At CIS Agency, we get this question a lot. To be honest, the answer isn’t really simple.
It is a common misconception in the business world that agencies are only for large companies with large budgets, but that is simply not true. Most agencies, including CIS Agency, know there is a way to help a smaller business grow - and stay within their budgets.
A number of things go into not only deciding to hire an agency but deciding which one to pick that will truly work to meet a company’s needs. There are a number of different types of agencies out there - you’ll find agencies that specialize in marketing, photography, social media, web design, graphic design, public relations... Nowadays, most agencies try to cover all these different areas but realistically, there’s usually a couple of areas that each marketing agency excels in.
Once you know the breadth of agencies available, you then need to understand why an agency is the best ally to your business. Agencies have mastered different skills to help their clients develop their brand in the most effective way. Ideally, an agency should not only be able to develop and execute marketing campaigns but also track the effectiveness of a campaign on multiple platforms (something CIS Agency is very proud of doing for our clients!)
Hiring an agency with a large list of skills can seem somewhat overwhelming, especially when you feel your budget is limited. Some businesses decide, rather than hiring a full-service agency, they would go the route of hiring a freelancer to do just one of the many services offered by a full agency. While this may be a short-term solution, there are some limitations with most freelancers:
TIME - in an agency, everything is measured time: the time it takes to respond to an email, the time a graphic design took, the time every web design takes - time, time, time….and, as the saying goes - TIME IS MONEY. That’s why an agency responds as quickly as they can, or as soon as they promised you. On the other hand, when you work with a freelancer, there is less pressure. You will find that freelancers have all different schedules - you might be their first customer so you might get a fast response, but as soon they get another client, you might be left in the dust.
RESPONSE - The core of our business at CIS Agency is responsiveness. We are responsive to every email, phone call or text message from you. You, as our customer, are our top priority and staying in communication with you is rule number one. Freelancers may have different priorities - and may not offer the 24-hour turnaround we offer.
GUARANTEE - you WILL get your money’s worth. When you hire CIS Agency, you have our guarantee that you will get what you pay for or more than what you paid for. Our team works in different areas to be sure the job gets done. That means if someone gets sick, takes a well-deserved vacation, or has an emergency, we have a backup team that will step up to get everything done and get your job completed on time - as promised. On the other hand, a freelancer is one person - if this person doesn't want to answer you, had an accident, is sick, has problems with the car, their problems will immediately be yours, too.
ALL IN ONE PLACE - Let’s say you hired someone to make you a graphic design - the perfect designs for your website or the perfect logo. Not an easy feat and they do a great job for you. Then, after your design is ready, you decide you need new pictures of your store, or you need content written for your website, or you need a new website, or you need help with your social media presence. So many opportunities - but your freelancer only does graphic design. You now need to find a freelancer for just one of those needs - more freelancers to cover all of those needs. At CIS Agency you will always find an answer to your questions and a team member to meet your needs - and if we don't have it, we are prepared to find an answer or create what you need.
STRATEGY - Did you see our last blog post about creating a Marketing Strategy? At CIS Agency, we always work in one direction - all of our actions drive to one common goal. The strategy we develop with you will reach across your website, your SEO, your social media posts. Every design, every picture, every post we create has a clear purpose and all of this combined melds together for the perfect finished project! Take note that when you hire a freelancer he/she may create great things - based on your exact requests: “Take out this, add this, use this color, move it in the other direction, I don't like the picture, change the font”, etc. They will do exactly as they’re asked, even though what you are asking may not be the most helpful for your business or your brand. This is the very reason many companies have a lack of cohesiveness, look unprofessional, or look like they are lacking direction.
We work diligently every day for our clients - to provide great support, with a strategic direction, with a quick turnaround so you can spend less time focusing on marketing and more time growing your business in other ways. That is what an agency brings to the table.
We hope you appreciate the job we do at CIS Agency every day to make your company and your brand stand out and shine!