What a specialist agency gives you
A specialist agency does one thing every day. A search agency lives in search. A video house lives in video. That daily practice shows in speed, tools and the small details that save money.
The catch is the edges. A search agency does not control your website or your brand message. If the ads work but the page does not, the agency may say the page is your problem, and the page's builder may say the same about the ads.
What an integrated agency gives you
An integrated agency plans advertising, digital, design and events together, under one strategy. The same idea shows up in your ad, your website, your social posts and your dealer material.
The catch is breadth. An integrated team may be weaker in one channel than a specialist who does only that. Ask to see their work in the exact channel you need most.
Our guide to integrated marketing communication explains what joined-up work looks like.
A test: where is your problem?
This is our own thinking, not a rule. Ask three questions:
- Is the problem in one channel? Example: ads bring clicks but few enquiries. Start with a specialist.
- Does the problem sit between channels? Example: a good ad, a weak page and a slow follow-up. Think integrated.
- Are you launching something new, with a name, a look, a website and ads at once? That needs one plan, so integrated.
Most real problems are a mix. That is why many businesses use a specialist for one channel and keep one person or agency in charge of the whole picture.
A made-up example
Say a regional paint brand wants more dealer enquiries. Its Google Ads are weak. A search specialist can fix the campaigns quickly. But if dealers also see a different look on the packs, the website and the shop boards, the real gap is consistency. That needs a team that looks at everything together. The example is made up. Your own gap will decide.
Signs you have outgrown a single specialist
- Each agency reports good numbers, but the business does not grow.
- You spend more time passing messages between agencies than deciding things.
- Your brand looks and sounds different in each channel.
- A new launch needs more than one agency to start on the same day.
None of these means the specialists did poor work. It usually means nobody owns the whole picture. That job can sit with an integrated agency, or with one strong person inside your company.
How the two can work together
An integrated agency and a specialist do not have to compete. The integrated team can set the plan and the message, and a specialist can run one channel inside that plan. This works when everyone sees the same goals and the same numbers.
If you already have a good specialist, say so when you meet an integrated agency. A fair one will build around what works instead of asking you to throw it out.
Costs and control
With several specialists, you manage several contracts, and you carry the job of keeping them aligned. With one integrated agency, you manage one relationship, but you depend on one team for everything.
In either case, ask for fees and media spend as separate lines. Our guide to choosing a marketing agency lists what else to ask, and the guide on in-house vs agency covers the case where you hire your own people.
Questions to ask either type
- Show me work in the channel I need most, and what it did for the business.
- Who will actually do my work, and who is my main contact?
- How will you be measured, and what do you need from me?
- If a specialist elsewhere does better, will you say so?
- What happens if I want to stop? How much notice do you need?
Ours has a minimum of 3 months and 30 days' notice to stop.
