In today’s internet world we can find just about everything online. If you want to learn the first place you go is the Internet. It is the ultimate Do-It-Yourself tool. You can learn to do anything on the Internet, from repairing household appliances to building an atomic bomb (ok, not totally sure on that one). So, why use an Advertising Agency? Because if growing a business is your top priority, using the best services should be a no-brainer.
Save Money
The most common reason for businesses to keep advertising responsibilities in-house is to save money. Many times, that math doesn’t work. Once a business calculates how many hours a week are spent on advertising, then looks at the salary and benefits paid to the people working on advertising, the in-house cost is much larger than anticipated. Often times, an agency can be paid on a per project basis, so costs are known and controlled.
Agencies can usually save a client money based on buying savvy. A lot of media has a market value, which can fluctuate. A smart agency will know the market and buy accordingly. Agencies will also understand media efficiencies, where they can find more viewers or listeners for less money. And they will know how media companies position their inventory. The agency can then get you more rating points or impressions on your schedule every week. An extra five rating points a week does not seem like much but over a ten-week schedule…and at $100 – $200 a rating point…back to math.
Big Picture
Another value brought by an agency is as an independent advisor. An agency is able to provide a holistic view of your advertising. As an unbiased third-party an agency can conduct an analysis of a business. Because they work with multiple clients, they will have a wealth of experience with which to view of your company, messaging etc. A fresh, professional perspective can help reinvigorate a company’s marketing.
Expertise
Because ad agencies have varied resources they can assist in many areas of marketing. It is very hard for a business to have an expertise in Social, Search, Video, Outdoor, Radio, and TV without creating their own in-house advertising agency. And at what cost? Even if your business has the wherewithal to develop a good in-house digital agency do you want to ignore all traditional advertising? And who will create your messaging? Having an agency partner would help.
Agencies will also be media agnostic. Agencies do not own media outlets or have media products. They have no vested interest in which advertising channels are used by a client. An agency selects media channels based on what they think will be most effective for their clients. Successful advertising makes for successful clients. If they are treated properly, successful clients are usually happy to renew.
Time
An agency saves a business owner time. Agencies act as the buffer between the business and media sales reps. Instead of the business owner or staff spending time with sales reps from different outlets the agency carries that burden. This can be a hidden time-waster for businesses.
Once advertising is brought in-house it is one more process to manage. If advertising has been assigned internally, the employee(s) responsible need to be managed. This makes the business vulnerable if the person(s) doing the advertising gets sick or leaves the company.
Use An Advertising Agency
It is very tempting for businesses to run advertising in-house. It seems simple at the start and then becomes part of the daily/weekly routine without any consideration of the cost-effectiveness. Very few small to mid-sized businesses would consider hiring in-house lawyers or accountants. Much more cost-effective to hire them on retainer. The same thing goes with advertising. All of the time and worry spent on advertising can be utilized to run the business more effectively. The advertising will be handled by professionals who have the businesses owners’ best interest at heart. With regularly scheduled conversations the business owner will know exactly what is going on. If this sounds too good to be true call us.
