What is advertising outsourcing?
Advertising outsourcing is the process of partnering with an external agency to take advantage of one or more advertising services they offer. There are as many types of advertising agencies as there are advertising services, and they each offer different expertise and abilities to meet the needs of clients and companies.
What do advertising providers do?
Advertising agencies provide one or multiple of the following services:
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Research: Advertising agency services will always include a research period. This is where a partner agency learns as much as possible about your company, your brand, your vision, your goals, and your customers. They may also provide new or additional insights about target audiences, competitors, and advertising methods that they believe will be effective.
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Strategy: Advertising agencies often have dedicated professionals who understand advertising strategy and planning. These services will help business owners and marketing teams define their objectives, develop a strategic plan, incorporate competitive analysis and market research, and select the right mix of traditional and digital advertising channels for your specific goals.
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Creative: Many advertising agencies also provide creative services, such as graphic design, content creation, video production, social media management, and more.
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Media buying: Planning and budgeting for advertising campaigns, and securing the necessary media outlets and channels, are also often part of an advertising agency’s services.
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Digital marketing: Advertising agencies, especially those specializing in digital, will provide advertising services including PPC (pay-per-click) campaign management, SEO, email marketing, and other digital content creation as needed.
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Public relations: Some advertising agencies also provide public relations services including image management, media outreach, press releases, event planning, and crisis management as needed.
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Campaign analysis: Advertising agency services also include analyzing campaign performance and providing detailed, granular data on the effectiveness of each ad campaign component.
These are just some of the key types of advertising services that a good agency partner may provide, but there may be additional services available depending on the agency that you choose to partner with.
Types of advertising providers
There are several different types of advertising agencies that you can outsource your projects to, and they offer a variety of services depending on the size of the agency and the needs of their clients.
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Full-service advertising agencies: As the name implies, a full-service agency will likely provide all of the key advertising services you can imagine. These include creating television and radio ads, print ad design and creation, online content, social media advertising and management, graphic design and videographer services, search engine optimization, and more.
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Digital advertising agencies: Digital agencies specialize in all of the various digital marketing and advertising options. They will most often focus on PPC advertising, SEO-focused content and website development, digital design, paid and organic search, paid and organic social media advertising, email, and CRM.
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Traditional media advertising: Some agencies focus exclusively on providing advertising services for one or more traditional media outlets including magazine and print advertising, billboards, postcards, pamphlets and flyers, television and radio, newspaper, and more.
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Social media advertising: Some digital advertising agencies provide services specifically for social media. They will be well versed in all social media platforms, understand the specifics of ad creation and scheduling for each, and provide extensive analysis of results and recommendations based on these results.
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Creative agencies: Creative houses specialize in the creative elements of advertising. Boutique agencies often specialize in graphic design, logo creation, visual branding, content creation, video production, and so on.
These are the five most common types of advertising agencies you may find. There are sometimes firms that provide a combination of certain services or some additional advertising support, but these main categories give you a breakdown of the most common ones you will encounter.
How much does outsourcing advertising cost?
As with any business process outsourcing, the total price tag for advertising outsourcing can vary depending on a number of factors. As a result, it can be difficult to completely answer the question, “how much do advertising agencies charge?” However, there are some factors that can help you understand typical charges and provide a range of expectations for an advertising agency cost.
Factors that can affect advertising agency pricing include:
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Project scope: How involved is your project? How long will it run? And how big is your target audience?
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Services required: Do you need comprehensive advertising services, or do you have in-house personnel who will be handling specific aspects such as graphic design, media buying, etc.?
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Location: It costs more to advertise in big cities than it does in smaller markets, so the price of your advertising agency contract will likely reflect the “where” of your advertising project.
Actual price ranges for different types of agencies are pretty broad and that reflects the variability in each client’s needs and campaign goals. A common rule that many small businesses follow is to spend approximately 7%-10% of your annual gross revenue on advertising. That would include your in-house team (if you have one) and your outsourcing agency, so you can use this range to calculate a rough figure for your advertising agency budget before you begin discussions with a prospective partner.
Should I outsource advertising or do it in-house?
Many business owners prefer to handle their advertising with an in-house team. They are closer to the brand, have experience within the organization and industry, and are committed to the company goals. And this is a perfectly valid option for many companies with sufficient resources.
However, it’s also important to consider whether you have the knowledge and resources you need in house to create the most effective, impactful advertising campaign possible. For a lot of SMBs and mid-sized companies, the answer is often “no.”
Some key considerations that may help you decide whether to handle your advertising services in house or outsource include:
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Expertise: Does our in-house team have experience with all of the advertising outlets, tools, and research that we will need to achieve our goals? Are they able to perform the analysis and adjustments necessary?
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Time: Will they be able to devote sufficient time and energy to the advertising campaign? Or will their other duties limit their availability?
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Scalability: If a campaign really takes off, will our in-house personnel be able to take advantage of the momentum and scale our advertising efforts up? Will they be able to leverage new outlets or technology effectively?
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Results: Has our current advertising yielded the return on investment that we were hoping for? Are customers aware of our brand and products or services? Are we growing our business at the rate we set in your goals for the year?
These considerations, among others, often lead small business owners, entrepreneurs, and startups to the same answer: partnering with a reputable advertising agency is the right choice.
How to choose the best advertising service provider
Outsourcing your business’ advertising needs can be the best choice for many business owners. Even when you have your own advertising and marketing team in house, the benefits of partnering with an expert agency are too good to pass up. Hiring an advertising agency — whether a niche agency or full-service advertising company — can save you time and money, and maximize the potential impact of advertising campaigns.
Reviews from existing clients, summaries of their services, and other key information are ready and waiting to help you make the best choice for your company’s needs.
