A marketing agency can save you money – and save you from disaster

Too many small business owners believe that marketing is another part of the business they can tackle themselves. They think, “It’s easy – I have Photoshop and MailChimp! I can create posters and email campaigns with the best of them!”

Well, Photoshop is a very powerful and helpful tool, yes. But so is a dental drill. And both can lead to painful results if not used properly! (We’re not going to single anyone out here, but if you Google “Photoshop fails,” you’ll quickly get a boatload of examples of bad marketing…)

Of course, one of the main motivators behind DIY marketing is money. Small business owners think they’ll save money by doing it themselves. But marketing agencies should pay for themselves, bringing in extra business you wouldn’t have otherwise. If you left thousands of dollars of sales on the table because you did your marketing yourself, how much did you really save? Not to mention a marketing agency can save you from Photoshop fails and other marketing blunders.

Here are six great reasons why you should hire a marketing agency:

1. Skills and Expertise
2. Outside perspective
3. Fresh Creativity
4. Your Focus Stays on Your Business
5. Shout Your Message Louder
6. Measure Your Success

A marketing agency can help you market for yourself, not by yourself. You get that extra creativity, personalized service, expertise, and skill that can make a real difference in your marketing efforts.

Six Great Reasons Why You Should Hire a Marketing Agency

1. Skills and Expertise
   One of the biggest advantages of hiring a marketing agency is that they may have skills and expertise that you don’t. Sure, you know about websites – but do you know how to build them, write content, or even maintain websites using today’s best practices? What about social media marketing, messaging, branding? Unless you are in marketing yourself, an outside agency will bring more and/or better skills to the table.
   
   
2. Outside perspective
   Nobody knows your business like you do. That has obvious advantages. But there’s a not-so-obvious disadvantage – you’re less likely to understand how your customers perceive your business. And that can lead to missed marketing opportunities.
   
   For example, you may see your restaurant as being special because you change the lunch menu every day. But your customers might say your restaurant is special because it’s convenient from work and they love the service and value you offer.
   
   This is just one of many examples. The point is, getting that outside perspective from a marketing agency is important because ultimately you want to find messaging that resonates with your customers’ views of your business, not necessarily your own.
   
   
3. Fresh Creativity

   

   Bringing in a marketing agency not only gives you that outside perspective mentioned above, it also gives you a fresh approach to your marketing. New energy leads to new ideas, reinvigorating your brand and your business.
   
   That’s especially true if you’ve tried DIY marketing before. Sometimes you’re repeating yourself, sometimes you’re losing motivation and inspiration, sometimes you just can’t see outside of the creative box you’ve built. A marketing agency will help you stir it up and create something new.
    
4. Your Focus Stays on Your Business
   As a small business owner, you probably joke that you’re the Chief, cook, and bottle washer. You have a lot on your plate! So why add marketing to the already-heavy mix?
   
   A marketing agency will do the job faster and better. The net effect: better results from your marketing campaign PLUS you have the time to focus on other things that also need your attention. And if marketing – especially social media marketing – isn’t something you love at all, you’re free to focus on the things you do love about your business.
   
   
5. Shout Your Message Louder

   

   Referrals and word of mouth are great, but they’re not enough to keep your business going. Almost every business can use more customers, especially in these difficult times! You need to shout your message to get attention.
   
   A marketing agency can help you shout louder. Marketing professionals know how to grab attention and get your message across so that more people are aware of your business – and more people want to buy from your business. Whether it’s traditional marketing, social media, or in-store marketing campaigns, you’ll be much more successful with professional team of marketers on your side.
   
   
6. Measure Your Success
   Another way a marketing agency can help you is by measuring the success of your marketing campaigns. This is a key aspect that many people forget when they are advertising for themselves. You need those insights to know how successful a marketing campaign was today, and to give you insights into your marketing campaigns tomorrow.
   
   
7. BONUS REASON – Generate More Sales
    This one almost goes without saying. Almost.
   
   Of course, the purpose of any marketing campaign is to generate income, whether you’re trying to expand your customer base or sell new products and services to existing clients. Again, we’ll point to the fact that there are good marketing campaigns and bad ones. When you invest in marketing professionals to either help or head your marketing efforts, you’re much more likely to get a marketing campaign that connects with customers and generates more sales.

Marketing For Yourself, Not By Yourself

When it comes to hiring a marketing agency, many small business owners picture those mega-agencies and think – quite rightly – that they are way too expensive. But there are other options. Marketing agencies that gear themselves specifically to small business can bring you the expertise and creativity you need well within budget.

We’ve touched upon it already, but it’s important to underline too that you don’t have to relinquish all power when it comes to marketing. In fact according to WSI, which calls itself the world’s largest digital marketing agency, many businesses find the hybrid approach to marketing works best. They are speaking here of large corporations who have their own in-house marketing teams AND hire outside agencies. But the same principle applies – you can contribute your ideas as much or as little as you like, and then let the professionals take it from there. That way, you get all the advantages of your insider knowledge along with the expert touch of professional marketers.

In other words, you’re marketing for yourself but not by yourself.

Elite Marketing + Promotions: The Marketing Agency for Small Business

Find out for yourself how easy it is to work with a marketing agency who understands small business. Contact Elite Marketing + Promotions for a free marketing consultation. We’ll discuss what your marketing needs and goals are, and then we’ll put together a proposal for you to make it happen.