Spencer Hadelman, CEO at Advantage Marketing.
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The coronavirus and associated social distancing measures have hit businesses — particularly small businesses — hard. You may have found yourself coming up against this issue and looking for ways to cut costs and save money. One of the expenses often considered to be on the chopping block during times like these is marketing.
Whether you choose to keep or hire an in-house marketing team or an outside agency partner, it’s important to keep marketing expertise close to your business. When faced with cutting budgets, here are some things to keep in mind when deciding whether to stick with an in-house team or an agency.
In-House Marketing Teams
Of course, there are benefits to having an in-house marketer on your internal team — the most obvious being that 100% of your in-house employees’ time will be dedicated to your company and your needs, whereas an agency is typically focusing on multiple clients at a time. With an in-house marketer, you also have the luxury of direct internal communication with the employee and the opportunity to have them working side by side with the rest of your team.
On the other hand, internal employees can often get stuck in the day-to-day of their company, limiting their ability and access to outside perspectives, different verticals and out-of-the-box ideas. These ruts can also end up leading to employee turnover, a cost that is sometimes overlooked, as it includes the cost of hiring and training and the adjustment period of new staff.
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Outsourced Agency Partners
Companies and individuals most often associate hiring outside agency work with being overpriced. The reality is that bringing on a large agency that has developed that “big agency” reputation can be exorbitant. However, there are a lot of boutique agencies out there with more fairly priced fee structures that can end up saving you money in the long run. Ultimately, an agency should be viewed as an outsourced marketing department, not a cost strain.
When working with a boutique agency, the team you’re working with is more than likely continuously exposed to a variety of clients and ideas that keep their ideation on your account fresh. Boutique agencies, in particular, are also most often a collaborative atmosphere, so although you may have one point of contact, that person is surrounded by a team that encompasses expertise in additional areas that further widens their net and combined industry experience.
If you choose to hire a boutique agency for your marketing services, there are some red flags you should look out for to make sure you’re bringing on the right outsourced team:
• Be cautious if the person that is selling you the business of the agency is not going to be a part of the team working on your project. This should always be a question that you ask when being sold services from someone at your new potential agency. Ensure that you’re not being sold on higher qualifications than what you’ll ultimately end up working with. It’s important to get clarity on who from their team is going to be involved in the day-to-day.
• Make sure that you’re working with an agency that specializes in your industry. Boutiques agencies often don’t have the same resources as a larger agency, so they need to be experts in the area you’re looking to promote.
• Your agency team should be willing to have weekly or biweekly correspondence with you to keep communication fluid — whether it’s phone calls, Zoom calls, or in-person meetings.
When deciding whether to hire an outside agency or keep your marketing efforts in-house, remember to keep in mind your budget, agency or internal hire industry expertise, and agency availability for consistent communication. Once these factors have been weighed in, you should have a good idea of what direction your company should take when hiring for your marketing needs.
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Author: Spencer Hadelman, Forbes Councils Member
