Introduction
Picture the scene: you’ve just secured your biggest round of funding to date, your ideas are finally about to become a buyable, shareable, talked about reality, and you’re ready to build the brand and digital presence you need to get going — all that’s left to do is find the right creative minds for the job.
And while hiring an in-house designer might seem like the obvious route to go down, we’ve put together five good reasons why an agency might be exactly what you need to revolutionise your website, create an unforgettable brand identity or launch that new product with a bang...
They’ll help you understand your audience better
You’ve got a great product and you’re ready to shout about it. And while no one understands the inner workings of it better than you, it’s not uncommon to be so immersed in what you’ve created that you, (unintentionally), hamper its potential success. Most end users are solely focused on what a product or service can do for them, and an agency will help you to crystallise this, channelling the passion you have for your creation into something a user can really understand and get behind.
Agencies also spend their working days immersing themselves in the data, trends and learnings of multiple different sectors and have a wide-ranging view that puts them in a position to offer a really insightful perspective.
Think of them as the chameleons of the creative world, they’ve got an innate ability to step into your audience’s shoes and determine how best to present you as a business, and they’ll help you hook people in and get those all-important clicks, sales and shares.
They’ll rip up the red tape for you
Most mid to large size organisations are subject to a certain amount of red tape that needs to be navigated when making decisions. This can really hinder the creative process and result in the dreaded ‘too many cooks’ effect. But free from the shackles of internal politics and without the same fear of risk-taking, creative agencies are perfectly placed to get under the skin of the problem you’re trying to answer, and push a few buttons and boundaries along the way.
The result is often something you’d never have considered before, but it could be the start of something truly revolutionary...
They’ll pull you out of your tunnel vision
9-5, five days a week (and let’s face it, a lot of the rest of the time too) you’re thinking about your business.
Agencies, on the other hand, spend their time thinking about other businesses. What makes them stand out? What’s their strategy for success? How do they achieve x, y and z? Accumulating valuable knowledge along the way, agencies have a well-rounded understanding of how to connect with different audiences, compete with other businesses and establish your company as a unique presence in the market. As Blair Enns famously states, "You can't read the label from inside the jar".
They have a pool of creative talent that’s ready to go
Hiring permanent staff is important. You need in-house knowledge, you need a team who are working to the same goal and you might occasionally need people to vent to over a few drinks.
But as any business owner knows, hiring permanent staff comes with a fair amount of risk and a price tag you have to be able to commit to long-term.
Post-pandemic we’re undeniably in a job-seekers market and designers looking for in-house positions are increasingly asking about the perks and benefits a company can offer, not just the digits on that end of month payslip.
Hiring permanent staff is about more than just paying a wage and setting a to-do list, you’ll also need to think about the variety of work you're giving them. Designers and developers whose only role is to maintain an existing website or brand rarely stay long. Curious and creative by nature, they need to be pushed and work quickly becomes stale and uninteresting when it lacks challenge and change.
In an agency, designers and developers are given a wide variety of clients and work which is designed to keep them inspired, passionate and ultimately happy. And if and when creatives do leave, the agency is better equipped to deal with the gap they leave as they’ll have access to a pool of talent which makes handovers more efficient and risk-free.
They’ll establish a stronger brand for you to align to
A strong brand identity can be a really key factor in the decision-making process.
If you’re still figuring things out or struggling to communicate your brand vision it might be worth working with a creative agency. You can brief them to scope out your company’s identity, look and feel, and create definitive brand guidelines that the whole organisation can live by.
Think of your brand identity as the foundation on which everything sits. Make it strong and it ensures the rest of the organisational build is easy. But if it’s weak or ill-defined, you risk the whole thing toppling over.
Conclusion
So there you have it, food for thought for when you’re deciding on your creative direction. We may be ever so slightly biased, but we know that working with the right creative agency really is the secret ingredient for success.