During this current environment, brand marketers are being forced to zig when their original strategic plan was to zag. They are witnessing their best laid plans fall by the wayside as they are in constant need to adjust sales and marketing strategies in order to survive and create brand experiences that are appropriate for and will resonate with their customers. Budget and time efficiencies and flexibility are paramount to any successful client/agency partnership in today’s stress-filled environment. This is where being small and nimble (aka smimble) really comes into play.
Not all successful branding agencies are limited to those who reside in large skyscrapers with 100’s of employees located around the world. In fact, the recipe for many successful agencies has been quite the opposite. Many branding agencies are small and have been built by bringing together teams of experts in their field who are located around the globe. They do not allow this distance from getting in the way of partnering with the best talent to produce the best work for their clients. They do not let the lack of a large, fancy, open-space corporate office environments and global locations hold them back. Rather, they see this as a win/win for their clients and teams, especially during these challenging times. Being “smimble gives agencies the ability to:”
+ Remain in operation without skipping a beat because your team is already skilled at working remotely
+ Be flexible and quickly switch gears as clients’ needs change daily; even hourly
+ Build teams of freelancers and consultants based on your clients’ specific needs and category-specific knowledge
+ Provide your bench of experts with flexibility in scheduling and in the types of projects they work on
+ Reduce overhead with less of a payroll commitment and minimal to no office space. Payroll has a direct correlation to the scope of work outlined in secured projects rather than carrying staff with non-billable time.
+ Avoid the additional costs of increased supplies, cleaning or the need to retrofit the open office space concept with protective materials required by CDC mandated guidelines to keep staff members safe and healthy
+ Pass many cost savings directly on to clients
Xhilarate Branding and Design knows the benefits of being “smimble” first-hand. It has been a remote agency since its inception four years ago. Our three partners have over 30 years of experience (90 years combined) in strategy, branding, print and digital design and still and motion photography. Our deep bench of marketers, strategists, storytellers, copywriters, designers, developers/programmers and project managers allows us to build a team of global experts specific to our clients’ needs. Our remote, low overhead business strategy has allowed us to keep our business open and running every day during the Covid-19 pandemic without skipping a beat, missing a deadline, and collaborating with our clients to help their brands be as strong as they can be during this challenging time.
