Are Marketing Agencies Worth the Money?

Here’s a question I bet you didn’t think you’d hear from the head of a marketing agency. It’s a challenge that we often face. Editors, social media hosts and some marketing tool vendors have all said that you don’t really need to hire an agency.

I’ve written before that my biggest competitors aren’t other agencies – instead I compete with Fiefdoms, Silos and Inertia – they are internal competitors.

In fact, one of the biggest challenges that an agency needs to overcome is the prospect who thinks hiring agency is a cost rather than an investment. There are plenty of self-service marketing tools available. The web, in fact, can be a gigantic, brightly-lit, open-for-business-24-hours-a-day, shop at your convenience, DIY self-service dispenser. Under its neon glow you think:

You don’t need an agency to draft a news release.

You don’t need an agency to create a logo.

You don’t need an agency to write ad copy.

You don’t need an agency to help you with social media.

You don’t need an agency to develop case studies, stage photo shoots, create brochures, plan your events or any of the myriad other things that marketing agencies do all day.

Until you do, that is.

Agencies are really good at playing the outside guy. They are really terrific at coming up with ideas that were not created in-house. They are spectacular at challenging you to do the best marketing you have ever done. And (you will have to trust me on this) you may never see some of the best work they do for you.

So, are agencies worth the money? No. They’re often worth more.