Smart Choice: A Boutique Agency

I’ve worked for large advertising agencies and for the past 20 years I’ve run a boutique agency, defined as a somewhat smaller agency, but with the same, if not better value delivered to its clients.

My experience has taught me that there are many reasons why a smaller agency is a smart choice for most businesses. Here are four reasons for considering a boutique agency:

Your Account
When working with any agency, the quality of the creative work you’ll receive boils down to who’s servicing your business. In a large agency, you’ll likely meet their top-tier creative director and designer − but if your budget is on the smaller side, your account manager and his or her team may be on the less experienced end of the spectrum. In a boutique agency, your initial meeting will most likely be with a principal of the company, and more likely than not, they’ll only accept you as a client if they have a keen interest in your business and the potential for a mutually satisfying business relationship. Smaller agencies don’t have sales departments, so their preference is to have a manageable number of successful clients and long-term relationships.

Resources
Many years ago, it may have been true that a boutique agency would not have access to the same level of talent that a large-scale agency could employ in-house. This is not the case in today’s business landscape. Smaller agencies have ample access to video specialists, cartoonists, copy writers and public relation specialists – many of whom also do contract work for large advertising agencies. Larger agencies have taken a page or two from the boutique agency business plan when it comes to outsourcing.

Attention
Choosing the right boutique agency will allow your business to receive more attention than a big agency could afford to give. Employees working for big advertising agencies have to answer to management about revenue earned for each segment of time spent on a client’s work, and management doesn’t want to hear about the agency’s need to “invest in this smaller client who’s on the way up.” Boutique agencies have the luxury of making business decisions that incorporate intuition, and for the right client, a boutique agency can afford to invest non-billable time into the process when needed.

Value
As we tally up the benefits we’ve discussed thus far, even if the cost of service were the same – dollar for dollar – a boutique agency would be the smart choice. After all, you know off the bat who’s working on your business, the same level of expertise is available via outsourcing options and you’ll be afforded better attention by a business that’s willing to invest more in the business relationship. However, the value is overwhelmingly in favor of smaller, boutique agencies when you consider that the cost for service is significantly less. Smaller agencies carry less overhead, so they don’t need to price services to absorb the cost of slick conference rooms, pricey client meals and maintaining sales departments. Boutique agencies pass along the savings to their customers. If outsourced talent is needed, smaller agencies are able to sell it to their customers at a significantly reduced mark-up. When you add it up, it’s a no-brainer, boutique agencies are a smart choice.