No matter what type of business you operate, or how large or small it is, you will need to undertake your marketing and branding effectively. These activities go way above and beyond advertising alone. Unless you are a large company with a huge and diverse staff who have the expertise and experience to undertake these activities in-house, you’ll likely benefit from outsourcing to experts to support and help you design, create, and deliver an effective, comprehensive marketing strategy.
Who to hire to help you achieve this can be confusing…
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Do you need a digital marketing agency? A PR firm? A branding agency? Or a creative agency?
There is no simple, one-size-fits-all answer to this question, but it is important to understand what the differences are. Here we look at the role of a creative agency and how hiring the right one may benefit your business.
What is a Creative Agency?
This type of agency offers an array of services that fall under the marketing and advertising umbrella. Each will have its areas of specialisation and will offer different services, but these will usually incorporate:
Strategy services including branding, marketing, advertising, content, and social media services. Some will offer SEO (but be aware that not all will have the expertise to provide fully comprehensive SEO strategy services).
Public relations, crisis communication, media relations, and press releases.
Design and development – including websites.
Content creation – copywriting/content writing, blogs and articles, brochures, social content, proofing/editing services, e-books, infographics, video production, photography, graphic design, case studies, presentations, manuals, protocols, animations, etc.
Paid Ads (e.g., Google Ads, Social Media Ads, Sponsored Posts)
Measurement and analysis of results.
Creative Agency versus Marketing Agency
A creative agency may exist alongside but is not necessarily the same thing as a digital agency, branding agency, marketing agency or advertising agency.
A digital agency is focused on online, email, and SMS marketing strategies and SEO.
A branding agency helps a business create and convey a unique identity and tell its stories to captivate its target audience.
A design agency may provide website design and development, logo design, graphics, and visual design services.
An SEO agency delivers organic on-site and off-site search marketing strategies to increase search engine ranks, organic traffic, and lead generation.
A social media agency manages a business’s social media accounts, creates compelling social content, and devises savvy social media strategies for SEO and marketing results.
A video production agency creates commercial and corporate videos to support branding, marketing, PR, advertising, and other associated activities. They ma y also offer still photography services.
Advertising agencies are primarily focused on direct advertising practices, via TV, radio, print media, and online advertising.
A PR agency creates and delivers promotional services to distribute content, enhance brand awareness, and manage identity and crises.
Creative agencies usually encompass an array of these services.
Benefits of Hiring a Creative Agency
Hiring and working with an expert creative agency offers an array of potential benefits to your business, whether it is large or small. From managing your entire branding and marketing needs to supporting your in-house team or simply filling in some gaps in your expertise, working with the right agency can deliver on numerous fronts:
Cost-Efficiency – it is likely more cost-effective for your business to outsource to a creative agency than it would be to hire in-house staff to do the same work. The agency will also have its tools, techniques, and software, from which you will benefit without needing to spend your entire budget on the same.
Time Management – hiring experts to get the job done for you means you can focus on your most important job – running your business and focusing on your goals.
Unbiased, Fresh Perspective – avail a wide pool of expertise and experience and the distinct blend of services you need. The pool of talent in a creative agency can be exceptional and working together can create and implement a comprehensive strategy and campaign that’s tailor-made for your needs and in which all parts work in tandem.
Expertise and Professionalism – take advantage of the diverse skills, experience, and knowledge of designers, developers, copywriters, branding specialists, SEO experts, content creators, public relations experts, advertisers, crisis communicators, videographers, social media experts, and more. Only they have insider knowledge and are abreast of the latest best practices, trends, Google algorithm tweaks, and other considerations that need to be incorporated into your strategy.
Hiring the right creative agency will bring you face-to-face with the services you need under one roof – so if you’re looking for online or digital marketing, branding services, an SEO expert, web development and design services, advertising, PR, video production, and anything else, look for a creative agency that does it all under one roof. The job will be done for you in a way that is professional, insightful, and suits your budget and goals.
To understand more, get in touch with a great creative agency today.