Branding and marketing: you know you need ‘em both.  And you want to use them! It's the only way to put your brand on the map and grow. Most of our clients are not marketers — which makes sense. If they'd been marketers, they probably would've gone into the marketing business.

But... that means you have to hire a marketer. Right? Isn't that the go-to expert who can translate your strategic vision into practice? Not necessarily! We often see clients struggle with this question — and cost is a factor. Do you really have to hire an expensive marketing or branding agency? At first sight, it seems a lot cheaper to put together your own team.
But companies (or their marketers) that go down this road ultimately knock on our doors. I know, I know. You're confused. Do marketers really ask a branding agency for help?‍

Yup. And in this blog post, I'll tell you why. I will also explain when it is and isn't smart to use your own team.

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.

If you fully commit to something for a certain period of time, you'll achieve a lot. I see it happen time and again. We collaborate intensively with clients, which means we truly join forces. That approach leads to great results.

One example: our collaboration with PLNTS.com, which started when the pandemic broke out. The world hit the brakes, but this online shop said, “Let's go!” And they got our full attention. It was a dedicated approach for sure. And, as you can read in the customer case study, it worked.

This laser focus has also been very beneficial to other clients. For example, South African company Integrative9 flew out to the Netherlands to take workshops with us at three different locations in The Hague. It was a three-day intensive during which we covered a lot of themes. Since we really immersed ourselves in their company, story, vision, and goals, we now know them from the inside out. We've completely figured out who they are, what they want to convey, and how they can best share their story. It translates into numbers: when Integrative9 assessed us on a scale from 1 to 10, we scored two nines and a 10!

So, what's next? Well, we contribute business ideas. We can do that because we have a thorough understanding of their brand's heart and dreams for the future. And as an agency, we also adopt a creative entrepreneurial mindset. That's another thing this client really appreciates.

Do you think those workshops sound great, but are they still a bit abstract to you? I completely understand — and that's why I'm happy to explain what to expect from a (re)branding process with us.

We start with ‘pressure cooker workshops.’ That's where we — you guessed it — up the pressure! For sometimes, a little pressure goes a long way. These intensive workshops only take one to three days to complete. As an entrepreneur (or as a marketing team), you have to put some time and effort into them. But it's worth your while, because at the end of this short ride, we provide you with a blueprint. That's a concise report containing everything: your story, vision, mission, brand pillars, and competition. Based on the blueprint, we always develop an HLO implementation plan.

With everything mapped out, we complete a short sprint — we translate it into a concept. This involves other experts than those who've laid out your strategy. If you do choose the FTE route, what will your strategic experts do at this stage? Not much, though they are your permanent employees.

Anyway, back to our approach: we set up your concept and then roll it out. To that end, we create a toolkit your internal employees can use. For ultimately, that's what we do: we empower you and your in-house team!

The brand book is the foundation of your toolkit. It contains your entire story — from strategy and vision to dreams and goals. It's extremely useful, as it gives existing and new employees a quick overview of who you are and what you stand for. So, you can also use it for employer branding purposes.

Do you think this is an unnecessary luxury, because people already know what you stand for? I completely understand that, being an entrepreneur, you just assume this as a fact. But... think again! I can't tell you how often we hear the (work floor) reality is different. For example, we recently gave a presentation to a team that had a real ‘aha’ moment afterward. “We've been working on great things,” they said, “but now we understand why we're doing it!” So the latter was not as cut and dried as the management team thought.

In addition to overarching brand elements, such as your story and values, the brand book also contains practical tools. For example, we create templates that can inspire your people to work on their own marketing communications efforts or help freelancers work in a targeted way. Basically, you get a kind of DIY marketing guide.

Would you like to outsource marketing because you're not a ‘marketing DIYer?’ In that case, we can create and implement the strategic marketing plan for you. Do you prefer to work on your own marketing communications efforts, but do you want to give us a call and brainstorm every once in a while? That's also an option. We understand you don't need to order every branded pen with our help but do welcome a high-level brainstorm from time to time.

Briefly put, if you work with an agency, you will make a one-time investment but lay a sustainable, high-quality, and solid foundation whose benefits you'll reap for years to come. You will build your brand strategically and effectively, as you can be sure your marketing strategy is 100 percent in line with who you are and where you're headed.

And finally, here's the cherry on top: if you collaborate with HLO, the images we create are immediately yours. Think you need to fork out an extra 25K for a jingle? Not if you work with us! Everything we create is tailored to you — and you can use it as you see fit.