How to work effectively with a marketing communications agency
You’ve got a deadline looming, a stakeholder chasing a new brochure, and no one free to write it. That’s where outsourcing can help. It gives you access to specialist skills, speeds up delivery and frees up your team to focus on strategy and stakeholder engagement.
Done well, outsourcing can boost your team’s capacity, reduce pressure and improve the quality of your output. But it only works if you get the setup right.
In our experience of supporting financial firms over the past 10 years, the best results come when we act as an extension of the in-house marketing team – not a replacement for it.
Why outsource?
Outsourcing parts of your marketing activity can:
- Free up time. Focus your internal team on strategy, planning and stakeholder management, not content production.
- Bring in specialist skills. Copywriting, editing, design, formatting, compliance-aware content and tone of voice are hard to juggle in-house.
- Drive consistency. An external team can help maintain brand consistency across channels and touchpoints.
- Save money. You avoid the costs of recruitment, management and payroll, and you only pay for what you need.
- Offer fresh perspective. An outside view often brings new ideas and avoids internal tunnel vision.
What should you outsource and what should stay in-house?
You don’t have to outsource everything. In fact, the most effective setups tend to keep certain responsibilities internal while outsourcing others.
Tasks that are ideal to outsource include:
- Writing articles, brochures, reports and other long-form content
- Design and formatting of presentations, client materials and templates
- Proofreading, editing and tone of voice refinement
- Tasks that are better kept in-house include:
- Setting the overall marketing strategy and key messages
- Brand positioning and tone of voice direction
- Managing internal stakeholders and sign-off processes
The clearer you are about who’s responsible for what, the more efficiently your internal and external teams will work together. A good agency will support your vision and lighten your workload, but they’ll always rely on your input and oversight to keep things aligned.
How we work with clients
We work best when we’re treated as an extension of your team. That means:
- Clear briefs and expectations
- Direct communication with the people doing the work
- Shared goals, shared calendars, shared success
But we don’t just wait to be briefed. We often help clients plan their content in the first place by suggesting ideas, mapping out schedules and making sure there’s a steady flow of materials to support their marketing priorities. Whether it’s campaign messaging, thought leadership or content for specific audiences, we can help you stay one step ahead.
One of our clients, a mid-sized investment firm, initially brought us in to help with monthly investment updates. Over time, we became their go-to resource for reports and presentations, as well as planning quarterly content. It let them focus on campaign strategy while we kept delivery moving in the background.
Why work with a small agency?
As a team of six, we’re biased, but we think there are clear benefits to working with a smaller agency:
- You get direct access to experienced people
- We respond quickly and turn things around fast
- You work with the same team over time, building trust and momentum
- There’s less bureaucracy and more flexibility
- We’re also invested in your success. We want long-term relationships, not one-off jobs.
How to get the most from an outsourced partner
Here’s what we recommend:
- Be clear on what you want to outsource, and what you’ll keep in-house
- Share your brand guidelines, templates and past materials upfront
- Set realistic timelines and give clear, prompt feedback
- Treat your agency as part of the team, not just a supplier
What keeps clients coming back?
We’re proud to have long-standing partnerships with many of our clients, some going back more than a decade. These relationships last because we:
- Respond quickly. You don’t need to chase
- Deliver consistent quality. We know your audience and your brand, and we take pride in getting it right
- Offer fair, transparent pricing. You always know what you’re getting and what it’s going to cost
- We don’t just produce content, we make your life easier. That’s what keeps clients coming back.
Ready to take the pressure off your team?
We can help you get more done, with less stress, whether you need day-to-day support or a partner for something bigger. Get in touch with us to talk through your plans.