ONE An ad agency works on behalf of their client and many times they can provide services at little or no cost. Many agencies operate on a commission or kick-back from other vendors or services they utilize. For example, when an ad agency buys advertising time for a client, they get a 15% commission from the total ad budget back from the TV or radio stations. So if an ad agency buys $100,000 worth of advertising time for your campaign, they would get $15k back from the stations as a commission. And the $100,000 advertising buy is often at a discounted rate compared to what the client may have been able to purchase directly from the stations on their own. So you’re going to get more ad space or more TV advertising time and at a cheaper rate. The agency is able to provide all the expertise of ad buying and all the leg-work of negotiating rates and placing the media at absolutely no cost to the client.
TWO You get to leverage the expertise of the ad agency for other services. Don’t let your grassroots DIY (Do-It-Yourself) efforts do more harm than good. Save that for your attempted bathroom remodel. An ad agency can develop your branding and make sure your advertising messages are consistent. They know what types of advertising work with your target markets and how to reach that target market. They’re also experts in many advertising mediums enabling them to easily convert one marketing campaign to another with little time or effort.
THREE Most ad agencies will have exceptional talent in-house. A team of graphic designers, copywriters, filmmakers, videographers and other marketing and advertising specialists. They are experienced in designing campaigns using less time and space, thereby saving you additional money. These are all professionals that independently would consume a large portion of your budget, if not exceed it altogether.
FOUR An ad agency will also work harder to provide a top-notch campaign for you. They are more motivated to do a better job because they want to keep you as a client, whereas an internal department doing your advertising may lack this type of motivation.
FIVE An ad agency can provide an objective look at your company, your product, and your marketing. They can approach it from the viewpoint of a customer, something that your in-house team cannot do.
SIX An ad agency will be able to provide new, fresh ideas based on current trends in the industry. They’re constantly aware of new advertising trends and can see what has worked for others, what hasn’t and how to apply that to your business.
SEVEN An ad agency can deliver proven strategies. When you are your own client, you often have to experiment to see if a particular strategy will work for your business. Agencies can employ strategies that have been successful for their other clients, also known as ‘experience.’
EIGHT You will be provided a single point of contact to get your marketing needs taken care of. One person will take care of the legwork and will coordinate each aspect of your marketing campaign, as opposed to you trying to coordinate several different professionals.
NINE It saves you valuable time. Hiring an ad agency for your direct response marketing is a partnership between the advertiser (you) and the agency. Strategically planning and running any kind of advertising campaign takes a tremendous amount of time and energy. This is time and energy that could be put back into the work that your company does, as opposed to overseeing marketing. If you’re running your own campaign you want to be sure that it is consistent with your brand, effective in reaching your target audience and all the while staying within your budget and preparing for any problems that may arise or changes that may need to be made as you move forward.