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For small and mid-sized manufacturers and trading companies

Can't hire a marketing team? Outsource one.

From a straightforward website build and social media to sales outreach and trade show support, one team covers the roles you can't hire for. It costs as little as half the salary budget of a hire, with no recruiting, no training and no starting over when someone quits.

Book a 20-min demo Estimate your savings
  • KPIs agreed before work starts
  • A report every week
  • A person reviews everything before it goes out
The hiring problem

You know marketing matters. You just can’t staff it.

In most small factories and trading companies, “marketing” means one overworked generalist, or the owner on a Sunday night. A capable digital marketer needs to handle your website, SEO, marketplaces, product content, email and reporting. Few candidates can do all of it. The ones who can are expensive, and when they leave, the logins, the know-how and the momentum go with them.

  • Hard to find.

    One hire rarely covers web, marketplaces, content and reporting well.

  • Costs more than the salary.

    Benefits make up 30% of what private US employers spend on compensation, on top of recruiting time.

  • Slow to ramp up.

    A new hire has to learn your products, customers and systems before the work gets done.

  • Fragile.

    When one person quits, the work stops and you start over.

Why a team member

Not another tool. Not just a consultant. Not a one-off project. A reliable, skilled team member.

Most providers sell you one piece. It might be software you still have to run, a fixed service menu, or a deliverable, like a new website, that nobody promotes or maintains after launch. We give you a person who does the work, week after week, and answers for the results.

Software tools

Who does the work
You or your staff
What you pay for
Licenses, plus your own time to run them
Cost
Low sticker price, high time cost
Ramp-up and training
You learn the tool
Management load
You run it
When someone leaves
n/a (nobody is running it)
Accountability
None

Agency or freelancer (project deliverables)

Who does the work
The agency, for the scope of the project
What you pay for
A deliverable (site, campaign, audit)
Cost
Per project; maintenance extra or missing
Ramp-up and training
Briefing at the start of each project
Management load
You manage the project
When someone leaves
Work ends when the project ends
Accountability
Delivery of the agreed scope

Hiring in-house

Who does the work
Your employee
What you pay for
Salary, benefits, recruiting, equipment
Cost
Full salary plus benefits (about 30% of compensation)
Ramp-up and training
You train them on products, systems and customers
Management load
You manage the person
When someone leaves
Work stops; you rehire and retrain
Accountability
Job description and reviews

HappyCXO dedicated team member

Who does the work
A named lead with specialists behind them
What you pay for
Ongoing work against agreed KPIs
Cost
From about half the role’s salary budget; no benefits or recruiting costs
Ramp-up and training
We learn your products during onboarding; our team trains its own people
Management load
One contact, one weekly report
When someone leaves
We cover the gap; documented processes stay with your account
Accountability
KPIs and a baseline agreed before work starts
What you can hand off

Hand us the website, the marketing and sales work, or both

Start with just your website, built and run by us, or hand us your marketing and sales work end to end. We own what we can own; the calls that should stay with you stay with you.

See every service, including CRM/ERP modernization and knowledge-base work

Savings estimate

How much could HappyCXO save you in a year?

Enter the roles you're paying for now, or the hire you've been trying to make. Defaults are US median pay from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Role 1

Default: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Market Research Analysts (incl. marketing specialists), median pay (May 2025)

Default is 42.9%. Private US employers spend about $14.07 on benefits for every $32.82 in wages (BLS, June 2026).

Your current salary budget:
$78,760/year
With benefits and overhead:
$112,500/year

Estimated savings: up to $39,300/year

A HappyCXO engagement can start from about $39,300/year, roughly half the salary budget above.

Not counted above: about $33,800/year in benefits and overhead you wouldn't carry, plus recruiting and training costs.

Book a 20-min demo to get a real quote

This is an estimate, not a quote. Your actual price depends on scope and is confirmed after the demo. Salary defaults are US national medians from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook (May 2025). Your local pay may differ.

Open the full calculator, with methodology and sources

How it works

From a 20-minute call to a team member at work

  1. Book a 20-min demo.

    Tell us what's not getting done. We'll show how the work would be split and say plainly if we're not the right fit.

  2. Plan and KPIs.

    We list the tasks, record a baseline (including the hours your team spends on them today), agree on KPIs and send a quote.

  3. Your team member starts.

    Work begins in your accounts. You get a report every week showing what was done, what moved, and what’s next.

  4. Regular reviews.

    We review results against the baseline with you regularly and agree on what to focus on next.

A typical week

Illustrative. The exact rhythm is agreed with you during onboarding.

  1. MondayYour weekly report is in your inbox, and we confirm the week’s priorities with you.
  2. MidweekListings, content and site updates get done. Replies to buyer inquiries are drafted for your review.
  3. FridayAnything waiting on your input is flagged, so nothing sits idle over the weekend.

What you get

  • A weekly report

    What was done, what moved, what’s next, and anything that needs a decision from you.

  • KPIs and a baseline, before work starts

    Including the hours your team spends on these tasks today, so progress is measured from where you started.

  • A monthly performance report

    The numbers tied to your KPIs, such as site traffic, marketplace impressions and inquiries, in one place.

  • Regular reviews

    We go over results against the baseline with you and agree on what to focus on next.

  • Work done in your accounts

    Websites, marketplace stores and ad accounts stay in your company’s name, and so does the documentation.

  • Talk it through anytime, by message or phone

    Questions don’t have to wait for the weekly report. Message us whenever something comes up, or set up a call during your business hours.

Book a 20-min demo
Who we work with

Built for manufacturers and trading companies

We don't work with everyone. Our clients make or trade physical products and sell to other businesses: distributors, OEMs, contractors and retailers. We already know the basics of that kind of selling, including spec sheets, MOQs, lead times, dealer channels and RFQs, so you don't have to explain them.

Our two co-founders come from the same world. One was a senior project manager at Foxconn, working on manufacturing procurement, supplier evaluation and cost control. The other specializes in cross-border e-commerce and CRM implementation and has long worked with small and mid-sized businesses in Taiwan.

Is this a fit?

Who this is for, and who it isn’t

A good fit if

  • You make or trade physical products and sell to distributors, OEMs, contractors or retailers.
  • Nobody owns marketing, so the owner or a salesperson covers it after hours.
  • Your one marketer is overloaded, or just left.
  • You have a website or marketplace store that nobody has kept up since launch.
  • You want steady weekly work you can measure, not a one-off project.

Probably not a fit if

  • You mainly need senior strategy, not weekly execution. A fractional CMO may suit you better.
  • You want guaranteed rankings or inquiries by a set date. We agree on KPIs and report honestly against them, but we don’t promise outcomes.
Recent work

What the work looks like in practice

Anonymized engagements. Figures come from project records and are not claims about a named client.

See all case studies
From our clients

What clients say

Half our week used to disappear into Alibaba dashboards and cold email. Since HappyCXO took that over, we only talk to leads that are already qualified, and the team finally has time to close.
Yvone Chang
Sales Director, cosmetic bag manufacturer (ODM)
The AI knowledge base they built actually works. A new hire can answer technical questions in their first week, and our first big European order came through this process.
Chris Chen
Founder, climbing safety equipment maker
We see the website and SEO move forward every week. This isn't an agency that delivers and disappears. The work keeps building, and that's where the value is.
Michelle Liu
General Manager, B2B trading company
Guides for owners

Read this before you hire, outsource or sign

Plain-English guides for owners weighing a marketing hire, an agency or an outsourced team. No sign-up required.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

See more FAQs
What is an outsourced digital marketing team for a small manufacturer?
An outsourced digital marketing team gives a small manufacturer the output of a marketing hire without employing one. At HappyCXO Studio, a named lead, backed by specialists and AI tools, runs your website, SEO, B2B marketplaces and online store, works in your accounts every week and reports weekly against KPIs you agree on.
What does HappyCXO Studio do?
HappyCXO Studio covers the marketing and sales roles small and mid-sized manufacturers and trading companies can’t staff, from a straightforward website build and social media to sales outreach and trade show support. Hand us just your website, or hand us the marketing and sales work end to end. A named lead, supported by specialists in Taiwan, runs the work in your accounts, helps with recruiting, training and supplier coordination when needed, and reports to you every week.
How is this different from an agency, a software tool or a fractional CMO?
Software still needs someone to run it. A consultant advises, but your team still does the work. An agency or freelancer usually delivers a project, then stops. Hiring means salary, benefits, recruiting and training. A HappyCXO dedicated team member does the ongoing work in your accounts every week against agreed KPIs. If you mainly need senior strategy rather than weekly execution, a part-time executive may fit better.
Is it cheaper to outsource marketing than to hire a marketer?
It can be. The BLS puts median pay for market research analysts and marketing specialists at $78,760 (May 2025), and benefits make up 30% of private-employer compensation (June 2026). A HappyCXO engagement can start at about half the role's salary budget, with no benefits or recruiting costs on top. The real quote comes after a 20-minute demo.
Who actually does the work? Is it all AI?
No. A named lead is your day-to-day contact and is responsible for results, supported by specialists in content, web and marketplaces. AI tools handle repetitive volume work such as first drafts, data cleanup and reporting. A person reviews everything before it is published or sent in your company's name.
Where is the team based, and what about time zones?
Our team is based in Taiwan. We don't have US employees or a US office. Taiwan's workday overlaps the US evening and overnight, so routine work often moves forward while you're offline. We schedule calls during your business hours and agree on response times for urgent requests during onboarding.
How do we know it’s working?
Before work starts, we agree on KPIs with you and record a baseline, including the hours your team spends on these tasks today. You get a report every week showing what was done, what moved and what’s next, and we review results against that baseline with you regularly. We don’t promise ranking or inquiry dates.
What happens if our team member leaves?
The work keeps going. HappyCXO assigns and briefs a replacement, and your processes are documented in your account, so you don't restart from zero the way you would after an employee quits. Your website, marketplace stores and ad accounts stay in your company's name throughout. Recruiting, training and cover are our job, not yours.
Do you send cold email for us? Is it compliant?
Only when outreach is part of your plan, and only in ways that protect your domain's reputation. We follow the FTC's CAN-SPAM rules: accurate sender details, honest subject lines, your postal address and a working opt-out, honored within 10 business days. Lists are researched and verified, and sending volumes stay modest.
Which industries do you work with?
We work with small and mid-sized manufacturers and trading companies, including industrial machinery, auto parts, hardware and fasteners, bicycles, electronics and home goods. Our founders' backgrounds are in manufacturing procurement and cross-border B2B e-commerce, so we already know spec sheets, MOQs, dealer channels and RFQs.

See what a dedicated team member would take off your plate.

In 20 minutes we'll look at your current setup, show how the work would be split, and tell you honestly whether we're a fit. No obligation.

Prefer email? Write to tradeexpertw@gmail.com.

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