Magazine
Presented by GLC Custom Media
1.800.641.3912 | www.glcomm.com

2. 1. Quality & Consistency
Outsourcing design and/or editorial to an agency whose core
competency is publishing benefits the overall quality and value
of your publication. Exceptional agencies live and breathe
design and content. They make investments in resources,
technology and professional development that your
organization probably could not justify. Seek out award-winning
agencies with talented and tenured staff for the best outcome.
1.800.641.3912 | www.glcomm.com

3. 2. Manage Costs
The salaries/benefits allocated for your dedicated staff may be
much more expensive than the project fee an agency would
charge to execute the magazine’s design and/or content. At the
very least, conduct an analysis of the overall costs of your
publishing program, including any outside fees for contract
work, and comparing that to a qualified agency’s quote. A free
Publication Job Costing Worksheet is available at
http://bit.ly/oQ1tgc.
1.800.641.3912 | www.glcomm.com

4. 3. Access to Resources
Does your team include a content strategist, illustrator, web
developer, production manager and social media expert? When
you need extra help or specialized expertise, your agency is
there for you. A good agency acts as an extension of your
MarCom team and is able to scale up or down depending on
your needs and budget. Get a comprehensive list of available
resources/expertise from every agency you work with. You
never know when you might need a little something extra.
1.800.641.3912 | www.glcomm.com

5. 4. Strategy & ROI
How often does your team think strategically about your
communications program? Quarterly? Semi-annually? An
agency analyzes your program constantly. The reason is simple:
Your publication’s success and the agency’s success are
inextricably linked. Smart agencies know they need to show
solid ROI to keep the business; most internal teams don’t have
the same motivation.
1.800.641.3912 | www.glcomm.com

6. 5. New Technology & Distribution
If your organization is the first to jump on new technology and
media channels, you may already have experienced a state of
diminishing returns on your investment or no return at all. That’s
because being an early adopter is expensive. An agency whose
business is to vet the latest developing technology can help you
make sense of it to find out if it’s a meaningful platform for your
business and audience—or merely a trend.
1.800.641.3912 | www.glcomm.com

7. 6. Business Intelligence
Agencies draw on considerable experience with other clients to
road test innovative concepts, distribution strategies, media
channels, etc. These case studies provide invaluable insight into
markets/organizations that would otherwise be inaccessible to
you. Another advantage to agency partnerships is that you can
benefit from volume discounts (think, printing or email
distribution).
1.800.641.3912 | www.glcomm.com

8. 7. Measure, analyze, adjust, repeat
At some point, every organization is guilty of putting marketing
initiatives on auto pilot, investing little or no thought into
enhancing the program. The right agency, however, will take a
proactive approach not only to measuring initiatives against key
performance indicators, but also analyzing data and drafting
specific recommendations for improvement. From readership
surveys (a free one is available at http://bit.ly/tuIhWf) to
complex digital analytics, an agency can provide detailed
metrics reports and timely business intelligence to help you and
other stakeholders make informed decisions.
1.800.641.3912 | www.glcomm.com

9. For more information, please contact:
Joe Stella
Vice President, Business Development
GLC
jstella@glcomm.com
847.205.3127
1.800.641.3912 | www.glcomm.com