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Marketing is the art and science of increasing visibility, adoption, and usage of your products or services in target markets. Unfortunately, these are not activities that can be accomplished on a part-time basis. Even for small businesses with limited resources, it’s essential to partner with a marketing agency that understands your business objectives and can develop and implement a strategic plan. Adding a marketing partner to your team will accelerate growth, cut costs by eliminating redundant tasks, eliminate the risk of spending money on ineffective marketing channels, and uncover new opportunities you might not have thought of. Here’s why you need a marketing agency as part of your team rather than as an external consultant.
You have very limited time and resources
If you’re running a business, you’re already stretched to your limit. Marketing is not a core competency for most businesses, so investing in a new skill set is not likely to happen. Investing in outside agencies, however, demands a great deal of time, attention, and resources. The marketing agency model addresses this issue. By using an agency partner, you are able to partner with specialists who are focused on the things that are important to your business—and who have the experience and proven track record to drive results.
Marketing is not a core competency for most businesses
Marketing is not something that every company does well or, in fact, should even attempt. Most companies do better when they focus on their core competencies. The right marketing agency partner will have the expertise and scalability to handle every aspect of your marketing efforts, from media buying and creative design to the management of your brand on social media. Most importantly, an agency partner can help you to avoid the pitfalls of ineffective marketing channels and, in some cases, avoid regulatory violations.
Defining your business’s growth trajectory
If you’re a business owner, you likely have an idea of where you want your company to be in the next 12 to 24 months. The best marketing agencies will work with you to define the level of growth your customers will demand. Once you have this information, agencies can help you to identify the most effective marketing channels to accelerate your business’s growth trajectory. While most businesses rely on a single channel, such as Google AdWords, agencies help you to diversify your spend across multiple channels, including social media, content marketing, paid search, and paid media.
Marketing is not a one-time investment
Good marketing is not a one-time investment. Instead, it should be viewed as an ongoing investment in your business. Agencies can help you to plan and budget for your marketing needs year-round across all channels. They can also help you to track and report on the return on your marketing investment. And, by managing your ongoing marketing efforts, marketing agencies help you to avoid neglecting your most important marketing and sales activities.
Helping you to identify which channels are most effective
Marketing agencies can help you to identify the most effective channels and measure the return on your marketing spend across multiple channels. More importantly, they can help you to identify and avoid the wasted spending that is inevitable when companies try to manage their marketing efforts in-house. The best marketing agencies partner with you to implement a strategic marketing plan that includes a comprehensive approach to digital marketing, content marketing, SEO, paid search, and social media marketing.
Bottom line
Great marketing is not a one-time investment. Instead, it is an ongoing investment that requires consistent attention and monitoring. The best marketing agencies partner with you to implement a strategic marketing plan that includes a comprehensive approach to digital marketing, content marketing, SEO, paid search, and social media marketing. By bringing these services in-house, you will add considerable time and cost to your business. Whereas, partnering with a marketing agency will help you to accelerate growth, cut costs, and uncover new opportunities.