Marketing

3 Ways Hiring a Marketing Agency Can Help You Weather a Recession

Businesses and consumers around the globe are feeling the weight of the looming recession. And while we are not officially in a recession, the signs seem to be pointing that way, and people are starting to prepare.

When the economy contracts, it’s common for business leaders to begin looking over expenses and evaluating where to spend less or make cuts in the budget. This is understandable, but one mistake businesses often make in times like these is to view marketing as an expense rather than an investment.

If you view marketing as an expense, you may be tempted to cut marketing spend as a way to cut corners. We’ve seen businesses do this to their detriment. On the other hand, those who view marketing as an investment understand the long-term ROI that comes from being proactive, consistent, and staying the course even in the face of uncertainty.

In today’s post, we are sharing three practical ways a hiring marketing agency can help you maintain that slow and steady investment in marketing your business even amidst inflation and maybe a recession.

If you’re on the fence about whether or not you should slow down your marketing during the current economy, we hope that this will provide the assurance you need to press on and clarity on how the right marketing team can help you successfully navigate any potential storms on the horizon.

1. A Marketing Agency Can Assess Your Website

Hiring a marketing agency may be your most strategic play in a down economy because the right team will quickly identify inefficiencies in your current strategy. If you do need to be more frugal with marketing spend, we recommend that you invest as much as possible in your website.

Your company’s website is your digital front door. It’s the end point of all inbound activity. An internet search is the first thing a potential customer will do when looking for the products and services you provide. Branded search and direct traffic are the primary ways potential customers find your website. Once they find you online, their experience needs to be flawless because you have about 3 seconds to tell them who you are and what you can do for them. As you can see, the stakes are high.

Assessing a website’s effectiveness isn’t easy, and if you don’t know what you’re doing, you may overlook critical areas of improvement. An agency will know what to look for to ensure that your website is operating at top capacity.

We use several criteria to assess a website’s effectiveness, viability, and sustainability, ranging from user interface design and user experience to technical specs seen only by search engine algorithms.

Read More: UX/UI 101: How User Experience Strategy Helps Improve Conversions

2. A Marketing Agency Can Ensure Brand Consistency Across Platforms and Channels

A marketing agency will work to ensure that your brand is consistently represented across all platforms and channels. This is important because it helps create a cohesive message that potential customers can easily understand and remember. It also helps build trust with your target audience. A consistent brand message across all channels shows that you’re professional and that you’re serious about your business.

During a branding audit, you may determine that rebranding is in order. It may feel counterintuitive to rebrand during a down economy, but this is a risk worth taking, especially if your brand looks dated or you were already experiencing a demonstrated decline in engagement. Sometimes a fresh look and feel are exactly what your business needs to attract new customers.

Read More: Learn Why a Strong Visual Rebranding Strategy Can Help You Get Unstuck

3. Try New Marketing Tactics

A marketing agency can also help you create a marketing plan that takes into account the current economic conditions. They can help you determine which marketing strategies will most effectively attract new customers and drive sales. And they can also help you track your results so you can see what’s working and what’s not.

For example, this may be a good time to carefully consider what you need to start doing and what you need to stop doing. Take a look at where your customers spend most of their time online. If you’re investing marketing dollars into Facebook ads but your audience spends most of its time on LinkedIn, an agency will have the expertise you need to make that shift.

Another option is creating a marketing video. If you’re not using marketing videos, now is the time to begin! Video marketing is an invaluable lead-generating tool that you can’t afford to ignore. In fact, 86% of video marketers say video has been effective for generating leads, so if you’re not using video you’re missing out on those leads!

Read More: Ready to Start Video Marketing? 3 Ways to Budget for Video Production Costs

Looking to Hire a Marketing Agency? We Can Help!

Working with an agency can help you successfully weather the looming recession. The right marketing professionals have the expertise to see the problems you may be missing and will work with you to push you outside of your comfort zone and try new things. They can help you create a plan that will ensure your brand is consistent across all channels, and they can help you track your results so you can make necessary adjustments along the way.

We hope that this post helps reframe marketing as an investment in the long-term success of your business rather than an expendable expense. The good news is that there are many smart ways to market your business through these uncertain times and come out on the other side stronger and more successful because you stayed on track. We would love to help you assess your current marketing strategy and suggest what to tackle first. Please contact us today and let us know how we can help your marketing thrive in 2022 and beyond!