When and why do organizations, companies and businesses need the help of a creative marketing agency?

Whether it’s a boutique business or one of the best creative agencies in the world, sooner or later your business will need a professional to do the heavy lifting when it comes to creative marketing.

Why?

If you’re just starting out, a business of this nature will help you and give you a holistic marketing plan, one that’s not just based on one segment of your branding. An all-encompassing model. One that considers everything from your copywriting and how you approach your audience, to the shirts your employees wear at work. And the reason why every little thing matters? Easy. Your business needs to be more than just a hodgepodge of strategies mixed together and passed on. When you interact with a customer, every step of their experience should flow together. From the moment you contact them or impress them by using an advertisement, to the moment they open the packaging of your product and come into contact with it. A marketing strategy takes all those steps into account, and a creative one makes it so that it’s not so boring – it leaves a distinct impression on that person’s mind.

If, on the other hand, you are already well established and have a track record, there are multiple reasons why you may need a creative marketing agency. These are just a few:

• Scaling Up: You’ve decided to scale, whether it’s your services, your platform, your infrastructure, or your production line. In this case, a creative marketing agency helps to bring these changes to the attention of not only your consumers but also your employees.
• Investment round-up: you are trying to attract new investors. New cash flow. Such an agency will help you convey your ideas and entice investors.
• Professional, not amateur: according to a study by the Harvard Business School, more than 65% of start-ups do not invest in creative marketing. In most cases, the managerial staff, along with a few cunning employees, is a sort of wing. They try to do it themselves. This saves money, but it’s a model they can’t keep up with over time.
• New life: You may already have an advertising agency on your calendar, but they may not be up to par. In particular, most advertising agencies, which focus on digital media, focus too much on Big Data. Too much about demographics and when to schedule a print on Facebook or Google. Who to target. The message and how they deliver it is left on the side of the road. It’s all about the numbers and the math, not the communication itself. This is dangerous and must be monitored.

5 surefire rules to follow when working with a creative agency

Customers need to understand that creative professionals can only bring their product to date. That they need customer input – every step of the way. There is a bad habit among certain customers – a habit that comes from being either too overworked or simply believing that money solves all problems. The habit is simple: they contact a marketing agency, tell them their woes, and then expect the team to perform a miracle. Leave them with a bootstrap briefing and hope they can make magic with that little bit of information.

You are important in the process.

Here are some things you need, rules to communicate efficiently with a creative agency and really increase your investment and take advantage of their work.

Know your brand

Have a clear picture of who you are. From your story, from what you sell, from who your ideal consumers are, from your services, from your tone. Understand what your brand is, not just what your product is. Google does not sell search engine, Google sells innovation. Nike doesn’t sell clothes, it sells performance. Budweiser does not sell beer, but a relaxed feeling. Understand what you’re selling.

And if you don’t, if you’re still unsure of all the intricacies of your brand, that’s fine too, a creative marketing agency can help.

Share your strategy

If you have a strategy, one that already exists and one you’re comfortable with, share it with your new creative team. If you don’t, sit down with your creative marketing agency and tell them your goals, your ambitions, your plans, where you see yourself and your brand in 6 to 12 months. Tell them who your ideal customer is.

Let your creative professionals collaborate with your business members and industries, not compete with them

Your creative team needs to work with all of your verticals, not just your top buyers. They have to work with everyone. Many companies like to separate members and sectors, this is not possible with a creative agency. They need to be dynamic with your whole team and feel like they can come into their space and interact. Understand how your business works and collaborate with it.

Negotiate a budget

It’s important to negotiate a budget – not just accept the first estimate a creative agency gives you. It is critical to understand that there are add-ons that you can fit into your budget, as well as services that you may not need. Go over your budget with a fine-tooth comb and tailor it to your needs.

Find an agency with a young creative pool

Your creative agency must meet today’s standards and trends. It doesn’t matter what your target audience is, you want talented young creatives – with your finger on the pulse – to be part of your creative team. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t aim for an agency with experience and years under your belt. New. You need an agency that embraces the future while learning from the past and isn’t afraid to interact with the youth of today.

How to get more value from your creative marketing agency

The best tip, and the one we’re going to insist on reinforcing in this article, is that you need to be part of the process — your entire business, for that matter. Your creative agency needs feedback, needs orientation, needs to know your goals and aspirations.

Chris is director at Experlio, a creative talent platform. He is passionate about helping emerging creative talent ‘learn by doing’ and get discovered by employers.