Local vs. Offshore Marketing: Does It Make A Difference?
When starting a website project, you will inevitably have to make the choice of hiring a local or remote firm. Here at Dynamic, we like to pride ourselves on being a friendly, local digital agency to help those across Gloucestershire and beyond. But does being local really make a difference?
We are located just between Gloucester and Cheltenham, therefore we are easily accessible to both neighbouring towns/cities. Likewise, if you are located in the Cotswolds, we are within an hour’s drive, meaning we can be on location anywhere around the county, whether this be for meetings, photoshoots or just a general catch-up! What is ultimately best for you will depend entirely on your specific needs.
Off-shore agencies will not be able to offer you this kind of service, with much of their work done over Zoom meetings and emails, which can often be easily lost along the pathway. Offshore companies may be less expensive due to the wide variety and options to choose from, but there can be language barriers and time differences to contend with which could lead to unwanted hassle.
We believe that being local is a huge USP of ours, as we offer an open-door policy for all those looking for a quick chat about our services, meaning you don’t have to wait weeks on end for meetings and updates. Let’s look at the advantages and disadvantages of both local marketing agencies and offshore online businesses.
The obvious benefit of a local vendor is that you can meet face-to-face with their team. Some people prefer to do business locally, with easy communication between both parties. It promotes a sense of confidence in the project to be able to view the on-site operation and meet staff, where partnerships and relationships can be born in business. When searching for online offshore versions, the pool of candidates is virtually limitless.
Peace of mind is directly proportionate to the effectiveness of the team you select, regardless of geographical location. This has been the case for many who have found and sourced offshore marketing agencies to help with their business and have seen results. But we believe this element of face-to-face interaction is ever-so important for the trust aspect for both client and company.
Cultural differences are also vast. If you choose to work with an offshore team, you need to make sure they fully understand the nuances of connecting with customers across of your calibre. You may want to market your business a certain way to certain people. Great websites are created by overseas companies that conform to the very letter of the contract, but depending on the product or service, they may not make a connection with your potential consumers.
Being on the same time schedule and the same time zone makes communication quite easy, and this is one of the biggest advantages of choosing a locally based team for your website needs. Particularly if you run into problems, local teams are able to deal with these straight away, whereas off-shore workers may take a few hours to respond due to these time differences we have spoken on.
Our advice? As a local business ourselves, we would highly recommend choosing locally. Not only will they care that extra bit more, but they will also focus on delivering you results due to this more persoanl relationship you can build with them. We have a plethora of customers who have been with us for years for this specific reason! At the end of the day, there is no right or wrong answer, only what is right for you! If you would like more information on working with a local team, then contact us today!