Okay, big philosophical question time…
Does any business really need a marketing company to help them advertise?
I’ve tossed this question around in my own brain for close to a decade now. Now, in the spirit of full disclosure, a “YES” answer is truly in my own best interests as far as continuing my career. But there’s also a strong case to be made for a business having marketing professionals at their disposal.
- Yes, a company should hire a marketing company.
- Yes, a marketing company can be critical to helping businesses reach new customers.
- Yes, a marketing company can help businesses craft effective marketing methods.
- Yes, a marketing company can take care of all the details – the printing, the production, the media buys, the negotiation, the public relations, the creative, etc. – so you can spend time focusing on running your business.
- Yes, a marketing company can serve as guide toward maximizing your resources and getting you the best bang for your buck.
- Yes, a marketing company has advanced research tools at their disposal to help identify emerging industry trends, consumer purchasing habits, customer demographics – all of which you can use to tailor and refine your business to meet the needs of the market.
Yes, but…
In my 15 years in this business, I’ve seen a lot of savvy, intelligent business owners who are just as capable of developing their own marketing. I’ve seen people with a knack for self-promotion and creative thinking. I’ve seen non-marketing people come up with brilliant and clever ways of pushing their message into the public arena. I’ve had to learn that sometimes the role of the marketing company is not to necessarily come up with the idea, but to help the people with the idea bring the concept into reality.
I’ve also seen even more savvy, intelligent business owners who have absolutely no idea of how to market their product or service. Yes, they know their widgets inside and out and if you get them going on a topic related to their business and they’ll talk for hours upon hours with limitless enthusiasm. But when it comes to marketing, they have trouble corralling all that excitement and all that enthusiasm into a simple, and easily understood message. On my personal blog, I’ve written about the 5 Biggest Do-it-Yourself Marketing Mistakes. In this list, I’ve identified the most commonly mistakes people make with regards to their advertising. These errors are not a result of willful intent, or the customer loudly stating “I do not want my advertising to work!” Instead, the culprit is actually the very enthusiasm which spurred the idea for the business in the first place, and this is where a marketing company can truly help a business realize its marketing potential.
It’s a matter of perspective.
It’s a very hard thing to do for any person – to distance oneself from his passion – and that’s really what work is, it is a passion. People simply don’t get into (and stay in) a line of work if they aren’t passionate about it, and they certainly do not start a business around something they hate to do. A business for any owner is truly the extension of himself – he pours his heart and soul into the company, he dedicates countless hours of education, research and hand-on experience into development and customer service, he is intimately entwined with his venture in every facet – and that familiarity, that passion, can be the biggest roadblock to successfully marketing the product or service. Personally speaking, I can market any company; any service. It comes easy to me. It’s natural… EXCEPT when it comes to marketing my company or my employer. In this case, I am so passionate, so intimately involved and invested in its success that crafting a finely tuned campaign or project is like pulling teeth; I stress about the smallest detail. I obsess over the most inane nuance. I lose sleep. I stop eating. I sulk around and grumble and talk to myself in a seemingly fruitless effort to sort out and work through all the mental blocks I’ve imposed upon myself.
My greatest obstacle in marketing my own interests is removing my own interests from the equation. And I’m not alone.
Hiring a marketing company may seem like a big expense – to take a chunk of a limited marketing budget and give it to another company to provide a service you feel you can do yourself. But the single biggest benefit is not in the bulleted list I rattled off earlier, it’s that a good marketing company will be able to provide that much-needed 3rd party perspective; to provide an outsider’s view of the situation and provide meaningful suggestions and ideas designed to communicate that very passion and excitement in a manner that is easily understood by your target audience.
Over the years, I’ve developed a list of marketing and design “rules“. This list is a fun, tongue-in-cheek compilation of certain truths I’ve found during my time in this businesses. As I blog, I’ll occasionally reference these rules as a means of supporting my argument or position. You’ll likely see these pop up from time to time. In this case, I quote rule #3:
“The greatest obstacle to an effective campaign is usually the client.”
At first glance, this rule could be interpreted as a dig toward the client, but that’s not really the intent. The rule speaks to the proximity and personal investment a client has and his inability to step back and look at the marketing from the viewpoint of the customer. Too often, the client can assign importance to one particular area or service which interests the business owner personally, but would not have any benefit or generate interest on the part of the reader. By marketing to the needs of the customer, a business will ultimately achieve its own success.
The question still remains as to whether a business truly needs a marketing company. So what’s the verdict?
I wish I had one. I wish I could tell you without a doubt that your investment in 3rd party marketing services was the right thing to do for every business. Truth is, it’s not. I do, in most instances I feel that a company could benefit from professional marketing guidance; someone to help keep your message fresh and on-point, identify new methods for advertising and locate key areas for targeting. A marketing company can free up your valuable time; time better spent on running the day-to-day business. A marketing company can serve as an advocate for your interests and negotiate better deals to stretch your marketing dollar a bit farther. They can be a helpful resource and help you achieve your goals faster and more efficiently than if you were to assume the entire burden.
If you do decide to consider a marketing company, here are ten considerations to keep in mind:
- Does the marketing company’s business philosophy mesh with your own?
– Do you feel their ethics and morals are in line with the way you run your business? It’s important that both sides share compatible philosophies. - Do they have experience in marketing your type of business?
– A good general-service company should be able to handle any need whereas specialty agencies might focus on a particular industry and not be suited for every type of account. - Does their creative product meet your criteria for quality, inventiveness and communication?
– Take a look at their work product. Is it polished? Can you easily determine the messaging? It is engaging? Does all their creative look similar or can you distinguish one client from another? - Do you feel as if they will work with you, or if you are working for them?
– Do they engage you in healthy discussion or do they speak down to you? You will want an agency that offers suggestions and helps explain their decisions, and takes the time to address your concerns. You don’t want a firm that acts as the ultimate know-it-all on every topic and acts as if they know more about your company than you do (it does happen)! - Can you afford their billing rates?
– All agencies bill at different rates. Ask for generalized product costs and hourly rates. - Do they have a good reputation among your business peers?
– Ask around. Do people speak highly of the marketing firm’s strategies, people and product? - Do they share your enthusiasm for your business?
– If the company can’t get excited about landing your account, how can they convey excitement to your customers? - Does the company do a good job of setting and meeting expectations?
– Does the company explain timelines and costs to you before any project begins? Do they deliver on their promises (for both time and cost)? - How responsive are they to your concerns?
– Do they get back to you the same day, next day, next week? Do you have to continually ask for updates or are they proactive? - What does your “gut” say about them?
– Your instinct about a company will usually prove right. Do you believe they can do what they say or are they giving you a sales pitch?
If you are happy about your business, its position and rate of growth, then you probably do not need a marketing company to assist you with your advertising efforts. Obviously whatever you are doing is fine. Do not get sucked into an ego-driven belief that having a marketing company handle your account is any measure of success. The only measure of success is your business’ performance by whatever criteria you deem important. But if your business isn’t performing at a level you would like; if customers aren’t flocking to your door; if you are unable or unwilling to devote the time to marketing your company then perhaps having an advertising company assist you is the best move you can make. Having an experienced, impartial and objective partner to help you develop and create a message that truly defines your company and appeals to your customers is an invaluable and powerful tool to have at your disposal.
