There are literally thousands of different ways to promote a business and its products in today’s world. And it’s a full-time job to keep up with which practices and channels are best suited to reach your ideal customers. So whose job should it be to plan and execute your marketing initiatives? Where will you get the greatest results for your investment? Should you hire a full-time employee dedicated to marketing or use a marketing agency to fill the gap?

Here are four reasons why some pet businesses turn to marketing agencies for support:

1. Need an outside perspective

You’re in the thick of the business all day, every day, so sometimes you are just too busy, too overwhelmed or too close to all of the details. You may not even realize it, but there are always areas of your marketing strategy that have the potential to improve your brand awareness, consumer engagement and retail sales. Even the most experienced professionals understand the need for new perspectives on marketing strategies from time to time. Which is where using an agency can benefit your marketing department’s overall performance in meeting established goals and objectives.

• Is there a new way to talk about your brand or product that would ultimately increase sales?
• Are there communication platforms you are wary of using due to a lack of knowledge and have no time to learn about it?
• How do you measure up against the competition?
• Do you know how to measure the effectiveness of your marketing?

These are all questions that agencies can answer fairly quickly following an audit of your current strategies.

2. Need higher level, strategic expertise vs. the tactical execution

When businesses seek out a marketing agency, they are hiring more than just someone to execute the tactics that may already be planned out.

When businesses join forces with an agency, it not only brings a range of services, but it also allows you to tap into the years and years of experience the team of professionals have under their belt. Agencies bring a wealth of expertise in multiple areas like strategy, brand development, strategy creation, digital and ad campaigns, social media marketing and more.

3. Cost effective

As of March 2017, the median annual salary for a marketing manager in the US is $94,725 and $133,158 for a Marketing Director (source). Both of which will also likely include additional costs for training the employee, full coverage benefits and additional miscellaneous expenses that come with a full-time employee.

Depending on your needs and the projects you desire, the cost of using a marketing agency is much lower than you would imagine and they will be able to fulfill a wider range of services you need at a lower cost than hiring multiple individuals.

4. Get the ball rolling

You may have an amazing product that you have finally been able to manufacture, but what about promoting it and getting customers to buy it? A lot of entrepreneurs turn to marketing agencies in the beginning stages of a business, brand or product launch in order to get the ball rolling for their overall marketing plans.

The right agency can provide business owners with a clear path to marketing success as well as a well-rounded and fully developed brand for customers to trust.

What are some questions you have about the success of your marketing practices? If you’re curious about testing the strength of what you have done in the past, or if you need help in building a marketing strategy from scratch, check out our Pet Product Marketing Guide and gain insight on actionable steps you can take for a stronger marketing game plan.