These days you’re spoilt for digital agency choice, especially in Cape Town, a city that’s bursting at the creative seams. And while there is no right or wrong size for a digital agency, there are many benefits to working with a smaller, more specialised company.
While large agencies will impress you with over-the-top pitches and send you home with a branded mug, you become a small fish in a big pond or even a polluted sea. A boutique agency will focus on the work, prioritise your needs and personalise the offering.
We know that all companies need a digital presence, so here are a few reasons that smaller is better when choosing an agency.
Appreciation
“Your business is our business”. A small agency knows that if you succeed, they succeed. A boutique agency will prioritise your growth and celebrate your victories, because as you build and learn – so do they.
Smaller agencies have a limited amount of clients, and there is always large importance placed on keeping each client happy and always ensuring quality and timeous work.
Save A Buck
If you want the backing of a well-known or famous agency group, you’ll have to pay for it. And while paying for the boasting rights has its merits, you may not receive the attention you deserve. Larger agencies tend to focus on the BIG accounts because big accounts equal big revenue. This often results in the smaller accounts becoming an after-thought and, although still paying the premium rate, means your brand gets shoved into the “just get it done” category. Choosing a small company is usually more affordable and will result in better quality work and more bang for your buck.
Know The Team
Ready for the name game? A smaller agency will have a carefully selected, dedicated team, and although you may deal primarily with one person, you’ll quickly know the people working on your brand. This personal dynamic means the team will truly understand your requirements and brand personality, meaning more creativity, better outcomes and fewer changes.
Specialised Agency Services
After getting to know the team, you’ll learn what they do. A smaller agency usually has a focused specialisation and has identified each team member’s talents and passions. If a smaller company offers you a service, you can feel confident knowing it’s something they do well. These specialised services have the added benefit of better time management and improved productivity. When your team knows what they’re doing and has in-depth knowledge and experience, it’s easier and more reliable to set deadlines and stick to them.
Realistic Expectations
Setting goals and managing expectations can be quite a task but it’s a fundamental mistake that bigger agencies make. “Overpromising and under-delivering” is avoidable and smaller agencies have learned that honesty is the best policy when it comes to work-scope, budget and expectations. A boutique agency doesn’t believe in the “upsell” culture and knows the value in forming long term relationships with brands that are still finding their feet in the market.
The Work
A larger digital agency will often get stuck in a rut of frameworks and systems – and if you hadn’t guessed it, frameworks and systems are two places creativity go to die. This isn’t the case when the team is small and specialised, the focus is different, the mindsets are flexible, and the creativity flows.
Don’t be put off by the idea of a free-minded boutique agency, they have frameworks too, in fact, the frameworks are just as important. The difference is these structures do not guide the work, the work guides them, and there is a greater understanding that each brand, company and individual has different needs – no more “one size fits all” approach.
Find Out More
B Online prides itself in small digital agency ethics and hard work. So, chat to us, get to know our names and find out how we can help you grow your digital footprint.
