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If you've even tried the marketing world, you're probably familiar with someone who either works (or is used to) for a marketing agency or who starts your own.

Agencies are a huge segment of the marketing industry and can offer a variety of services. But without understanding what a marketing agency is, it can feel like you're staring into a digital labyrinth.

But don't worry, I'm here to clarify some things.

So what the hell is a marketing agency ?!

What is a marketing agency?

A marketing agency is a fairly general term for a company that serves other companies in one or more areas of marketing.

Do you remember Mad Men? (Who am I kidding, every marketer does …)

Well, Don Draper worked for an agency – although an invented advertising agency that was representative of the real agencies that flourished in the 1950s.

While today's agencies are much less hostile to women (at least we hope), they have some similarities to the agency world examined in the show.

Different terms are often used to describe different types of agencies, e.g. Marketing company, or Internet marketing service.

In the past, marketing companies typically stuck to 1 or 2 specific niches in marketing (e.g. only SEO or content), while agencies employed a large number of experts in different marketing areas to offer a more comprehensive service.

However, over the years the lines have blurred a bit and the titles have changed (I see you, "marketing gurus"), so these naming conventions don't always apply. However, it can be said with certainty that everyone generally refers to it A company that provides marketing services to other companies.

What do marketing agencies do?

Mad Men advertising agencies usually had a fairly specific range of services – mostly ad creations and media purchases, but that's no longer the case.

Most marketing agencies now offer a variety of different services and often work with a customer to meet a handful of requirements. This includes:

• Digital advertising– Manage your online advertising via Google, Facebook etc.
• Creative design– Create various design elements like graphics for your website, layouts for your lead magnets, logos and even advertising creatives like videos and pictures
• Web development– Create and manage custom websites
• SEO management– Help improve the page ranking for your website, blog or other online presence
• Social media management– Manage your social presence on major platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and others
• Strategic planning and data analysis– Analyze your company's data to decide what your next marketing step should look like
• Media planning and purchasing– Purchase and management of your advertising space in TV, radio, billboards and other print or media rooms.
• Funnel building / management– You can expand, clean, or just manage the various funnels that your customers go through when interacting with your brand.
• Copywriting– Make copies for emails, websites, ads, social media and wherever other people see your written word
• Email management– Create and track all of your email campaigns

As you can see, agency work involves a variety of marketing specializations, and each agency is unique in its services, philosophies, and strategies.

While specializations and approaches differ, Every agency has the same goal: achieve results. Agency owners know that the only way to stay busy is to deliver the results they need for a successful business. This usually means provision leads more, more traffic and / or more sales for your customers.

With such a large number of agencies emerging over the years, the field has become much more competitive and is forcing companies to find new ways to differentiate.

When would someone need a marketing agency?

There are several reasons why someone would hire a marketing agency …

1) You don't have the manpower to do the job, and you can't afford to hire an in-house expert.

It can be timely and expensive to find and hire someone full-time, for example to run Facebook and Google advertising campaigns for your company. If you don't have the financial means to put someone on the payroll, an agency might be a good place to start.

Agency prices are usually based on an hourly rate. You pay either an hourly rate for a group of people or an individual hourly rate for a specialist to solve your problem. The specialists usually charge a higher hourly rate.

Regardless of which route you choose, the agency will usually give you a quote for the time it will take to resolve the problem, including the prices, time and expected results of a contract.

2) They consistently see poor results and don't know why.

Sometimes you or your employees simply cannot figure out why your ads, blog posts or offers are not working as expected. Let's face it, if you work in the trenches it can be difficult to take a step back and look at the problem from the outside. Finding a second opinion is almost always helpful when it comes to fixing marketing issues.

In this case, An agency could be a great option to get your marketing going again. This is especially true if you are a solo preneur or entrepreneur and do most of the marketing work yourself.

3) Your new business takes off and you are ready to improve your marketing game.

One of the main reasons why you could use an agency's help is if you are a new and emerging company. In the digital age, things are moving fast and companies are growing even faster (sometimes overnight!).

When companies move from traffic to traffic overflow, the pain increases. Agencies can help companies scale their marketing to meet demand and keep sales predictable and consistent.

Whether you are considering hiring an agency, working for one, or starting one yourself, I hope that I can shed some light on what you are getting into.

With marketing agencies, you immerse yourself in a world with the best marketing minds and strategies.