If at your company you are facing marketing challenges and juggling activities on social media, advertising, content creation, and other ways of attracting new customers, then you have probably already thought about handing this work over to a marketing agency.
Table of contents
- Types of marketing agencies
- Advertising agency
- PR agency
- Branding agency
- Creative agency
- Agency, yes or no?
- Criteria for choosing a marketing agency
- To sum up
On the Slovenian market there are already quite a few different agencies, so it is sometimes hard to decide which one to choose. First and foremost, perhaps you are afraid to leave such an important part of your business in the hands of experts who are, after all, strangers. So how do you figure out which agency is trustworthy and which one deals with the areas where you need help? We have gathered some basic information about marketing agencies and the steps to take to choose the right one.
So how do you figure out which agency is trustworthy and which one deals with the areas where you need help?
Types of marketing agencies
Marketing is a broad concept that accompanies companies from the creation of a product or service all the way through to sales and post-sales activities. These days, it also revolves around the company itself, its culture, its employees, and other behind-the-scenes happenings. In any case, marketing has long since stopped being just analogue. It is also, and above all, digital, which is why online and offline marketing go hand in hand, with new ways of advertising and branding appearing every day.
Since it is hard to master all areas of marketing, various types of agencies have developed that carry out a range of activities for their clients, both online and offline.
Advertising agency
Advertising is just one part of marketing, although it is probably the oldest part, since putting up ads of one kind or another is a very old activity. Advertising agencies are, then, specialised in ads. Advertising can be done on billboards, in newspapers, and of course online. Online advertising in particular gives us the best insight into how an ad actually works. If your goal is reaching specific groups and driving sales, then you will achieve the best results with an agency specialised in advertising.
PR agency
Public Relations (PR) can be part of marketing activities, since we have already mentioned that information from the company and about the company is just as important to customers and business partners as information about products. A PR agency deals with the public image of a company or brand and helps direct information from the company so that it is understood correctly. PR can be managed by an internal department, or it can be tackled by an agency that prepares a communication strategy and also a crisis communication strategy.
Branding agency
Establishing a new brand is a complex process. A new product or service needs its own personality, which we communicate through the corporate identity, copy, tone of communication, and so on. The task of a branding agency is also to figure out how to communicate with the target group and prepare a strategy for the brand’s launch on the market.
Creative agency
Every marketing agency also has to be creative, since it is only through originality that it is possible to catch attention. There are, however, agencies that are specialised in creative content, which you can use for various projects. Photographs, video, copy, social media content, and animation are assets that are never in great enough supply these days. If you can’t manage to create them yourself, then look for the help of a creative agency.
Agency, yes or no?
Just as not every agency deals with every area of marketing, freelancers are also specialists for individual segments. If you need help in a specific area or for a single task, then working with a freelancer can be very useful. In Slovenia you can find specialists for social media management, programmers, designers, copywriters, and creators of other content. As soon as your project is more complex, however, it is better to hire an agency. A digital agency can fully take care of your online presence. There is also nothing wrong with splitting the work between several agencies, with each one dealing with its own area. Agencies have several people on staff who work on a project, while a freelancer is usually on their own for everything you assign to them. It is good to know, in this regard, that a content writer isn’t necessarily also a graphic designer or programmer and can’t single-handedly take care of website development. With an agency, you get all the profiles you need to carry out the project.
Agencies have several people on staff who work on a project, while a freelancer is usually on their own for everything you assign to them.
Criteria for choosing a marketing agency
So how do you choose the right marketing agency? If you want to stand out online, then a digital agency is right for you. If you are more interested in advertising elsewhere, you have to look for an advertising agency that is specialised in offline activities. Let’s look at which criteria to consider.
- Which industry are you from and what do you do?
- What are your goals? What do you want to achieve?
- Which agencies are companies from similar industries hiring?
- What is your budget?
- Do you need comprehensive support or are you tackling specific tasks?
- How well do you fit with the agency’s culture and values?
- What are the agency’s payment terms?
- Is the agency willing to sign an NDA?
To sum up
A digital agency can be the right solution for your company or brand when you are taking on advertising, branding, PR, and sales and post-sales activities. If you are deciding whether to ask for help from an agency or a freelancer, keep your goals in mind above all. Both decisions can be the right one, as long as they match what you want to achieve in marketing.
