In a recent blog post we opened up about inbound marketing costs and introduced the idea of a retainer. Now, we get that some people will wonder why they need to retain an agency to help them generate more leads online, thinking it's perhaps a distinct project with a start and an end, not so. Lead generation isn't an activity with a start and an end.
To make inbound marketing work for your business you need to buy into the concept of attracting people to your website by understanding their needs and their issues. You need to rethink your approach to marketing, moving from selling to helping. For most it's a big shift in thinking. Marketing that helps people instead of selling to them! However, just like traditional marketing, it's an ongoing activity; you need to keep doing it, and we're not just saying that, the stats speak for themselves.
You Could Hire Your Own People
If you accept that inbound is something you need to keep doing and not just set it and forget it, then you've got two choices. You can hire your own team or you can engage an inbound agency. We'd never dissuade a company from creating their own team, hell we'd even help them hire the right people; but it's a big undertaking. To do inbound well you'll need designers, writers, coders and strategists. That's quite a team and even if you found some people who could multi-task I reckon you'd be into £100k plus of salaries to assemble a small but capable team. Does that stack up for you?
Why A Retainer Might Be Better
Assuming you're not up for creating your own team, hiring an agency is very good alternative. Retainers allow agencies to develop a relationship with you, they allow the agency to get to really understand what will add value and make a difference. The agency effectively become part of your business, without the HR headache and payroll requirements. They are motivated to deliver value (leads) because that's going to ensure the engagement continues. Imagine having staff who care about your business as much as you, not easy, but that's what inbound agencies do because you measure them against the value they add.
Stay Ahead Of The Curve
It's also the case that, in general, inbound agencies are constantly reviewing best practice, looking at trends, data and what's happening in this new and exciting field. They have to, they can't stand still. By engaging with them you're effectively tapping into this expertise, making sure your company is leading and not following. It's a fact of life that whenever I meet with a potential new client they take lots of notes as I share with them ideas and tactics they could be looking at. It's just how it is with agencies, it's a fiercely competitive field.
The Choice Is Yours
Inbound marketing is transforming the way businesses generate leads. Using it to drive sales ready enquiries into your company could transform your business. To do that you can either do it in-house or retain an agency.
