Don’t Fall for the Age-Old Misconception That Agencies Are the Expensive Option.
Many manufacturers are stuck at a crossroad. Do you hire an in-house marketing person? Or contract an agency to develop and implement a strategy?
This addresses that question—Rand Fishkin’s recent article, “Why You Should Hire Agencies & Consultants (for everything you can)” is probably one of the most important articles manufacturing marketers can read. Rand makes the powerful case: do more with less and you’ll get even greater results.
Is your manufacturing leadership struggling with the question: do we have an internal marketing resource or contract outside resources? The answer will be different for each company. The answer will not be black and white, but various shades of grey. This means you might have:
- A dedicated agency handling a comprehensive role delivering leads to your sales team
- A VP of Sales and Marketing that is supported by a B2B agency
- A capable marketing team supported by freelance specialists and consultants
Which shade of grey is right for your manufacturing marketing need? That will be up to you, but the evidence outlined in Rand’s article is clear. You need the mix.
There can be resistance from in-house marketers. “Trying new things is risky,” writes Fishkin. “And for internal managers, the benefits of consultants and agencies are overshadowed by threats, risks, and lost opportunities for your own career growth.”
Manufacturing owners and managers should also keep the bigger picture in mind. “Unfortunately,” writes Fishkin, “what’s better for the business isn’t always better for everyone in it.”
DO MORE WITH LESS
As a content marketing agency Signalfire has worked on various places on the “greyscale.” We’ve been solely responsible for marketing and lead gen, but we’ve also collaborated with incredible in-house teams. Which is best? Depends on the manufacturer, the team, and the objectives.
There are some misconceptions. Collaborating with an agency does NOT mean you:
- Surrender control of your marketing
- Doubt your internal team’s effectiveness
- Can reduce your sales efforts
- Forge ahead without tools to measure performance
What are the benefits of working with an agency partner? Collaborating with an agency DOES mean you:
- Instead of a single person, you get a TEAM of experts in a variety of subject areas
- Project manager to keep tasks on schedule, answer your questions, and bring insights
- Professional B2B content writers who know how to research and optimize
- Tools to report critical marketing data and what it means for you
Is working with an agency that researches and writes content, crafts email newsletters, manages social media, and provides reporting financially viable for a small manufacturer?
Absolutely. Agencies like Signalfire can craft plans to fit your budget or your needed marketing plan. Very often, you’ll spend less contracting a team of experts than an entry-level salary.
“The cost-benefit is clear,” says Matthew Olson, Founder of Signalfire. “If your manufacturing company looked at the budget of bringing in an in-house person or team compared to the value and flexibility of working with an agency—the decision makes sense.”
Read through Rand Fishkin’s insights. If you think you’d like to talk to Signalfire to see how it can work for you—just drop us a line. We’ll be happy to share how a team of experts can accomplish more while you spend less.