Boutique Agency vs. Large Digital Agency: A Side by Side Comparison

Every successful business needs the help of a marketing agency at some point. Advertising can expand your reach, helping you reach your target audience and new customers with your brand’s message.

But for smaller companies, advertising is an outsourced service, which means advertising budgets and finding an agency that can support your marketing goals. And like anything, there are pros and cons to every marketing agency.

One question we often get asked is: “Should I work with a larger or a boutique digital marketing agency?”

Finding a marketing agency that suits your business isn’t as simple as you might think. We created a side-by-side comparison to help you better understand the key differences between these types of agencies.

Your Budget

Pricing

For established digital brands, their reputation precedes them and allows them to charge a premium for their services. Usually, this amounts to paying more for the same work—or access to a larger team. 

If you’re looking for flexible pricing, boutique agencies are a great option to cover your marketing needs without breaking the bank. 

Brand Focus

A lot of larger digital advertising agencies' selling point is that they are an established brand you can rely on. Unfortunately, this security doubles as a premium you need to pay to secure the company's services.

If you have a tight budget, paying such a premium may not be in your best interest. A boutique agency isn’t as well-established in the industry yet, and won’t charge you as much for its brand. 

ROAS/ROI

Before you commit to a marketing agency, you should consider what exactly you’re looking to get out of your marketing campaign. An established marketing agency will likely be able to mount a larger ad campaign than a boutique agency. 

How much does a larger campaign benefit you? That depends on your expected RoAS (Return on Ad Spend). Larger ad campaigns carry diminishing returns. Based on your budget, it may make more sense not to push your campaign too far. 

Logistical Performance

Speed

When you request services from a boutique agency, chances are it’s one of only a few projects that the agency is working on—or perhaps the only one. Boutique agencies don’t have the resources to take on many projects at once, so it’s in their best interest to get their work out to you as soon as possible. 

On the other hand, a big ad agency has many middlemen it needs to send your project through for approvals and other checkpoints. Many different agents, each with their own schedule, will end up handling your project. This can delay progress. 

With all the delays large digital marketing agencies can put in your way, the choice is clear. If you need ad work done fast, a boutique agency is the better choice. 

Focus and Resources

One area in which larger companies have an advantage over boutique agencies is the number of resources they can afford to spend. Depending on your marketing needs, your requests may be too much for a small boutique business to handle. 

On the other hand, large digital ad agencies tend to assign small, low-level teams. It’s not worth a large agency’s time to throw extra resources at a particular project to expedite its completion when they have other projects to work on.

Since boutique agencies usually work on a couple of projects at a time, you can expect the agency’s focus to be on your project, rather than spread thinly among many projects. 

Being a boutique agency’s only project means your business receives the full advantages of the boutique agency’s resources, which means you get better overall value for your advertising budget.

Cash Flow 

As smaller businesses, boutique agencies need to pay special attention to their cash flow. This puts pressure on the agency to complete projects in a timely manner. 

Cash flow isn’t a huge deal to big ad agencies, so they have less incentive to complete projects and receive compensation. To be as profitable as possible, large agencies tend to prioritize new clients, pushing your project to what may be the back of the queue. 

The Process

Responsiveness

One of the most important aspects of a successful ad campaign is proper communication between your company and the marketing agency. It’s crucial to make sure the agency gets all the information they need about your business to avoid errors. 

If you’ve ever run a large business, you’ll know that facilitating efficient communication isn’t easy. The same holds for large ad agencies: they have so many moving parts that it’s easy for the communication process to break down and result in some of your requests being missed.

To a boutique agency, you’re one of only a few clients, so their relationship with you is important to them. It’s in the agency’s best interest to keep open and constructive contact and make sure the project is moving along exactly to your liking. Moreover, the team working on your project will be smaller, eliminating the need for middlemen between company and agency members. 

Personalization and Authenticity

It’s common for large agencies to use a one-size-fits-all template that worked well for previous clients. While this template may be a decent fit for your business, it has a manufactured feel and isn’t likely to convey a distinct brand identity.

On the other hand, a boutique agency wants to deliver the best work possible to secure your future business. This translates to an end product that is highly personalized and tailored to your exact target audience. 

Operating CEO

Large agencies handle many projects and will likely assign you a low-level project manager. As a client, you’re far removed from the leadership of the company. If you run into issues, you must begin the tedious process of escalating up the management chain to resolve your problem.

In a boutique agency, the CEO remains accessible and is often directly involved with your project. You can be sure you’re getting the agency’s full attention.

Choose Conscious Commerce for Your Digital Marketing

If your business needs a full-service marketing solution, Conscious Commerce corporation has everything you need. 

We have an experienced team that focuses on sustainable strategies and growth. You can expect a solid return on investment for your business when you choose us as your digital marketing solution. 

Are you interested in seeing how we’ve helped other companies grow their bottom line and build sustainable businesses online? Book a call with one of our PALs today!