Freelancer, in-house team, or a marketing agency? Choosing the right path is crucial for achieving your business goals. In this article, we share our perspective that success is built on strong partnerships between professionals working together, regardless of whether they are internal or external to the company. We will tell you how we strive to work with our clients and what type of relationships are part of our vision for a productive collaboration.
How to Choose the Right Marketing Team for Your Business?
First and foremost, you will face the decision whether to seek freelance specialists, entrust an outsourced team (a marketing agency), or establish in-house roles within your company. Each of these options has its own set of advantages and risks. Most often, your choice will depend on the volume and diversity of marketing projects within your company, the cost, the quality, and the expertise you require.
We are discussing this topic from the perspective of a marketing agency, fully understanding that in some cases, there are more suitable forms of collaboration for certain businesses. However, we believe that there are several universally applicable indicators of successful partnerships between marketing teams and companies:
Great Collaboration
The chemistry between a client and a marketing team is essential for a successful partnership. Both parties need to be transparent and open with each other. Clients should provide agencies with clear and detailed information about their needs, goals, and expectations. This includes both the technical aspects of the projects and the company's cultural values and preferences. Agencies, on the other hand, should be open to feedback and suggestions that will help build a mutually beneficial relationship.
Learning is Never-Ending
In addition to constantly improving their knowledge about the client's industry, it is also good for marketing experts to keep the client informed about the latest marketing trends and tools that will be most effective for their specific business.
Communication is Key
Ask yourself, "Do I feel these people as part of my team?" in relation to your work with your marketing team, freelancers, or agency. Good communication means speaking up immediately if there is a problem, not being afraid to ask questions, and being included in the process of developing ideas and solutions.
Alignment on the Goals and KPIs
Often, the business' expectations may differ from the specific goals of certain marketing activities and campaigns, for various reasons: a lack of understanding about priorities, a lack of transparency, and improper management of these expectations. In this process, ensure that both parties are fully aware of the purpose of each activity without hidden agendas at the expenses of the other side. If you are on the marketing team's side, avoid proposing services that will increase your revenue but have no value for the client. If you are on the business side, familiarize yourself with the metrics for success before judging whether your marketing team has done their job well.
Responsibility and Collaboration in Case of a Problem
In every project and relationship, there are times when things don't go as planned. A positive approach does not deny challenges, but rather sees them as opportunities for growth. It motivates us to find answers, resolve conflicts, and find the right path. Ask yourself if, when a problem arises, you can rely on your agency to provide a thorough analysis and find the best solution.
A Long-term Commitment to Partnership and Business Success
Observe whether the marketing agency you work with invests first in the skills of its own experts, and in studying your business, industry, and specific needs. Only this way will you know if your partner is committed to your project in the long run or rather sees your work as just another standard service, instead of an individual solution that needs to be provided.
Why Choose a Marketing Agency or an Outsourced Team?
We also share why working with a marketing agency is the most profitable alternative for many successful businesses among the different possibilities:
Full Range of Skills by Your Side
As your business grows, you will need different specialists in the fields of advertising, digital marketing, branding, design, and more. In very rare cases, you will have the resources to find the right people, hire them into the company, and constantly take care of their development, compensation, and job satisfaction. However, if you rely on an outsourced team, you will immediately switch to an effective and productive process, where the focus is on results.
Constant Upskilling
The most valuable asset for marketing agencies is their experts, and the commitment to their continuous knowledge and skills development is priority number one. Working with a marketing agency guarantees you work with competent people who are in the field and gain experience at a much faster pace than experts serving the needs of a single business.
Optimal Costs for Businesses
Often, working with a marketing agency is also the most cost-effective option for businesses because it provides flexibility and is based on performance. Almost every company has a need for different types of marketing specialists and skills, which is more difficult to normalize in standard employment relationships. A partnership with a marketing agency will allow you to resolve this issue and always have the necessary resources and knowledge at your disposal.
Mind Your Own Business
If your business is not related to marketing, advertising, online presence, or digital communications, you may not have the capacity to hire marketing specialists, manage their work effectively, or deal with various contractors. Working with an outsourced team allows you to focus on what you do best and delegate additional tasks to teams that do everything else best.
Who is managing the (digital) marketing in your company? If you also consider working with an outsourced marketing team as an advantage, contact DGTalents and learn how we care for the business of our partners and why we believe in an individual approach and solutions for each one of them.