As your business grows – and your marketing becomes more focused and polished – it may come time to step up to hiring a full-service advertising agency.

Full service ad agencies can:

1. Relieve some of your marketing burden, leaving more time to attend to other vital tasks.
2. Offer experienced and professional suggestions for improving your company's public profile.
3. Make your company look great on many levels through ads in multiple media, public relations, and printed promotional materials.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Do your homework

Dig out the Rolodex and tap colleagues for recommendations, particularly for agencies familiar with your type of business. Peruse advertising industry magazines or Web sites to research agencies who might service your or business style or size. Finally, have a budget so you know how much you can afford to spend with an agency.

I recommend: For comprehensive listings of agencies, check the AdWeek Directory or the A to Z Advertising Agencies listing at the About.com advertising portal. To read up on industry news, click on Advertising Age's Web site, adage.com or search the Yahoo! Directory for marketing and advertising trade magazines.

Perform due diligence

When contacting prospective agencies, request a portfolio, review the agency's Web site, and examine their work for other clients. Contact current and past clients and find out what they liked or didn't like about the agency's efforts.

I recommend: Read the buzz on the good, the bad, and the ugly on advertising blogs like AdAge's Small Agency Blog or The Print Advertising Blog, or consult The American Association of Advertising Agencies, the industry's largest trade organization.

Ask Detailed Questions

Does the agency work by the project, the hour, or on commission? What aspects of marketing will the agency govern? What experience does the firm have representing similar businesses? Does their prior work feel like a good fit for your business or products?

I recommend: Inc.com offers 10 great questions to ask before choosing an ad agency. AllBusiness.com also offers helpful insights into choosing the best agency for your business.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Develop an advertising budget as part of your annual business planning to avoid haphazard overspending.
• •  Ask whether the agency outsources any of its work to ensure they work with reputable, professional firms.
• •  Find out what kind of contact you'll have with the agency during the course of the project and how accessible staff will be to any future concerns.
• •  Ensure you have a written agreement outlining all aspects of the ad campaign, including the timeline for completion and launch.
• •  Make sure you know your options for revisions if you're unhappy with any aspect of the project.

You've done all you can to market your Michigan business on your own. But you're running out of time and energy to get your name out there the way that you want to see it. Full-service advertising agencies in Michigan can analyze your business needs and provide the best combination of services.

When it comes to advertising agencies, Michigan has their fair share. As one of the Great Lakes states, Michigan has a concentration of big cities yet offers small-town charm just miles away. As a result, Michigan advertising agencies present the best of both worlds: big-city ideas and small-town values of warmth and personal attention.

Depending on the size of your business, you may feel more comfortable with smaller Michigan advertising companies. Or you may prefer an agency with the experience of national advertising campaigns. Whether you're looking for large or small advertising agencies, Michigan can deliver what you need.

When considering advertising agencies in Michigan, ask these questions:

1. Do they have a proven track record of success with similar companies?
2. Do they seek to understand your company?
3. Have the Michigan ad agencies laid out a clear advertising plan, with an eye toward your present and future needs?

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Look for Michigan advertising agencies to build on your company's strengths

When you're looking at Michigan ad agencies, you want a company that not only looks at where you are now, but where you want to be in the future. In this dog-eat-dog world, you know you need to have a plan for your business to ensure your continued survival.

I recommend: Biggs/Gillmore in Kalamazoo, MI, is a heavy hitter among advertising agencies in Michigan, representing Fortune 1000 companies like Armstrong, DuPont, Kellogg and Kimberly-Clark. Johnson-Rauhoff is a full-service advertising agency in Michigan, with locations in Saint Joseph and Benton Harbor. They have an emphasis on developing a clear strategy for your business before taking any action.

Get small-town service and big-city smarts

Don't be fooled by appearances. Some Michigan advertising agencies may not be the slick designers you may expect from Chicago or New York. But you'll find that when choosing advertising agencies, Michigan may have the market cornered on friendly yet effective service for your business.

I recommend: Forsberg Advertising in Lansing, MI, offers graphic design and digital printing, copywriting, public relations and editorial placement, photography and multimedia services. The Cull Group is an unapologetically small Michigan advertising agency with a big heart for its clients. Their team offers a variety of services including advertising, public relations, point-of-purchase displays and corporate identity programs.

Find Michigan ad agencies that see more than dollar signs

What do you want from your ad agency? Ultimately, you hope to find a company that cares as much about growing your business as you do.

I recommend: MW Marketing Group in Hudsonville has the whole gamut of advertising services available, including advertising, corporate identity, website development, direct and e-marketing, as well as other services. (Click on the portfolio to view sample projects).
Smith-Winchester is one of the advertising agencies in Michigan that will focus on the process, and will try to understand the challenges that affect your business.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Thoroughly research your options for advertising in Michigan, but go with the agency that seems to understand your company's needs the best.

Full service Michigan advertising agencies take a lot of the external communications burden away from their clients. Michigan ad agencies can develop copy, purchase media space and time, crystallize your external messaging protocols, and develop a traditional advertising campaign that includes collateral as well as media time.

Full-service advertising agencies in Michigan advice and ratings will offer input on Michigan advertising companies as professional consultants and as potential employers. Advertising is a complex communication specialty and should not be left to chance for the typical business.

1. Learn about advertising in Michigan and how agencies may help meet your advertising needs.

2. Develop a list of marketing agencies in Michigan, assess their specialties and figure out if any are a fit for your needs.

3. Look at full-service advertising agencies in Michigan advice and ratings as well as the market of advertising agencies Detroit, if you need a big city approach for your product or your career.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Research the market for advertising agencies Michigan and see how your needs fit in

The economy in Michigan, in general and Detroit, in particular is often closely aligned with the health of the U.S. auto industry. A good start for you would be to see what information is available about Michigan advertising firms and assess where your needs fit their offerings.

I recommend: Michigan Business offers a directory of advertising agencies with brief descriptions. This is an easy way to make a list of potential full service agencies that are geographically reasonable. The Directory M site then offers an approach for selecting a full service Michigan ad agency.

Learn the difference between full-service advertising agencies in Michigan and other firms

To truly understand the ratings for advertising agency Michigan shops, you'll need to also know the different specialties and disciplines agencies offer. There are agencies that specialize in copywriting, media buying, collateral, or print versus electronic media; and, there are agencies that can do it all. Often, a relationship with a full service agency will mean one-stop shopping.

I recommend: Ottaway is an example of a full service agency that is out front when it comes to new media like social networking sites. They hire specialists and experts and let them serve the clients. HFB Advertising is unique in that it is a full service agency that invites small business clients.

Look at a Michigan advertising agency as a potential employer and rate some that way

Rating and ranking full service Michigan advertising agencies is not just for potential businesses looking to hire an agency. It is also for potential employees looking for a good fit and a fulfilling career.

I recommend: Flipdog offers a listing and review of various employment opportunities with full service Michigan advertising agencies. Grayboxx has a listing for Detroit ad agencies and the jobs they offer if big city living is more your style.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Advertising in Michigan can be a daunting task. Using advice and ratings will take the guesswork out of your decision for a marketing and advertising agency. Consult with colleagues to compare advice and ratings as well.

Working with a full-service advertising agency in Michigan can be beneficial in getting your company’s message out to potential customers. No matter what you need, you can find it all with a full-service advertising agency. Full service is just that - with services ranging from business cards and stationery design to a national ad campaign. To help you get the most out of your full-service advertising agency in Michigan, it may be best to learn some advertising industry key terms. That way you can better communicate your advertising needs.

Action Steps
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Advertorial

An ad that appears similar to a Michigan newspaper editorial is called an advertorial. It can also come in the form of a TV program as well. The advertorial promotes a single advertiser's product or service.

I recommend: Huyser-Honig Creative Services, located in Grand Rapids, offers this advertorial that appeared in a newspaper insert throughout Michigan.

Teaser campaign

A teaser campaign is an advertising strategy strictly designed to pique interest and curiousity in a product or service. Full-service advertising agencies in Michigan often user teaser campaigns to bring attention to clients' products or services.

I recommend: Check out this "Save Michigan" teaser campaign by a bank at The Financial Brand.

Co-op advertising

Co-op advertising refers to subsidizing advertising costs by utilizing national brand funds. National brands, such as Pepsi and Cadillac, make co-op money available to local Michigan suppliers. However, if you use co-op advertising dollars, you must adhere to rules set up by the national brand.

I recommend: Learn more about co-op advertising through the Michigan Peat Company's BACCTO program.

Corporate identity

A corporate identity comprises all of the branding items of a business - the impression it gives potential customers. The company's name, logo and slogan all together make up its corporate identity. Michigan advertising agencies are equipped to develop a professional and effective corporate identity for each client.

I recommend: Creative Group of Kalamazoo explains their services in corporate identity.

Cost per thousand

Cost per thousand is a calculation of the cost of advertising per thousand potential customers reached in the advertising medium. The ratio is used often in coming up with a media buying plan in Michigan.

I recommend: The Michigan Sportsman explains its advertising rates using a cost per thousand calculation.

Public service announcement

When your ads convey a message for the betterment of the public, it could be considered a public service announcement or PSA. These announcements are often used as ads for non-profit organizations and many TV and radio stations in Michigan choose to run them for free or at a reduced rate.

I recommend: State of Michigan's Department of Human Services supplies an MP3 and text version of their child support PSA.