Menu
Creative services are vital to the success of any business in the modern market. Brand identity, customer perceptions, loyalty, reputation, and positioning all depend on effective branding and marketing campaigns. However, creative roles are not just about adding the finishing touches to a project. They require specialized expertise, particularly with the ever-evolving trends and techniques in digital marketing, such as voice marketing and AI.
Compare quotes from 3 different contractors to ensure you get the best deal and potentially save thousands of dollars.
We take your safety seriously, so we thoroughly check each contractor’s record for any lawsuits or complaints with the Better Business Bureau, and verify their online reputation to give you peace of mind.
Say goodbye to the hassle of finding a reliable contractor – our online service is fast, free, and comes with no obligations. Get started on your renovation today with confidence!
Follow these steps to get the Best Quotes for your project!
Creative services are vital to the success of any business in the modern market. Brand identity, customer perceptions, loyalty, reputation, and positioning all depend on effective branding and marketing campaigns. However, creative roles are not just about adding the finishing touches to a project. They require specialized expertise, particularly with the ever-evolving trends and techniques in digital marketing, such as voice marketing and AI.
Putting together a team of competent local creatives is not an easy feat. The cost of hiring full-time creative services employees can quickly become prohibitive, with salaries for creative services managers in the United States averaging over $63,000 and advertising copywriters in Australia earning well over $100,000. Even a small team of in-house creatives can quickly exceed a company's budget, particularly when factoring in software and site costs.
Outsourcing creative services is a popular and cost-effective option for businesses. Companies have three main alternatives to an entirely in-house creative services department: outsourcing to a local creative agency, hiring freelancers, or a combination of a smaller in-house team supported by external agencies or freelancers.
A full-service professional agency may seem like the most reassuring option, but it can also be the most costly. Additionally, companies may have to relinquish ownership of their creative vision, as agencies tend to be invested in their own signature style. The contract with a creative agency may also include additional fees for any unforeseen amendments and new contracts for updated campaign aspects. If a company's creative requirements are likely to grow more sophisticated, outsourcing creative services to an agency may not be the best solution.
Freelancers are a good intermediate option for growing companies, providing flexibility in upfront fees and no obligations. However, as creative requirements grow more sophisticated, managing a shifting band of freelancers can become more trouble than it's worth. Without a skilled creative manager, a company may end up with a patchy, unprofessional end product.
In conclusion, outsourcing creative services is a smart choice for businesses seeking cost-effective and high-quality creative solutions. Whether outsourcing to a local creative agency, hiring freelancers, or a combination of in-house and external resources, companies must carefully evaluate their options to find the best fit for their unique creative requirements.
When it comes to creative outsourcing, businesses often face a dilemma between maintaining complete control with an in-house team or seeking professional guidance from a creative agency. An ideal solution may lie in the middle ground by having a skeleton in-house team reinforced with freelancers or supported by a creative agency. However, it raises concerns about administrative overhead, contract management, and the ability to deliver cohesive branding efforts during rebranding or product launches. Therefore, companies must weigh the pros and cons of such an arrangement before including it in their long-term plans.
Thanks to the digital age, businesses now have innovative options for sourcing creative talent. Outsourcing creative and design services overseas can significantly reduce costs while maintaining control and ownership of creative processes and materials. The Philippines, with its well-educated, English-speaking labor force, is renowned for offering offshoring solutions for creative process outsourcing (CPO). Businesses can leverage the expertise of seasoned professionals for less than what they would pay for equivalent talent back home. This approach can result in a unified team of branding, digital, and design professionals working synergistically with the creative leads and true to the company's vision.
For non-creative professionals, it can be challenging to differentiate between marketing and advertising functions and processes and the technical, artistic, and administrative roles that support them. The scope of creative outsourcing solutions covers all these areas. Businesses can outsource web/digital designers, graphic designers, multimedia designers/artists, 3D designers/artists, animation specialists/animators, content writers/creators, content editors, content management specialists, web developers, copywriters, video editors, project/account managers, production coordinators/assistants, brand strategists, creative directors, art directors, digital marketing specialists, affiliate marketing specialists, marketing specialists, marketing managers, media planners/buyers, managing directors, production managers, and traffic managers. By outsourcing these roles, businesses can focus on sales and development while experiencing increased customer engagement through streamlined social media, advertising, and online communications.
When it comes to outsourcing creative services, businesses often face the dilemma of choosing between starting small or going big by offshoring the entire team. While starting with a few targeted individuals such as a photographer or a copywriter may provide temporary relief from core business responsibilities, engaging or creating an entire outsourced creative team could prove to be a better option in the long run. Creative departments thrive on collaboration and ingenuity, making it more efficient to have all the necessary talents and tasks in one place. Celebrating successes and working together to iron out knots builds staff loyalty and wellbeing, which ultimately leads to a stronger result. In addition to the benefits of having the team all in one place, setting up an offshore creative team allows for more direct management of the processes and staff compared to engaging local creative services providers, all while costing less.
An outsourced creative team can range from a few individuals working on briefs from a creative director to a complete advertising cohort. These teams design and execute advertising campaigns for businesses or clients, creating copy and artwork for various media. This can include brochures, print media ads, social media campaigns, web sites, banner ads, email campaigns, newsletters, blogs, and podcasts. A small, start-up outsourced creative design services team typically includes a brand strategist, creative manager/director, web developer, digital marketing specialist, graphic artist, and copywriter.
A creative services manager is responsible for ensuring that the team's work meets professional standards and company policy and follows the briefs provided. They assist in selecting the rest of the creative team, oversee training and development, and supervise progress on a day-to-day basis, ensuring that production targets are being met. As a representative in the field, it is crucial to have a strong relationship with the offshored creative manager.
In today's world, social media has become a popular way for businesses to connect with their customers. However, having a professional and user-friendly website is still a vital component for online success, especially for those who offer online sales. Web developers are the experts who build websites from scratch and possess knowledge in various programming languages, such as HTML, CSS, and Javascript. Working collaboratively with a creative team, the web developer coordinates with the creative manager to design the website's flow and functionality. They write and test custom software, debug systems, and set up access to databases and network servers. The web developer ensures that the website is optimized for mobile devices, secure for sales platforms, and consistent across all access points. The developer's framework is then enhanced with artwork and content contributed by graphic designers and copywriters. In larger teams, web developers work alongside web designers, user experience (UX) specialists, information architecture (IA) specialists, and testing professionals. By working together, they ensure that the finished website is bug-free, fully functional, and consistent across all web browsers.
In today's digital jungle, with numerous social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, it's crucial for businesses to have a canny navigator to drive profits. Recent research by Oberlo shows that there are 1 billion active Instagram accounts, with 500 million people using it daily. Different demographics dominate various social media platforms, and new ones are emerging regularly. Digital marketing specialists design media campaigns for online and social media platforms. They have a strong grasp of search engine optimization (SEO) principles, paid search (PPC) options, such as GoogleAds, display media placements, and various forms of digital analytics to promote online brand promotion effectively. Digital marketing specialists collaborate with other creative professionals to optimize design and writing for the digital space. They ensure that different platforms work in a complementary fashion while also developing special offerings, such as email campaigns and competitions, to promote new products or services. With social media management playing an increasingly significant role in customer service, digital marketing specialists also manage social media accounts in small teams. Positive customer service experiences drive positive impressions of a company, leading to increased sales. In larger teams, digital marketing specialists oversee other digital roles, including SEO specialists, SEM or PPC specialists, market data analysts, social media assistants, and moderators.
Copywriting may have a straightforward job title, but it plays a critical role in creating content that engages customers and increases interest in a company's offerings. Copywriters provide content for all marketing materials, including print and social media. Blogging, which is considered a primary marketing tool, with 55% of marketers identifying blog content creation as their top inbound marketing priority, according to a 2018 HubSpot survey. Copywriters must have a superior command of written English, including a flair for syntax and usage. They should have excellent grammar and spelling skills, a keen eye for detail, creativity, imagination, and the ability to stay on top of emerging trends and techniques. It's essential that copywriters communicate effectively with their teammates because they interpret marketing campaign messages and adjust their expression as appropriate for different platforms. On smaller teams, copywriters may serve as de facto information architecture (UX) specialists and information architects (IAs).
Graphic and web designers play a vital role in establishing a brand identity by creating artwork and copy styles. They work with briefs and design concepts developed by creative leads to put together illustrations, draft layouts, font suites, and fine branding details for consistent aesthetic across all media communications. As marketing concepts evolve, these designers liaise with web developers and branding strategists to ensure that new content aligns with the company's image. They also collaborate with copywriters, information architecture specialists, and information architects in larger teams. In a larger creative services team, designers work with specialized art workers such as video editors and animators to customize the company's online materials.
One of the benefits of outsourcing is the ability to scale up your off-shore team as your business and needs expand. Contrary to initial instincts, it's better to invest in more experienced senior or intermediate staff at the outset. Although the relative cost may still be minimal compared to hiring an equivalent cadre of employees at home, their ability to hit the ground running and act quickly to implement your needs will be substantially greater. If you decide to grow your outsourced creative services team, having experienced senior workers on site can function as team leaders, making the job much easier. They have better insight into what skills would best enhance the team in new junior hires. Additionally, their professional standing and knowledge of your company will put them in a better position to train and mentor newcomers while the whole team adjusts to the new workflow.
The structure of a larger outsourced creative services team is similar to that of a small advertising firm. It includes a Managing Director, Account Manager, Creative Manager, Digital Marketing Specialist, Web Developer, Web Designer (UI/UX), Graphic/Multimedia Artist, Content Writer/Editor, Copywriter, and Production Coordinator. Multiple theories set out in marketing literature exist for organizing advertising and marketing teams, and it's worth doing some research in consultation with your offshored management to see which would best suit your company's priorities. Adjustments can be made as your needs change. Additionally, technology-oriented roles such as animators, video specialists, UX/UI (user experience) web experts, SEO analysts, or game designers can also fit within this structure, supporting web developers and content editors. Proofreaders, content managers, and photo editors are often engaged to support a large team of copywriters or heavy writing load.