Ways Your In-house Marketing Department Benefit From a Full-service Agency?

If you’re like a lot of client-side B2B marketers, your firm has probably added a variety of in-house marketing capabilities over the past few years.  We’ve been seeing companies do it for a variety of reasons including, but not necessarily limited to, cost savings.  Advances in design software and other digital tools have made some of the things we all do more accessible to an in-house staff.  And yet, despite the growth of in-house departments, B2B marketers still indicate that generating a steady flow of relevant content and syndicating it to customers and prospects via inbound and outbound channels is a huge challenge. Some look to freelance support and specialized boutique agencies for help in their effort, but they often find themselves spending too much time sourcing, evaluating and training a host of suppliers — time they could be using to generate content.  It’s a bloody no-win situation!

Lo and behold, there is a type of organization that can lend a hand in situations like this.  [Insert shameless plug here.]  That’s right: a good, old-fashioned full-service agency!

You see, yours isn’t the only business model that has changed in recent years.  Ours has too.  We’ve become far more nimble and flexible in our service offerings.  While we are still able to offer soup-to-nuts marcom solutions, most of our clients now prefer to order from our á la carte menu.  This allows them to pick and choose our services as they need, tapping into our resources and experience to augment their own capabilities, get a fresh perspective on a new initiative, or to simply manage peak periods of activity.

Here are just a few of our services some clients are using to help fill in the gaps of their in-house marketing capabilities.

Content Development

Content is King, right?  Well, many clients are finding that generating that content in any sort of consistent manner can be a royal pain in the keister.  Because of this, we are spending a lot of our time helping clients by writing white papers, producing videos and developing webinars.  We’re able to jump in when needed because we have years of experience working with technical materials and understanding the market needs across a wide range of industries.

Public Relations

Anyone can write a release, but writing it in a manner that will make it attractive to an editor, and then getting it in the hands of that editor, can be a challenge.  Because of this, we’ve streamlined our process, making it easy for our clients to send us a rough draft which we then edit, add add an image (if appropriate) and distribute to the media — all for a minimal cost.

And how about that white paper?  Sure it looks good on your site and makes a nice lead gen offer, but it should also be syndicated in the form of a feature article, expanding your coverage and potentially positioning your firm as a thought leader.  The problem is having the editorial experience and finding the time to make that happen.  We can help.  We do it all the time.

Creative Development

Most in-house marketing departments have some level of design capability, but we are often called in to help when clients are looking for something new.  This may be a new “look,” logo or identity system.  Perhaps they want an outside perspective for a corporate profile piece, new website or advertising campaign.  Or, they may just want us to design a new product bulletin or PowerPoint template from which they can work.  Whatever the case may be, using a full-service B2B agency assures them they will not only get the design edge they are looking for, they will also get it from an organization that understands their business.

Trade Show Support

From pre-show planning and promotion, to exhibit design and booth messaging, to post-event  lead follow-up and sales activity, trade shows require an enormous amount of coordination.  It’s often too much to handle for an in-house team with countless other day-to-day responsiblities.  Drawing on an agency with show experience to help with booth graphics, presentation materials, promotional materials, press support or a social media blitz can help boost show results without breaking the bank. 

Social Media

Speaking of social media, we talk to a lot of companies that recognize the marketing potential it may offer, but aren’t quite sure exactly what that is or how to make it work for them.  Most feel the best way to implement a social effort is to do it internally.  In an ideal world, we wouldn’t disagree.  However social requires a significant time commitment, and most in-house marketing teams already have too much on their plate.  If you find yourself in the same boat, you might consider using an agency to help with anything from brainstorming ideas and developing a plan to writing blog posts and/or managing your social channels.

Branding

Although it hasn’t appeared at the top of everyone’s marcom objectives list recently, the need for solid branding strategies never strays too far from the heart of most marketers.  It is also an area where astute marketers recognize the need for outside guidance and perspective as they look to define what sets their brand apart from the competition and develop solid messaging that communicates these differences clearly.

Fresh Thinking

Sometimes all you’re looking for is someone to bounce some ideas around with.  Someone who knows enough about your business and the challenges it faces.  Someone who can offer some perspective on what marcom tools make sense for what you need to accomplish instead of what they are trying to sell.  A spark.  A new idea you can bring back to your team. 

May we take your order?

My wife is a great cook.  A trained chef, she can whip up anything from (not-so-) simple tacos to an incredible beef bourguignon.   An added bonus; she loves doing it!  But this doesn’t mean we eat at home every day of the year.  Not only are there times when she simply doesn’t have time to cook, she also needs to get out to new restaurants to explore new ideas.  New ingredients.  New flavors.  Sure a night out may cost a little more than a trip to the grocery store, but I like to think of that as an investment in her culinary future, and my satisfied stomach!

Who’s hungry for some new ideas?