Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/1303108
40 | I NSIGH T • N o v e m b e r 2 0 2 0 w w w . i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m The challenges of 2020 have left businesses with tighter budgets and limited resources, and yet the need for effective marketing is greater than ever. In response, companies are looking for ways to reduce costs while achieving the results they need. Developing an internal marketing team or hiring freelancers might seem like safe and affordable ways to accomplish this. However, these options can end up costing more while not producing the desired results. Hiring an integrated marketing agency can provide a variety of marketing skills and help align a company's sales and marketing efforts without the overhead that comes with hiring internally or the reliability concerns that come with freelancers. Expertise at a fair price Marketing agencies that are members of Second Wind, an agency information resource, have salaries and service prices based on agency averages in a particular region. If an agency is a member, this can assure potential clients of receiving high- quality work at a competitive price. Another cost benefit of working with an integrated marketing agency is that companies pre-determine what they will spend and what they will receive from the agency in return. When hiring internal staff, costs can be less concrete. Salaries, office space, benefits, software, equipment and other costs can vary and require updates over time. When working with a marketing agency, the scope of work and its cost are outlined and agreed upon in advance, giving companies a clearer understanding of their annual budgets. The benefits of an integrated marketing approach Internal staff and freelancers are often expected to wear multiple hats, even though the needs of projects might fall outside of their skillset. Because freelancers are independent, their primary objective is to get more work, which might be from your existing staff or from a competitor. Plus, when they take vacation or sick time, their work stops. The results of these scenarios may not be what a company had originally envisioned. Whether working exclusively with a company or alongside an existing marketing staff, an integrated marketing agency will do an internal audit of a company's talent and needs to maximize their existing capabilities while applying budget and resources into areas where more expertise is needed. For instance, a company might have a great team of designers, but no PR staff, creating a missed opportunity for events or media relations. Or, perhaps analytics data is interesting to employees, but they don't have the skills to turn the data into a successful action plan. An integrated marketing The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Insight Publications, LLC. Tara Brzozowski, Element agency can fill these gaps and work collaboratively as a unified team of experts. This creates more effective marketing delivered through the sales process and across channels with multiple touchpoints, leading to a healthy ROI for the company. Affordably building a strong marketing team While business has experienced a great deal of uncertainty this year, companies can refocus their efforts in 2021 by building a strong marketing team to accomplish exactly what they need without the cost of paying for what they don't. Working with the right integrated marketing agency can give companies a clearer understanding of their marketing expenses and results, provide trackable analytics and help them build a stronger future. How to build a strong marketing team for 2021 Tara Brzozowski, the director of public relations at Element, is a marketing professional with more than 15 years of experience building successful integrated marketing campaigns for a variety of B2B and B2C clients. She enjoys helping clients solve marketing and sales challenges with creative and strategic solutions that get results. Brzozowski can be reached at tara@goelement.com. About the Author Tara Brzozowski Director of Public Relations, Element