So, you are a small business owner, sales fall short, and you come to the conclusion that you need to start advertising. Question: Where do I advertise, how much is spent, and do I need help from an advertising agency?
The answer to this question is very simple. If you were to go to court, would you seek advice and the bar? Are you sure you will?
If you are sick and the medicine you bought yourself is not working, would you go to the doctor? Of course!
So the real question is if you were to spend your hard-earned money on an agency in Abu Dhabi, why wouldn't you want to seek professional advice on how to get the most out of your ad money?
Here are some of the pros and cons when hiring an ad agency. Hope they help.
Reasons for using an advertising agency
Advertising is a regular business and can be a very delicate business. Meet with agents on prices and numbers. Agencies do this every day and often have a very efficient time system.
The subscription agencies that help determine the value of the ads they buy from Arbitron and Nielsen are just two of the services that most agencies subscribe to.
Agencies help maintain the integrity of newspapers, television, and radio stations. It is very easy to take advantage of TV, radio or newspaper agents for inexperienced buyers. They know you have little understanding to share and categorize, and they often don't share basic information about programming and timing.
The agency often has interagency and media relationships, and will often negotiate on your behalf for value-added ads or ‘free stuff' areas.
The agency gets a 15% commission from the media source they provide. They are sponsors and they only make money if your ads are running and you keep spending money on them. It's a very powerful reason why they try their best to make your ad look its best!
Reasons not to use an advertising agency
You are in the advertising profession and have a good understanding of all media.
You have very little budget and cannot find an agency to help you.
These are the only reasons not to hire an ad agency. All too often, small business owners try to position the media without the help and expertise of an ad agency, and it inevitably happens that their ads fail, and they are forever convinced that the ads are ineffective.
Buying ads is something anyone can do, just as anyone can buy shares. But most importantly, are you making the right decisions?
If you own a small business and decide to advertise, do yourself a favor, get out of the yellow pages and go straight to an advertising agency. It will be the best free service you can get.
