When you’re looking to expand your marketing efforts, there are usually two main options to obtain a wider set of resources – hire more people directly or work with an outside marketing agency. Hiring directly to your team usually is best when there is a single function that needs to be built out, and the person’s expertise can be focused on that area.
Oftentimes, though, we find that a company expanding its marketing resources is doing so because there is more complexity needed than just building out a single aspect of the marketing program. A client once told us, “Instead of adding just one person to the team, I get your whole marketing team!” And we take that to heart, because we truly believe any client-agency relationship works best when we become a part of your company’s fabric.
A foundational tenet of our operating philosophy is that we are an extension of your marketing team. Agencies bring to the table decades of experience across various expertise areas, all available to you at the level and frequency you need. But it’s more than that; marketing agencies help keep perspective, validation, organization and other exceptionally useful mindsets in focus, as the rest of your business rolls on.
So, what are the benefits of working with a marketing agency?
Holistic Marketing Analysis
Because we’ve worked with many other organizations of different sizes, focus and cultures, we have a uniquely holistic view, drawing on experiences from numerous other situations. There isn’t much we haven’t seen or managed for our clients.
There’s also a distinct advantage to having insights beyond those gathered from within your company’s structure. One of them is taking the real-world successes we’ve garnered from other programs and applying similar methods and ideas that an internal team member may not think of or may not have been exposed to… as well as identifying things that typically may not work for a given campaign.
Unbiased Validation
Agencies can be your greatest cheerleader, but also the impartial arbitrator. A huge part of agency life is helping clients work through their internal processes, managing inputs from several cross-functional teams and still delivering a program that is neither whitewashed to the point of obscurity nor that bends only to the loudest voice in the room.
Our motivation is our client’s success, not internal politics or power trips – we won’t take sides. Instead, we evaluate brand messaging, creative designs and campaign tactics on the impact they will have with your target audience, voicing honest feedback that is focused on the future success of your company.
Integrated Marcom Approach
Because we employ an integrated marketing approach, we’re jigsaw puzzle masters, able to see how the pieces of a complex marketing program will fit together, making the sum of the parts greater than the whole. This includes overseeing not only campaign tactics and program objectives, but also the influences of internal resources and other third-party partners, if required.
Like the old ‘forest through the trees’ adage, we know how to take each element and put it in the context of the larger picture to maximize budget and ROI, repurpose principal materials and ensure a cohesive strategy across the board.
Focused Project Management
Deadlines are in our DNA. Effective project management is a necessary skill within an agency – it’s what we do every day. An agency thrives by doing things well and doing them on time (and on budget for that matter).
Good agencies keep the balance between conflicting pressures when the marketing machine gets rolling, such as creative design vs. practical application, deadlines vs. costs and knowing when to try something new vs. stick with tried-and-true tactics, because everything needs to be put into the proper context to ensure a value-driven result.
What We Ask in Return
Simply, just a seat at the table.
Open, honest communication is key to a successful relationship with your marketing agency. Some of the best feedback we’ve received is when a client didn’t like a certain campaign element or creative approach. Knowing what doesn’t work for a client is just as important as knowing what does. This builds trust and understanding.
Clearly defined and quantifiable objectives and KPIs help set the stage for continued growth within your marketing program. Knowing what is valued within the activities we are doing provides a much more defined pathway to future success. This will lead to an increased acceleration of meaningful marketing results.
Don’t only give us short-term objectives. From the get-go, we look far beyond a mere few months for our clients. Our most successful relationships (many of which span more than 10 years) are those where we work towards initial goals to validate that the program is working, while also evaluating where our client wants to be a few years down the road. It’s all cumulative, so we start with that mindset.
Managing Complex Marketing Initiatives
When it comes to using an outside marketing agency, there are several areas where an independent perspective can prove exceptionally useful. As an impartial participant, motivated primarily by our clients’ successes, we take the time to build a relationship that is equitable and empowering for both sides.
Have other questions about how an agency could fit within your current marketing initiatives? Drop us a note and let’s see if there’s a fit.