<a>Piirla</a> is a leading Finnish expert and importer of tachograph products, specializing in aftermarket accessories that enhance vehicle safety. We had the opportunity to interview Nina Virolainen, Piirla’s marketing manager.
Piirla’s marketing team can be described as a pioneer in smart outsourcing. Unlike the traditional model, which relies heavily on an in-house team and external agency partnerships, Piirla has long utilized freelance expertise.
As a skilled marketing manager, Nina has identified certain challenges in marketing outsourcing. When the schedule is tight and the goals are high, communication must be seamless and quick.
"In certain tasks, it’s better to work with a single skilled professional rather than a large agency, as it often allows for faster response times and consistent work quality and style."Nina VirolainenMarketing Manager, Piirla Oy
Piirla has been working with various partners and operators for a long time, so outsourcing marketing is familiar to them. But what makes them succeed?
Effective Internal Coordination Simplifies the Outsourcing Process
Piirla has a small, highly efficient marketing team. Strategic decision-making and planning can also involve other teams and company management. When plans and needs are clear, it’s easy to outsource specific tasks requiring specialized expertise.
"I work on a lot of things, for example, with product managers. They have important insights into the customer base, and I bring in the marketing perspective. After that, the work is largely coordination, as we outsource many different areas."
Responsiveness and Direct Communication Are Key
Like most marketing teams, Piirla’s needs often arise with short notice. Once a need is identified, and the team has direct access to the expert, moving the project forward is smooth.
"I think ‘ease’ best describes this entire service and process. We started communicating with the freelancer via Slack, where we can quickly reach each other. We exchange messages within the same day, which has been excellent since communication with some other providers can take several days."Nina VirolainenMarketing Manager, Piirla Oy
The Importance of Low-Threshold and Close Collaboration When Choosing a Partner
Every marketing team has faced situations where a project doesn’t progress quickly enough. The reason might be coordinating schedules or sudden team changes.
Especially in graphic design tasks, for which Nina hired help from Freedomly, close and direct collaboration plays a significant role.
"We needed a flexible collaboration model and a professional we could easily turn to. We wanted to find a versatile graphic designer we could trust. This way, the brand image remains consistent, and starting new tasks is efficient enough,”, Nina explains."
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Piirla and Freedomly’s collaboration has been excellent, thanks largely to Nina and Freedomly’s skilled freelancers.
Nina also shares how flexible the work has been with the freelancer they hired: <b>"I must also commend Anniina for being extremely flexible and quick to address issues. Sometimes, it can take days for other providers to respond."</b>
Key Results of the Collaboration
- Time savings in finding the most suitable expert for the situation
- A straightforward and fast process with the expert
- A skilled graphic designer who has helped achieve a more consistent brand image
