Marketing VP Playbook: How To Figure Out What Stays In-House and What To Outsource to a KC Advertising Agency

Which Bucket Does Your Next Marketing Campaign Fall In?

Every marketing strategy lands somewhere on the spectrum of sheer confidence and complete uncertainty. That’s normal.

What’s important is that you can spot the difference between what you can handle internally and where you need help, so you can get the results you’re looking for.

As you begin a new marketing plan, we recommend putting each of your strategies in one of these three buckets:

• We Got This
• We Don’t Got This
• Talk It Out

A Strategy Goes in the “We’ve Got This” Bucket When…

You know you can handle a marketing initiative internally if you can confidently answer yes to most of these statements:

• It’s in the budget.
• You have dedicated team members to work on this project.
• The objective is clear.
• The workflow is in place or you can easily create one.
• The KPIs are easy to identify.
• You don’t foresee an incoming project that will interrupt this task.
• Leadership supports it.

Real-world example: You want to create a project page on your website with before-and-after images and describe each one like a mini-case study. Then you want to drive traffic to these pages with digital ads that show off your work and entice audiences who are interested in your services.

You have a budget for digital ads, and you can do photography on-site easily. Your web designer and content writer work on your website every day. You’re handy with paid ad platforms and have dedicated time to launch these projects.

You feel confident that you’ll hit the metrics you want, as this has been a successful strategy for you in the past. Everybody knows their role and, if the new copywriter needs some training, the web designer is always willing to lend a hand. In short, you got this.

Know When a Marketing Strategy Goes in the “We Don’t Got This” Bucket

These telltale signs indicate that you should consider hiring an advertising agency in Kansas City to help you execute your strategy:

• You don’t have experience with this strategy, but you know you need it.
• You don’t see how any current talent could take this on.
• You can’t hire new talent right now.
• You have a budget to launch the campaign.
• The objective is clear and you know what your goals are.
• Leadership would love to see this work.

Real-world example: You want to launch a YouTube demand gen campaign with high-quality videos that introduce your brand to new audiences and pull them into your funnel. You’ve seen competitors do this well, and you don’t want to miss out.

You even have the right messaging from previous ad campaigns. However, there’s one big problem. Nobody on your team has produced a video at this level. Your content writer can script, but you need a director. Your designer can storyboard, but she doesn’t know how to edit. What’s more, YouTube’s ad platform is a different animal than the paid search and social ads you usually run.

You could hire a videographer, but it would take months to find the right person. The last one you hired was incredibly talented but “didn’t do meetings.”

A Kansas City advertising agency already has the creative team in place for an on-location shoot with high-quality gear, creative direction, state-of-the-art editing equipment, and a paid media team that knows how to optimize YouTube ads for the best return on investment.

When To Call a Kansas City Advertising Agency To Talk It Out

It’s probably easiest to know the difference between the first two buckets. When you got this, you got this. And when you don’t, an advertising agency for PPC and other innovative service lines can help.

But what about the projects where you don’t know what you’re looking for yet?

Signs that your strategy needs a discovery call with an expert:

• The budget is undefined.
• You’re not sure what a realistic budget would even look like.
• You’ve heard the strategy works, but you can’t really explain why or how.
• The objective is fuzzy, but you think to yourself, “We need to do something with this.”
• You don’t know what KPIs would tell you it’s working.
• Leadership is receptive, but you need a well-positioned argument.

In this case, you can see that the best way to approach your curiosity, uncertainty, and openness to exploration is to talk it through with someone who gets it. You need output, true, but you also need to understand what you’re even after.

Real-world example: Your LinkedIn is blowing up with posts about AI visibility. You know this matters, and your leadership team is regularly talking about how you don’t want to miss the boat.

But you’re not sure how to even start, and you’re confused about the difference between SEO, AEO, and GEO.

Although you may have the budget to find out more, you may not even know what questions to ask. This is the best time to call an understanding advertising agency that can listen, answer your questions, and align your needs with outcomes by providing a thoughtful approach.

Soon, you’ll know more than just the acronyms; with the help of an agency, you’ll find the most effective ways to launch a future-forward marketing initiative.

Your Kansas City Advertising Agency Should Meet You Where You Are

A five-star agency understands your buckets. Remember, an agency is a business, too. They also have to create strategic workflows and continue learning the latest in digital marketing.

An agency worth your time isn’t going to try to dip into your “We Got This” bucket. They’ll strive to learn what you do well on your own and step in for other projects when you know what you need, but require support, or you’re truly at a loss and want to talk things through.

Our advertising agency offers social media ads and many more services that can help strengthen your marketing plan. There’s nothing we enjoy more than highlighting your strengths, while supporting your needs, and creating an open dialogue about the many uncertainties that come with in-house marketing.

Whether you’re trying to get your leadership team on board or you’re just trying to figure out what’s next in marketing, it’s not an easy job, but we’re there to lighten the load. After all, we see ourselves as more than a traditional marketing agency; we’re your business partner, committed to helping you reach your goals.

Whenever you need us, we’re here.