Businesses come in many different types and sizes, but they all have at least one thing in common: they all need marketing and advertising.

Even the ones that get by on word-of-mouth eventually realize that waiting for referrals is a very slow way to grow a business. Word of mouth is great, no doubt about that, but when advertising gets more people to try out your business, you get more mouths talking about how great the experience was.

Not all companies use advertising agencies to promote themselves, of course. Some of them do a decent job on their own, especially in the early days of a startup, when most promotional work is managed in-house. As the business grows, though, you may start to wonder about the benefits of working with an advertising agency. Here are a few of the ways they can help you.

Reasons To Hire An Advertising Agency

You Are Feeling Out Of Your Depth

Advertising is tough work, and gets tougher every year. Once upon a time, we only had to worry about print, radio and TV. Now advertising includes managing multiple digital platforms, each with their own nuances and best practices.

If you are feeling out of your depth, relying on the expertise of an advertising agency might be worthwhile. Good agencies will offer media planners, designers, web developers, content writers, graphic designers, and experts in virtually every specialty you need. They cover all bases so you don’t have to.

You Are Investing Too Much Of Your Time

Self-managing your company’s advertising is probably pulling you away from the other day-to-day responsibilities that come with managing a business. Maybe you often have to take work home with you, upsetting your work-life balance. Either way, it’s important to remember your time has value. Hiring an ad agency is often worth it just to give you your time back.

You Need Objectivity

Business owners who manage the advertising for their businesses often let their own preferences or experiences color their judgment in promotional decisions. Maybe they favor radio because they don’t watch TV, or maybe they focus heavily on social media marketing because that’s where they feel most at home. An advertising agency bases decisions on market research and experience, and bringing that expertise into the decision making process is invaluable.

As an outsider, an agency rep will be able to see your brand, your products, and your services the way a customer would. This factor—combined with the knowledge that ad agencies have about different markets and audiences—will help hone your promotional campaign into a far more effective vehicle for your message.

You Don’t Have The Necessary Connections

Ad agencies offer the benefit of established media connections. They can get discounted media buying rates at magazines, newspapers, radio stations, or TV stations and other channels you won’t be able to get on your own. They also know how to deal with these outlets, negotiating prices and getting optimal placements for your business. This is something that can be tough for an in-house marketer with no formal advertising background.

So does your business really need an advertising agency? Only you can decide that. Some companies with vast resources may feel like there’s nothing an agency can do for them, but most companies have a difficult time trying to furnish their marketing departments with the talent and expertise that agencies offer. An agency can bring stability and efficiency to your marketing, raising the bar without harming with the equity you’ve already invested in your brand