A horticulture entrepreneur once inquired about our rates. When Isabella shared these, she exclaimed, “I can use that money to pay eight workers!”
“Sure,” Isabella said, “but are they capable of doing what we do?”
Look. Of course, your horticulture company needs workers. But branding and marketing are equally important. For you want to create fans who will remain loyal to your brand through the good times and the bad (regardless of your rates, as you don't want to compete on price).
Alright, let's first sketch the ‘in-house marketer scenario.’ Suppose you publish a job posting. After several rounds, you've found a great candidate. Time to have that in-house talent double down on branding! Right? Well, not exactly. Marketers don't necessarily determine the direction your company takes. To do that, they need help from — you guessed it — a branding expert. The in-house marketer acts a bit like a project manager. In fact, many in-house marketers are communications experts who initiate, implement, and supervise the company's marketing efforts. Truth bomb: a real marketer is not a creative person. It's someone who focuses on the results of your marketing efforts — a figure-oriented person, if you will.
An in-house marketer or communications expert is eager to roll up their sleeves and get to work. But they prefer to lay a solid foundation. A clear brand blueprint, a strong identity, and an effective marketing plan can help this in-house expert get to work — or at least in part. For you still need to develop creative content. Think video, photography, and copywriting, as well as a creative campaign concept that requires elaboration. If you want to tackle all these tasks in-house, your team should consist of 10 people. Or, you can go on a wild goose chase to find the amazing all-round talent everyone's looking for. (Spoiler alert: this person doesn't exist. And if they do, they probably won't take a job at your company. This highly gifted individual will likely prefer to be self-employed...)
But... isn't it very expensive to hire an agency? Well, it depends on how you look at it. Of course, you’ll spend quite a lot of money at once. But how much does it cost to hire 10 people and coordinate all HR matters for them? And will they be of constant use to your company? Or will they remain on your payroll after a major (implementation) project while there won't be many other tasks to complete?
Here's the thing: if you compare an agency's rate to these FTEs, the first option is often a lot cheaper. That's because with an agency, you'll work on a project basis.
On top of that, you'll get things done much faster — and often, the results will be better, too. This isn't surprising, as you'll collaborate with a dedicated team of seasoned experts who will work on taking your business to the next level.
Wait, what? Did I just state that an agency has more expertise than the people you hire? Well, yes. That's exactly what I said. Because that's usually the case. I mean, suppose you're an excellent photographer, art director, or copywriter. Would you really want to work at a company that doesn't operate in the creative industry and where you constantly do the same thing? You'd probably pass, right? Your skills are in high demand. Plus, you like to surround yourself with other creatives who constantly inspire you, so you can grow. You'd rather apply for that cool job at a creative marketing or branding agency. That's understandable — and it's a very good reason for companies to work with an agency like that to build (or expand) their brand.