It wasn’t long ago there were three main options for marketing:

• Doing it yourself through an in-house team or carefully managed contracts with freelance marketers.
• Managed marketing services with a small marketing boutique focused on one or two niche specialties.
• Fully managed marketing with a marketing agency that can craft and deliver a strategic marketing plan.

These days, the market has changed. DIY marketing can still be the best move for small businesses at the right stage of growth, but managed marketing services look very different. A “boutique” that does one or two things well simply doesn’t have the resources a larger enterprise needs to shift to marketing-led growth.

Marketing-led growth is the key for organizations that can no longer sustain their trajectory by having a founder or other senior leader as the face of the business. Instead, they need to pivot so marketing can be delegated to experts, while the leadership team remains focused on their own zone of genius.

That goal can only be realized by a full-service marketing agency executing according to a strategic marketing plan. Marketing tactics – search engine optimization, email, and the rest – aren’t enough. Regardless of what results you get, you won’t arrive at the desired future state without a plan.

Boutique marketing agencies with a handful of skills can’t marshal the expertise to create a strategic marketing plan and push it forward. Instead, they often default to a focus on their own favorite tactics. It’s an example of the old adage: “When all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.”

Today’s businesses need more – and they know it.

That’s why the middle is collapsing in today’s marketing landscape.

And it’s why businesses should be working with a full-service marketing agency.

It’s Now Clearer than Ever Exactly How to Hire Marketing Support

If you need a marketing consultant for a brief tactical engagement – just growing your email list, for example – a boutique marketer may work for you. But don’t be thrown off by a confusion of terms: A “marketing agency” is more than just a marketing toolkit. It brings vision, strategy, and delivery together under one roof.

To get outside the bounds of a specific, short-term project, think bigger.

It isn’t a bad thing to have these middle-ground companies available for the right uses. In fact, it makes it a lot easier for companies like yours to understand exactly what they’re getting and make the right decision as they search for a best-fit marketing partner. Small businesses, on the other hand, also have a clear path before them.

Thanks to the huge assortment of online marketing tools, it’s never been easier for small businesses to manage their own marketing. Social media, email marketing, search engine optimization, and online advertising are all within reach. Even video storytelling, traditionally the most complex thing out there, gets easier every day.

Yes, it’s a lot of work to do even that much marketing without specialists devoted to the task. But just as some of the best bands started out in the garage, a small team can split responsibilities until the time comes to really professionalize the effort. One advantage of this is that the company founder can act as a spokesperson.

And what about businesses that have outgrown that approach?

Hire a Full-Service Marketing Agency and Unlock the Power of Professionalism

If you’ve reached the edge of what DIY or boutiques can offer, you have two options. First, you can keep doing things the old-fashioned way at the risk of diminishing returns. Or you can save time, money, and effort across your team by shifting marketing to a real full-service agency while you stay focused on what you do best.

New York Ave is a true, full-service marketing agency that can tackle the complexities of modern marketing for you. We manage the moving pieces to ensure a cohesive and effective effort. You always remain informed on where your marketing campaigns stand. You can be as involved (or not) as you wish.

Many business leaders are wary of leaving marketing execution in someone else’s hands. However, they begin to see the benefits during the process of designing their strategic marketing plan. And by the time the rubber meets the road and they reap the benefits of responsive, hands-free marketing, they never want to go back.

No matter what your industry or audience, New York Ave has worked with businesses like yours to accelerate the transition to marketing-led growth. We can do the same for you. Contact us to learn more or get started.