How to Work With a Creative Agency and Why it Will Help

Many organizations have small internal marketing departments that are responsible for many things: branding, website, internal communications, marketing campaigns, new software like this online pay stub maker, newsletters, social media, press releases…the list goes on. The people hired for these roles are usually passionate about the organization, but no single person has all the experience or skills necessary to do all the duties asked of them. Big-picture strategy and ongoing creative branding or awareness can fall off the priority list. It’s easy for marketing to become reactive rather than proactive, always responding rather than strategizing.

These limitations make it difficult to build a healthy brand. Working with an outside marketing agency can help.

The benefits of hiring a creative marketing agency include the following:

• Expertise in creative branding and marketing without having to hire full-time employees
• High-level strategizing to build a brand that creates value
• Training internal marketing departments on how to use certain tools and platforms
• Consistent branding with a single vision and clear strategy

Behavioral Healthcare specifically suffers from unhealthy and inconsistent branding. According to Healthcare Success, “Because [healthcare] and sales are so different, most doctors and administrators have a very difficult time finding, evaluating, recruiting, compensating, motivating, coaching and managing sales talent.”

Behavioral health has many creative branding and messaging challenges, from stigma around addiction and mental health to tight budgets and sensitive subject matter. Plus, with the ever-changing world of technology, people now have more information on-and therefore more choice in picking-their healthcare providers. 80% of internet users look for health information online, relying on social media and other mobile apps to provide insight on healthcare options, internal culture, expertise, and general impression. Additionally, 79% of users prefer getting to know businesses through content rather than ads, and companies with a blog are 13 times more likely to see a positive return on investment.

One of the benefits of working with a marketing agency is that they work with inside teams-they want to collaborate, offer insights that will provide lasting impacts, and tools or processes to make your life easier. It’s not an all-or-nothing solution. Outside marketing can take any scale and shape depending on your team’s needs. Whether you have multiple people or are a one-person “team,” there are many ways an outside resource can help.

A nudge in the right direction.

Maybe you don’t need a major overhaul, just help with things like content creation and other smaller tasks that are easy to put on the backburner. Content is often not a priority-it takes a lot of time for results that may seem insignificant. Many organizations don’t understand the value of having multiple, rich content articles establishing expertise on their website: not only is it good for SEO, but it also builds credibility. An external team will be focused on every detail needed for valuable content, keeping the projects moving and newsletters going out.

eNewsletters are a powerful marketing tool. They maintain an open avenue of communication between a company and its clientele that an organization is in total control of. Social media relies on algorithms to put content in front of its users, but a mailing list always finds its audience.

Here are other small services outside creative branding agencies could help you with:

• Annual report design
• Template creation
• Ad creation
• Signage
• Production

Getting on track.

For companies with no public presence or position in the market, partnering with a creative agency can help put them on the map with a social media style guide. Developing a social media presence communicates what makes a business unique and allows them to tell their story to an audience eager to hear it.

Today, social media is foundational to helping people find resources and make decisions about purchases, services, and health. 33% of consumers use social media to choose their doctors and hospitals. Outside creative studios don’t rely on an engagement-focused strategy-follows, likes, and comments are not crucial for healthcare organizations on social media. Instead, they use social media and content creation to focus on communicating a brand personality and building a brand presence that’s reliable, as well as touting expertise, highlighting services, and sharing success stories. They can develop a company’s online presence and also provide a style guide to help inside marketing move forward on their own.

Other middle-ground services include:

• Concept creation and consulting
• Email marketing campaigns
• Brand identity (logo, brand guidelines, sub-branding, etc.)
• Video and photo shoots (Art direction, execution)
• Website changes and optimization

Seeing the bigger picture.

Imagine this: you’re driving somewhere you’ve never been, and you don’t really know where the destination is. You can either drive around and risk getting lost, or you can use a GPS. Overall brand strategy and development is a company’s GPS. It can put you on the right path.

79% of companies say they’re unable to give as much consideration to long-term brand development as they would have liked. Partnering with an outside organization can help build the foundation necessary for an effective long-term creative branding strategy, as well as provide the tools and expertise that will help you and your team be able to manage your brand at a high level moving forward. This in turn will expand an organization’s reach, create credibility and trust, and bring the right clients to your front door.

Some other big-picture options:

• Brand assessment
• Complete re-brand
• Marketing planning and development
• Campaigns (internal or external, digital or print)
• New product or service brand development and launch
• Website re-design

A cost-effective collaboration.

Working with an outside creative marketing agency is a way to keep a company’s vision in alignment and on brand while staying cost-efficient-no need to hire an internal team to do a wealth of tasks that may be outside their scope, and you can choose how much or little help you need. Maintaining a healthy brand is integral to a business’s success, and an outside creative studio can help you make that happen.