Think 360 — Agency Perspective

Advertising is a multifaceted industry and while the initial skepticism is natural, a good agency fit (or in-house agency) can propel your brand on an experienced-backed, results-oriented and ROI-focused strategy — while saving company time, money, and frustration. Moreover, going dark is not the solution, especially in an worsening economy. It’s never been more important to think through and adapt your planning to navigate the current headwinds.

Ask yourself:

Can this agency deliver the same, or better, results than we are receiving?

Can we position better for ongoing marketing success? Where are our weaknesses?

Can agency services separate our brand from the path all me-too competitors are on?

Can we integrate and/or hire agency services in-house for better communications?

Consider these agency advantages:

More success, less stress. When a brand tries to handle all marketing activities by themselves, overwhelm quickly sets it. Forget trying to prioritize daily business objectives and insert researching, media meetings, planning and buying, post evaluations and more. An agency handles all the heavy lifting free your team up to focus on the business at hand.

Helps you get the best ROI. Since agencies work with many brands, they have a strong grasp of the best media rates across all channels including: Display, Direct, Outdoor, Streaming, Search, etc. Insider knowledge is one of the biggest advantages of working with an agency as they can negotiate to get you the best rates — maximizing your spend and eliminating inefficiencies.

Hit multiple growth parameters. It’s important to work with experienced pros, offer an unbiased opinion, and occasionally challenge your preconceived ideas. Good agencies have a deep understanding of audience insights, having implemented many successes for numerous brands and industries. When you hire an agency, you don’t work with just one person, it is a team of specialists, each experts in their respective field.

Stay current. As a client, it’s hard to keep track of new trends and updates in an industry that is constantly evolving. An agency is expected to stay updated and to keep their clients informed on the ever-emerging digital marketplace.  

Test, learn and scale. Agencies do more than just book campaigns or produce witty ideas. These experts also bring in their experience from current and past campaigns, to safeguard your future strategies. This helps especially when you’re trying out new channels, as agencies act as a safety net and allow you to experiment by calculating risks vs. spend.

Streamlined. This is also a huge time-saver, as projects are managed for each campaign end-to-end, without you having to brief several different agencies or chase down busy participants.

Make sense of data and tracking. Hiring an agency often gives you access to tools and platforms that aren’t available to you, or are too expensive for your business to purchase outright. These tools can help you better understand the impact of your campaigns. When running campaigns, agencies not only offer the creative, planning, and placement, but also monitor and measure each campaign in real time.  

Negotiation power. As one company, you have a single budget to negotiate, but an agency manages multiple budgets together, meaning they can leverage better conditions for you.

Define your objectives and communicate. It’s important to understand what one wants from an agency. Are you just trying to solve a single problem? Or do you want a partner that helps you grow your business beyond the limits you’ve experienced before? These boundaries could, for example, revolve around not having enough resources being both time and knowledge.

Final thoughts:

Most brands realize agencies can fulfill specific necessary roles. Great brands also desire an agency that understands their individual needs, issues, business drivers, assets, and are capable of working through obstacles and solving problems as they arise.   Is the timing right to hire an agency?

Consider these points.  

 You’ve never worked with an agency before, and are not quite sure where to start.

You’ve worked with an agency in the past who did not meet your expectations.

You’re looking to explore new channels and don’t have prior experience working with them. 

Your brand is looking to generate leads, increase brand awareness, or seeking explosive growth, and you believe an agency could be the answer.

You need an unbiased yet informed perspective to elevate your brand’s marketing strategy. 

Get a clear understanding of your goals and expectations before you start the retainer.

Review their list of campaigns and portfolio.

During the pitch process, ensure the persons are in line with your company’s vision.

See what channels they excel in and whether these are relevant to your audience.

Ask yourself if they understand your brand and if they are aware of your goals & expectations.