Every business needs a solid marketing strategy to be successful, but despite understanding this fact, most businesses fail to realize that they can execute these campaigns effectively. So what should an entrepreneur do when faced with this widespread problem? Unlike large companies, which have the ability to create vast in-house marketing departments, small business owners need to consider alternative options. In particular, many find that they benefit from outsourcing their marketing needs to specialized agencies.
If your company has understood that it must work with an outside agency to meet its marketing needs, how do you choose well? One of the advantages of this type of work is that you are not constrained to work with local companies; you can choose the agency that suits you best, regardless of location.
Research and contact various advertising agencies and spend time interviewing them. You might ask what services they offer, what industries they specialize in, and what kind of turnaround time they offer. But above all, pay attention to the communication style of the agency, if they listen to you and how they respond to your questions and needs.
The average small business doesn't connect with an agency that expects to run a full-scale ad campaign with all the parts that a large company would. Usually it's just not in the budget. That being said, you want to work with an agency that offers a wide range of options. This way you can add and subtract different elements to build your representation over time and within your budget.
A full-service agency is one that offers brand development, copywriting, newsletters, PPC advertising, website design and many other services. You don't want a company that just creates logos or writes content for a few web pages and then leaves you hanging on other services.
Aside from financial issues, one of the biggest reasons companies are slow to outsource their marketing programs is because they want to stay in control. This is an understandable and common impulse among entrepreneurs, as you are used to being self-reliant and going it alone.
That being said, you need help, and in order to make the most of it, you may need to reframe the decision to outsource. Think of asking for help as a way to prioritize what you do best. Getting help with functions you don't excel at means freeing up time for the tasks that define your brand and providing your customers with superior service.
It can be difficult to outsource your marketing efforts because marketing seems so personal to your business, but in reality, companies outsource many services, including human resources, payroll, and IT support.
Unlike marketing, these tasks tend to seem generic – important but not fundamental to your business. If you can conceptualize marketing to see it in the same light, as a necessary service but not one that you don't need to perform yourself, you will be in a better position to choose the right agency for your needs and you partner with her for handcrafted campaigns that authentically represent your brand.
