The efficacy of inbound has been proven. So let’s say you’re on board the inbound train and are already beginning to implement some of the best practices on your own. For instance, you may be blogging and creating awesome content right now, but are you really getting the most of inbound?
Here are the four biggest signs it’s time to engage with an inbound marketing agency.
1. You Aren’t Getting the Results You Want
We understand, you are not marketing gurus. You probably know that there is endless potential for your inbound efforts, but you just can’t seem to reach your peak. This could be a result of limited knowledge of best practices – let’s be real, there is only so much Googling one can do.
You might know what you want to happen in terms of results over the next few months, but you don’t know how to reach your inbound marketing goals. This is where an agency can come in. They do this all day every day… so they are able to provide strategic recommendations that will drive the results you are looking for.
2. You Don’t Have the Time
You are juggling all of the things a normal business owner juggles. This is why marketing departments and agencies exist. You know it’s a necessary endeavor, but even if the spirit is willing, you just don’t have the time to dedicate to it.
The challenge is that inbound marketing takes time and patience, even though we completely understand why you don’t have the time needed to tend to it. It is the equivalent of a garden; if you don’t have enough time to take care of it and maintain it, your results will suffer.
If you feel your garden is wilting, you should hire a gardener (AKA a marketing agency). Once those strategic recommendations are provided above, all you would have to do is say the word and they would “automagically” be completed! Of course, it’s not always that simple… but if you’re running low on time and need a helping hand, an agency is the way to go. They not only will be able to devote the necessary time to your marketing, they will also be able to take a step back and help elevate your efforts to a more strategic level that are in line with your overall business objectives.
3. You Can’t Find Local Talent to Fill the Role
You may have considered an internal marketing team, but you have specific goals and needs that can’t be met by local interviewees. Or maybe the marketing talent just isn’t a cultural fit. The good news it, marketing agencies come in all shapes and sizes and aren’t restricted by geographical location.
For example, our clients hail from all across the country. And even if the services you offer are location-specific, and you’d like to work local, you will most likely find an agency in a major city near you. So when you’re just not finding the right talent to fill the role internally, it’s time to look externally for an agency.
(The added bonus is that you have access to a diverse range of skill sets with an agency – strategists, writers designers, etc. – typically at a fraction of the cost of hiring a single person with limited position scope.)
4. It Just Makes More Sense
Regardless whether you’ve seen any of these tell-tale signs, there are benefits to hiring an inbound agency that can’t be ignored…
You skip the on-boarding process
You will save countless hours filling in new hires on your business, office policies and their new role. On top of initial on-boarding there is maintenance that must be considered as well. The agency will handle all of these things and wont even take up valuable office space!
You Save Money in the Long Run
In addition to what we mentioned above, when you consider overhead costs, health care costs, salary and taxes, you end up spending less on an agency than you would to hire one person, let alone a whole team. You are able to have access to experts who have a lot of experience without paying crazy salaries to employ them.
You get experts at your fingertips
The thing about hiring an agency is, they have internal experts that are prepared for anything you throw at them. If you want to hire internal marketing experts, you will need a lot of them (SEO, social media, inbound strategy, PPC, etc.). These experts will be charging a pretty hefty salary, but could be wrapped up into your monthly cost of an inbound agency!
Your Turn
Are you struggling to get results on your own or dedicate the time your marketing campaigns need? If you’ve recently hired an agency, how has the relationship been working for you? And what was the “last straw” before you finally realized it was time to partner up with an agency? Let me know in the comments!
