What a marketing agency does (and how one can help you generate leads, sales & profit)
Marketing: The key to business success
When starting a new business, many people underestimate the importance of marketing. They assume that if they have a great product or service to offer, customers will somehow find them.
Sadly, that approach is a ticket to the poorhouse. If you want to attract interest in what you have to offer, you need to get good at promotion.
That’s where marketing comes in. The American Marketing Association defines marketing as:
“The activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.”
That may sound like a daunting prospect, which is why many businesses hire a marketing agency to take the problem off their hands.
What does a marketing agency do?
The role of a marketing agency is to run advertising and promotional campaigns on behalf of its clients. Agency employees have the specialized skills and experience needed to attract prospects and generate sales.
Marketing is a significant task that agencies may break down into the following major areas:
Strategy
The process begins with defining a strategy for achieving the desired goals. The agency will typically meet with the business owners and talk through the objectives for the proposed marketing campaign.
The agency will then conduct research into the market, competitors, threats, and opportunities. Having sized up the possibilities, agency executives will prepare a detailed marketing strategy.
This may include:
- An overall creative strategy for the project
- The media to be used in the campaigns
- The types of creatives to be deployed
- How sub-campaigns will work together
- Follow up campaigns and projects
Planning
Once the strategy has been agreed on, each element needs to be planned out in greater detail. This stage may include preparing mockups of adverts, getting suppliers’ cost estimates, and provisionally booking media space.
Good planning is critical to success. Experienced agencies have been down this road many times before, so they know what to look for. They will have the detailed checklists, knowledge, and expertise to plan things correctly from the get-go.
Execution
Once everything has been planned with precision, it’s time to execute. Agency executives and creative staff will put the plans into action and get the marketing campaign live.
This stage may include coordinating the work of in-house staff, freelancers, partners, and suppliers. Many people may have a role to play in executing the marketing campaign, such as:
- Account managers
- Art directors
- Copywriters
- Graphic designers
- Media planners
- Media buyers
- Public relations executives
- Printers
- Photographers
- Illustrators
A good marketing agency will ensure that even the most complex campaigns run smoothly and efficiently, with everyone working together to achieve the desired outcome.
Review
Even when the campaign ends, there is more work to do. The agency will then review the campaign to evaluate its success.
If the campaign is successful, the agency may propose that it is continued or even expanded. But if it falls short of the mark, the agency will aim to find out why.
Then having learned important lessons, a new and more effective campaign can be initiated.
Learn about the best marketing agencies we find.
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Types of marketing agency
There are many different types of marketing agencies, but they fall into these main categories:
- Advertising agency: a traditional advertising agency handles campaigns that may run on TV, radio, or in print
- Public relations agency: a PR company works to ensure the company and its products are represented positively in all kinds of media
- Digital marketing agency: these consultancies specialize in online marketing campaigns, helping with everything from Facebook ads to search engine optimization
- Integrated marketing agency: Many agencies combine all of the above to provide larger clients with an all-in-one marketing solution
What to look for in a marketing agency
There are many thousands of marketing agencies in the world today. Many of them offer exceptional services and achieve outstanding results for their clients.
However, there is no barrier to entry in this sector. Anyone can set themselves up in business as a marketing agency, even with little or no experience. This makes it critically important to choose your agency partner carefully.
Rather than opting to work with the first agency you come across, take the time to find the best agency to hire. First, do your research and create a shortlist of agencies that look promising. Then ask them questions such as:
- What is your track record?
- Can you demonstrate the results you have achieved?
- Do you have testimonials from happy customers?
- What makes your agency different?
- Why should I hire you rather than your competitor?
- Do you have experience in my area of business?
Doing all of this requires hard work, for sure. But when you are putting your entire marketing budget on the line, you need to be sure of getting results.
Next steps
So now you know that a marketing agency can make a massive difference to your business success, potentially helping you bring in millions of dollars in sales. All you have to do now is find the right partner.
But as a busy professional, how can you find time to research agencies, shortlist them and decide which is a good fit for you? Fortunately, you don’t have to. There is another way.
As a marketing broker, I can take all of these problems off your plate. I’ve vetted hundreds of marketing agencies and contractors to find the very best in the business.
Based on my 10+ years of experience, I’ve chosen the best marketing agencies to work with. These specialists do exceptional work and will make your business growth their top priority.
Whatever your budget and specific requirements, I can connect you with the perfect partner. I’ll deliver the experience and expertise you need to get an outstanding ROI on your next marketing campaign.
So don’t take chances with your marketing budget. Get in touch today to get started on the road to unstoppable success.
