When budgets are under scrutiny or a company’s forward trajectory seems uncertain, marketing efforts are a common target for skeptics. They may wonder, “What’s the actual ROI of marketing spend?” Or “What’s the benefit of hiring an outside marketing agency if our company already has an internal team?” Or even, “What exactly is marketing?” Sound familiar?
To be fair, it’s hard to sum up the effects of marketing in one sentence. It encompasses a wide range of potential solutions, with the power to influence sales, culture and business operations — from the most minute, targeted ad campaigns to the highest levels of organizational philosophy. Every company could benefit from marketing expertise, but not every company has the time or money to spend working with a marketing firm.
If you think your company could use some support, but you’re not sure that hiring an agency is the way to go, here’s a list of common challenges and when an outside team of experts could help.
Challenge 1: Your internal team isn’t aligned.
Marketing strategies rely on cohesion to be effective. If your leadership team is divided on goals or your marketing and sales teams aren’t working together, an agency can’t fix those internal fractures.
For example, we’ve seen companies start investing in rebrands or campaigns only to stall halfway through because key stakeholders couldn’t agree on the fundamental direction of the messaging. That disconnect slows momentum and wastes time and resources. A successful collaboration depends on sharing the same objectives.
What we can’t do:
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- Force decision makers at your organization to be a part of the process.
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- Champion your cause internally – that takes someone with social capital and influence in your organization.
What we can do:
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- Uncover the real tensions causing divisions and help you turn them into opportunities for consensus. For example, our surveys have helped internal teams identify key areas of misalignment that inspired much-needed cross-departmental conversations.
Challenge 2: Your CEO isn’t fully invested in marketing.
Marketing success starts at the top. When a CEO views marketing as a cost instead of a growth driver, even the strongest strategies can falter. We’ve seen organizations where a lack of leadership buy-in frustrates teams and undermines trust. They’re essentially being set up to fail. Marketing projects require a meaningful investment of time and trust to turn broad conversations about market share into pin-pointed strategies that reap big sales quarters.
What we can’t do:
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- Instantly convince your CEO to invest the recommended 10% of revenue into brand marketing.
What we can do:
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- Create a business case for marketing, with proven results to back it up.
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- Build momentum with small, measurable wins. Demonstrating quick ROI through test campaigns or pilot programs can secure leadership’s confidence.
Challenge 3: Your team is comfortable with the status quo.
Great marketing thrives on boldness. It’s creative, boundary-pushing and often a little uncomfortable. If your company resists fresh ideas or avoids risk, an agency’s potential to innovate can be stifled by a fixed mindset. We’ve worked with businesses hesitant to break out of their comfort zones. While small wins are possible, game-changing results only happen when there’s a willingness to trust the process and embrace something new.
What we can’t do:
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- Change hearts and minds overnight to increase risk tolerance.
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- Guarantee instant success.
What we can do:
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- Build rational arguments to help brands get on the path to bigger thinking.
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- Start with small, low-risk experiments to build confidence and momentum so you can unlock larger creative solutions and achieve breakthrough growth in due time.
At Ervin & Smith, we’re focused on creating meaningful partnerships that deliver measurable impact. And we really don’t engage with organizations who aren’t ready for what that true partnership means. But when it’s right, we’ve seen firsthand how honest conversations about business objectives can unlock unprecedented growth potential with the right solutions in place.
If you’re wondering whether it’s the right time to bring in an agency, we’re here to guide you forward and weigh all the options. Our goal is to help you make the best decision for your business, even if that means waiting for the right moment. Get in touch if you’d like to explore if we’re the right partner for you.