How an agency perspective can drive your projects forward
Hiring an agency is a big decision, especially for small businesses and first-timers. If you’re on the fence, you might be asking: is it worth it?
Here’s the honest answer—it depends. There are so many factors involved in the decision, from your company’s internal resources to your specific campaign objectives. In general, agencies are most helpful when you have a marketing team that can spearhead collaboration efforts and push projects forward, or when you’re working on big initiatives that require a lot of focus, dedication, and bandwidth to drive.
No matter what, know that an agency relationship is a partnership rather than a hand-off, and will require your team’s time and input to succeed. Keep reading for our breakdown of the benefits to hiring an agency.
Provides outside perspective
Internal decisions are often constrained by company history, brand rules, and hierarchy. Sometimes an outside perspective is what you need to see your brand’s strengths and weaknesses objectively, without being muddied by stakeholder politics. Free of the constraints of an internal team, agencies can break with your company’s norms to push your ideas and projects further.
Expedites your work
Agencies are dedicated to their clients’ projects, so they don’t have to juggle the shifting priorities that often derail internal deadlines. By strategically allocating bandwidth, breaking campaign goals into realistic milestones, and creating firm deadlines and expectations, agencies are guaranteed to keep your project rolling.
Forces internal alignment
When working on large initiatives, one of the biggest challenges is solving for conflicting opinions among key stakeholders. A good agency isn’t afraid to ask tough questions and guide sticky conversations to help teams align on a shared vision. They will also learn about your company’s structure and be sensitive to those dynamics when making decisions, acting as an extension of your team.
Brings expertise
Niche expertise is one of the most obvious benefits to hiring an agency. Agencies have the advantage of working on similar project types across brands and industries and bring their specialized knowledge to the table. Chances are, they already have a sense of what works and what doesn’t—meaning you don’t have to go as many rounds of trial and error to dial things in. Especially for small teams that might be intimated to tackle a large project, an agency can help fill in the gaps with niche expertise.
Educates clients
A good agency won’t just complete the work and move on; they’ll take the time to talk through strategy, design decisions, and more, so that your team has the knowledge they need to continue executing. After working with an agency, you’ll be better equipped to build your brand, critically think through marketing objectives, and make the most of your investment.
The bottom line
Most agencies are well-equipped to tackle a variety of essential creative services, but provide the most benefit when it comes to large projects like rebrands, website overhauls, or event design—or really, anything you imagine your internal team would struggle to complete on top of their regular workload. If you’re considering hiring an agency for an upcoming project, the first step is to reach out and ask questions. Agencies can guide you in getting started and finding your first steps in the process.
