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Getting the most out of your creative agency

By Hollie P on 29 January 2023

The fact that you're here and reading this blog suggests you've at least heard of a creative agency before, but do you know how they can help your business? A creative agency can be a powerful partner to help you achieve your goals - whether that's building an exceptional brand, connecting with your target audience, or driving sales. Read on to find out more. 

In previous blogs we've explored what a creative agency does and why you should work with one, so we won't go into too much of that detail here. Essentially, a creative agency is a company that specialises in advertising and marketing activities. They can offer a vast range of services - from branding to social media, advertising to copywriting, technology development to traditional media outreach, and many things in between. 

Getting the most value out of your partnership with a creative agency is dependent upon several factors. First and foremost of these is identifying which creative agency is best positioned to meet your needs. As with any collaborative effort, you need to ensure you choose to work with an entity that aligns with your values, is sympathetic to your or your business' needs, and is able to deliver the work required. 

There are many creative agencies out there that offer a variety of exciting services, so how do you go about finding the right one? Start by identifying what your requirements are. Do you need an agency that can deliver a holistic branding service for a newly launched business? Are you looking for an agency that can provide services that complement your existing marketing activities? Perhaps you're looking for someone to plug in the gaps in your current advertising efforts. It might even be the case that you're in need of an extra helping hand and looking to outsource jobs to alleviate some of your team members' workloads. 

Once you understand why you need a creative agency partnership, you'll be able to determine the services that will best suit your requirements. That will help you narrow down the field, ultimately enabling you to choose the right partner for the job. If you're new to marketing and advertising, you will find that some creative agencies offer consultancy services that will be able to help you identify your needs, to set you on the right path. 

When you've got your creative agency partner on board, it's time to actually start working. Each agency will have its own methods and processes, which they will share with you. In our experience, one very successful method of working involves creating creative briefs. These documents give you the opportunity to list in detail exactly what you're looking for for each particular project. Whether you're requesting a press release, an advertising campaign or the development of a new app, you will have expectations that need to be met - including outcomes, results, essential components to include and so on. 

By providing as much information as possible through the creative brief you're able to give your creative agency the best chance of delivering exactly what you're looking for. This helps to streamline the process from start to finish, minimising the need for edits and revisions for a timely delivery. Keeping communication channels open, collaborative, and clear is a definite bonus here - as is simple messaging and defined goals or desired outcomes. 

It can help if your creative agency has a clear point of contact to liaise with. This keeps communication channels clear, can improve decision-making, and allows your creative agency to focus on delivering exceptional work. Of course each business is different so a single point of contact may not always be possible - but keeping it as simple and straightforward as possible is always for the best. 

Trust is another important factor in getting the most out of your creative agency. You chose them as your partner because you believed in their ability to meet your needs. This is the best time to open to exploring new ideas, even taking creative risks. Your creative agency partner will understand your business and know best how to achieve your goals through advertising and marketing. Trusting them and allowing room for creativity will generate the best results. 

Last but by no means least are expectations. There's a popular saying amongst the creative community: you can only have two - good, fast, or cheap. The best work requires time to complete. Great talent doesn't come cheap. Good work requires both talent and time. Planning ahead automatically wins you and your agency time to work through your project, and you can rely on them to deliver the right talent. 

At the end of the day, every creative agency works differently, and every agency's partnership will be different with each client. Finding the best fit for you will ensure you start you're on the right path to getting the most out of your agency, which will lead to fantastic results, every time. 

We are a creative agency that helps businesses reach their audience and generate revenue across all media. Discover how our creative services can help you.