Bigger Isn’t Always Better: The Advantages of Using a Nimble Agency
A few decades ago, marketing channels were limited – but with the explosion of the Internet, social media and digital marketing, the landscape has completely changed. In 2014, marketing teams are expected to spend $135 billion dollars on new digital marketing collateral alone, according to Social Media Today. In addition, revenues from social media advertising are expected to quadruple from 2010 to 2015, reaching over $8 billion by 2015, according to BIA/Kelsey.
While in the past, many large companies handed the keys to the castle over to a single agency, things are changing as they realize that bigger isn’t always better.
What Does this Mean?
Often times a PR agency, creative agency, web development firm or other creative business has a thriving client relationship. Eventually, the client approaches them about digital marketing, which is outside of their area of expertise. They might think:
- My client needs a digital marketing presence, where can we begin?
- We don’t have the resources or experience in-house to offer digital services to this client, what should we do?
- How can I find a sophisticated digital agency partner, who is trustworthy and can deliver to our clients?
To deepen the client relationship, many firms are partnering with other small agencies to give clients what they need, while staying nimble and providing better service. But does this approach really put your firm at an advantage?
Why Nimble Is Better
Big agencies have a lot of bureaucratic tape for clients to navigate. They can also be very slow to move. This stifles innovation and results in inefficiencies to the process and the client.
When working together, smaller agencies maintain a more nimble environment, where a group of people can collaborate in a highly specialized and efficient way. They can adapt quickly to customer needs and changes in the market. Since each agency is focused on doing one or two things exceptionally well, they can often do a better job than a large firm taking a generalist approach – creating tremendous value to clients.
Rounding Out the Offering
Let’s face it. If a client approaches you about a service, like digital marketing – and you don’t offer it, they’ll start looking for someone who does. And that’s fine, until they find a company that offers digital marketing, plus what you offer – and they eat your lunch.
While you might not have the internal resources or experience in-house to offer a specific type of service to clients, maintaining and growing your relationship is possible by finding someone who can. Selecting the right partner, however, is a make or break situation.
What Makes a Good Partner?
Not every agency will make a good partner. When you partner with someone, you’re putting your company’s reputation and the client relationship on the line – so you must choose carefully. Here’s a few questions to consider:
- Do they work with the same target audience as our company?
- Can they enter the engagement without bringing any competitive tension to the relationship?
- Will I be treated fairly and respectfully if I invite them into this engagement?
Ultimately, you want a partnership that will focus on the spirit of collaboration and respect, and how it impacts your client’s bottom line. And when you can strike this balance, you’ll have the ability to compete with larger agencies like never before – and your business will thrive.