By Kel Fabie
“Oh, no,” you think, as you read the title of this blog post. “This article is going to try to sell me on the idea of hiring an agency, and I’ve heard it so many times before!”
True, you’ve probably been told in the past about the merits of getting a marketing agency, maybe even before the word “digital” had to be added to those words. And more often than not, you’re even inclined to agree - if only you weren’t a startup company. After all, why would you spend on marketing and creatives when you’re still in the middle of building your company from the ground up into the exact vision of what you want your startup to be?
Well, take it from us: even startups could use the help of a partner agency right from the get-go! Here are just three compelling signs you could use that help:
3. You’re having a hard time getting your brand identity straight.
When a startup hits the ground running, they try to be everything to everyone, and try to paint their expertise with as wide a brush as possible. Believe me when I say we’ve been there.
When 14:59 was just starting out, we wanted to be a one-stop shop for everything our partner could need in Digital. Today, we still are - but we also know our core strengths very well, which is why we mainly focus on social media, content creation, and brand building. We’ve managed to put the other things everyone looks for back on the table - but only through years of learning, growing, and even exchanging best practices with other luminaries in our industry. Despite that, to this very day, we will always talk about our key strengths ahead of all the other services we offer.
This makes sense when you think of the restaurant business. There may be a hundred or so items on the menu, but when someone asks you “what’s your best-seller?” you better have a ready answer to that question!
As a start-up, you need to have a great answer to that question, because you want to immediately stand out from the pack. To return to the restaurant analogy, you can’t just be another run-of-the-mill place that sells fried chicken - your fried chicken has to be so crispy, you need to wear earplugs to minimize the crunching sound! Or something. You’ll figure it out.
Orrrrr you can work with an agency to help you find not just your What, but your Why. Why do you exist in the marketplace? Being the best at what you do is one thing, but why do you do it? What makes you exactly who you are? Some of these ideas are so hard to distill and capture into a single logo or slogan or even a mission-vision statement, but that’s what your agency partner can do for you.
2. You honestly have no idea what’s next for you.
Your company has launched, you actually have branding, you have your first few orders, great! Now what?
If you honestly can’t answer that question, an agency might just be right for you.
Strategy sounds like such a daunting word especially in today’s cutthroat world. At some point, we all have to hunker down, figure out our next move, and do it. With a digital marketing agency by your side, you can figure out exactly what those next steps are, carry them out, and not waste precious time or money doing, as the kids say, f’ing around and finding out. True, there is no perfect secret to success, but trial and error need not be as agonizing as it usually gets when you go in completely alone.
With an experienced agency helping you navigate through the wilderness, you avoid a lot of common pitfalls that befall other startups - costly pitfalls that could sometimes even break a few of these startups, which only solidifies the old saying: if you think hiring a professional to do the job is costly, wait ‘til you hire an amateur to do it.
1. You need to create a buzz in your industry but have limited time and resources to do it.
Anyone can create buzz given enough time and money. But not everyone can pull it off when both time and money are at a premium.
If you feel that you need a task this important to be done right but want it removed from the list of things you need to worry about, a partner agency would be perfect for you. From building an integrated digital marketing campaign that combines both your online and onground assets to further your brand to making it scalable and cost-effective based on your current capabilities, a true partner would seek to help you grow and prosper from startup to a full-fledged success story. Because why wouldn’t they? Your success is also their success, so it becomes more than just a transaction - it becomes a genuine relationship.
The Bottomline:
One thing you realize when you’re in Digital Marketing for long enough that it, like practically 99% of any other business out there, isn’t really a business in the industry it claims to be. Whether you’re in the food business, or the digital business, or the real estate business, what you really are in is the relationship business. Building relationships and partnerships with the right people, maximizing everyone’s potential, and taking all of that to its logical conclusion are the keys to success at the very heart of it all.
That’s why even as a startup, you too can benefit from having a partner agency who will grow along with you as they do all they can to ensure you thrive and succeed in your industry. Is that the kind of relationship you feel your brand needs right now?
Got a question, a comment, or maybe looking for advice on digital? Drop me a line at kel@1459dsi.com!
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