In the beginning, nearly all businesses will do their own marketing and advertising. However, there usually comes a time when you begin to wonder if it might be worth it to outsource to an ad agency. But how can you be certain that you’re ready to hire an ad agency?
In this article, we’ll explore some telltale signs that the time is right to outsource your marketing to an ad agency. If you’re wondering when to hire ad agencies, the right time just might be now.
You’re Lost in the Weeds
Marketing is a massive endeavor that involves various factors including planning, market research, goal-setting, competitor analysis, and strategy. And there are what feels like countless options for how you can market including creative, media buying, co-op, social media, content marketing, and more.
When you’re not a trained marketing professional, all of these things can become tremendously overwhelming. Sure, you might be able to give it your best shot but learning about and juggling all of these aspects may be more confusing than it is effective. And the truth may be that you just don’t have the necessary skillset in-house to cover all of the strategy, SEO, social media, graphic design, and website development that it requires to execute a truly competitive marketing plan.
If you’ve been feeling like the complexities and intricacies of planning and executing a well-developed marketing plan are beyond you, an experienced ad agency may really pay off.
Without An Ad Agency You Don’t Have the Time
To plan and execute an effective, strategic marketing plan, you must put in a lot of work – meaning a lot of time. Between researching the competition, shopping your current vendors, meeting with and vetting new vendors and ideas, and researching and keeping up to date with the newest marketing trends, your marketing plan could very well be a full-time job… for multiple people.
But, as a business owner or executive, there are so many other demands on your time – ones that you are actually qualified for, excited about, and want to dedicate your time to.
So if you’re finding that you’re setting aside so much time for your marketing plan that you don’t have time for other, important parts of your job or you don’t have enough time to dedicate to your marketing plan to execute it the way it should be done, and are letting things slip as a result, an ad agency can be a huge help by taking a massive workload off of your plate.
You’re Putting All Your Eggs in One Basket
When you’re doing all of your own marketing, it can be easy to put all of your focus on just one of the many different marketing channels that you can – and should – be using. For example, if years ago you decided to start out with television advertising and that is where your marketing budget was initially allocated to, it’s possible that 80% of your marketing budget every year ends up going to your cable rep even though you might recognize the potential advantages of expanding your marketing efforts beyond just TV ads.
In this situation, you’re finding yourself left with very little budget for shopping for new ideas and advertising channels for your business. You may just be spinning your wheels, stuck in one small lane without the ability to try new – potentially very effective – options.
If this is the case, you may really be missing out on market share, which is a shame for your business. That’s why hiring an ad agency is a good solution. A professional can take a look at your budget allocations to make sure that you’re not putting all of your eggs in one basket and help you to diversify your efforts.
You’re Stuck in the Past
Even if the marketing plan that you created yourself has been successful for you in the past, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it is still working or that it will continue working in the future. But do you have the time and industry knowledge to review your marketing plan on a regular basis, comparing it to emerging marketing trends, and updating it as necessary and appropriate?
Top companies actually review their marketing plans every one to three months, allowing them to stay at the top of their games and remain competitive in their markets. If you want to be able to compete with the best, it’s important to be just as agile about your own marketing plan. If that is something you don’t have the time or resources for in-house, an ad agency is a perfect solution.
You’re Not Thinking Ahead
When you’re barely staying afloat keeping up with your marketing plan, putting all of your time and effort into just assuring that there will be an ad up next month, or that your company Twitter account doesn’t go radio silent, you don’t have the capacity to focus on the future. But a truly strategic marketing plan looks 3, 6, 12 months – even years – forward, keeping in mind short-term and long-term goals.
An ad agency can help enable you to look beyond the present and into what lies ahead, planning marketing solutions that will help you grow your revenue and build your brand as you move forward, rather than doing the bare minimum now.
Sound Familiar? An Ad Agency Can Help!
If you found yourself able to relate to any of the above points, then your marketing may be at the exact sweet spot where hiring ad agencies, like Follow the Eyes Florida, is a logical, beneficial next step to take. As you can see, the benefits of ad agencies are many. They are able to give you back precious time while also taking your marketing plan to the next level and helping you win market share and growing your business. It may just be the exact thing your business needs right now.