I was recently asked to describe what benefits a B2B company could gain from having a marketing agency, rather than relying solely on a team of in-house marketers or network of freelancers. A simple question, to which I gave a long-winded answer. And it got me thinking about writing a blog on the matter.
Using a marketing agency isn’t always the right path for every business, but for others it can be crucial to achieving success in the long-term. Here are five key points that make a great case for using a marketing agency, and, more specifically, a B2B marketing agency:
- Access to a wider talent pool
A business might have a small team of the best in-house marketers available – they are smart, strategic, efficient, and highly skilled in their respective roles. Sounds great, doesn’t it?
OK, well now double that number. Actually, maybe times it by 5. or even more. You get the picture.
Hang on a minute – you might say – I only ever speak to John Doe at the agency we work with… I definitely don’t get more marketing bodies for my buck! Well, that’s very unlikely. While a business might have regular day-to-day contact with just a couple of dedicated agency employees with the in-depth knowledge of your company, they usually benefit from a broad variety of skilled marketers of all disciplines – each of which can provide essential input into their campaigns, whether that be digital, PR, copywriting, brand, creative or production.
- Fresh thinking
While in-house marketers will know their business inside out, they may need a fresh perspective now and again. Why? To keep content and campaigns current, engaging and results driven.
Agency employees work on several campaigns for different clients, often across a magnitude of sectors. That means they are always thinking of new ways of, for example, reaching and engaging with a target audience, optimizing user journeys and generating qualified leads for maximum ROI. In addition, good marketing agencies will make it their business to really know their clients’ businesses – after all, it’s their bread and butter. They are also objective, which means they can ask important ‘outsider’ questions that in-house marketers might sometimes overlook when too close to the action.
- No distractions
Marketing agencies have made a commitment to deliver. Agreed timescales, budgets and KPIs mean that marketing campaigns should run effectively and be completed as agreed. Of course, there are often challenges along the way, but an agency can plan ahead to allocate resource to work on important ongoing campaigns – while even the most organized in-house marketer can find themselves fire-fighting as they get pulled onto other more urgent projects.
But it’s not always all or nothing. Outsourcing some of their marketing activities to an agency can enable businesses to employ in-house marketers to focus on the essentials, as well as reap the benefits that agencies can give.
- Money’s worth
Thinking back to point one… businesses that work with marketing agencies essentially gain access to a wider bunch of talented people, but without footing the entire personnel bill. Think extra salaries, sick days, training – all of which are covered by the agency, which also, more often than not, will go above and beyond to impress.
- B2B through and through
Not all marketing agencies are the same. There are plenty that pride themselves on being both B2B and B2C, serving a range of companies of all shapes, sizes and industries. That might sound flexible and attractive, but being a jack of all trades isn’t necessarily a good thing.
B2B companies are usually part of at least one specialist, niche industry, with very specific and, at times, complex products, solutions and target audiences. They need a partner that can get to the crux of what they do quickly, as well as help them communicate their services effectively.
The benefit of working with a dedicated B2B marketing agency as opposed to a more generic one is that they live and breathe B2B. They don’t think what they are communicating is too complicated or too dry or drab; they get it. And they will help your audiences get it too.
Are you interested in finding out about working with an agency that can support your marketing initiatives in the B2B arena? Contact us at [email protected] or call +44 (0)161 925 4700