Should You Hire a Marketing Agency?

Before you head out in search of a Marketing Agency for your business, it’s a good idea to take a moment to look over the pros and cons. Agencies offer many advantages, but there are also disadvantages to consider before handing over control of your business’ marketing.

Agency Advantages

Professional Experience: The people working in the agency are focused on one thing:  Advertising your Business. They have the experience and knowledge of the markets that will help them in developing the ideal strategy. Chances are that even after a few minutes of talking with you, they will have an idea of the correct way to move forward.  If you were to pass on the various jobs of marketing to employees on your own team, there’s a good chance they won’t have the knowledge and skills of a marketing expert, whereas an agency has already done the job for you by hiring the best people in the business.

Connections to the Media: An established advertising agency will have built up a long list of contacts within the Media industry. These relationships typically come with benefits such as deals on printing or a foot in the door with a television company.

Saves Time: If the task of advertising is the responsibility of an agency, then you can focus your time and energy on other areas of the business. There’s no need to be constantly looking over people’s shoulders because the tasks are being taken care of by the best in the business.  That and with their experience, they will be able to accomplish the same tasks at a more diligent speed than if you were to do them.

Cost: Agencies know where to get the most “bang-for-your-buck”.  They are less likely to waste your precious capital on campaigns that don’t work or are incorrectly executed and their media relationships will get discounts and deals that you personally wouldn’t be able to take advantage of. But the biggest difference should come from the end result. A good agency will ensure that your advertising expenses aren’t wasted and your profits will see a significant rise.

Agency Disadvantages

Advanced Planning: Outsourcing your advertising to an agency will mean additional steps to the marketing process. It will be necessary to meet with a representative of the agency to tell them exactly what it is you want. And during the process they will also want to keep you up to date with what’s going on.  Jumping on a new opportunity is not always an option when working with an agency.

Unfamiliar with the Product: If you’re selling a product or service that is familiar to everyone then this shouldn’t be a problem. But if you’re servicing a narrow niche, the agency might require some time to familiarise themselves with what it you do/make.

Cost: Though an agency will help you spend your marketing dollar more effectively and efficiently, hiring an agency to manage your marketing can be quite costly, depending upon the types of campaigns you are running. It might take some time before you find an agency that is a balance of quality and affordability.

Partnership:  The Best Of Both Worlds

Hiring an advertising agency can be of a huge advantage to any business. Their skills, experience and creativity will get you results that you just couldn’t get on your own. However there is another option: Opt for a partnership.

Instead of handing over all your marketing efforts to an agency, partner with them, taking some of the tasks and utilizing their expertise for others.  For example, you can write your own ad and website text and utilize the marketing agency’s designer to complete the piece.  Your marketing agency can create a social media plan for you, then your team follows it internally.

Talk about various options with agencies to see where you can work together.  This will allow you the best of both options and may even create stronger marketing initiatives.

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