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A local branding agency has a lot of perks that cannot be found in typical outsourced companies. Most people find that hiring local, or at least within the same country as the business, is the way to go. Here's what you need to be aware of when it comes to the pros and cons of hiring local...

Pros Of Hiring A Local Branding Agency:

1) Local companies understand the local culture. 

I'll be honest. This is a huge perk. Every country and region has subtle nuances to the culture that national or outsourced brands won't have. Things like using the right slang, choosing the right actors, or even just understanding work culture for a commercial can make a huge difference. 

2) You tend to have better accountability. 

While it's exceedingly rare, I've heard of matters that involve people giving branding agencies from abroad money. Then, they bail. The money that's spent is nowhere to be seen, nor is any work that was guaranteed. 

Here's the kicker: when you're doing international law, the chances of you having any kind of way to handle this legally is almost zero. You're on a pure trust system. Going local can help you have recourse. 

3) They will understand you. 

This is another issue that's kind of a rule but has tons of exceptions. Language barriers will exist, even between English-speaking countries like Australia and the United States. (I found out that calling someone a "bogan" is not a compliment, even though my friend told me it was, for example.) 

When you hire people from outside your country, you may not be able to have that same level of understanding that you would from someone inside. Nuances are gone. Subtleties get lost. And that can hurt your brand and your bottom line. 

The Cons Of Hiring A Local Branding Agency:

1) It's expensive.

Here's the issue many people have: they do not have the money to afford local branding agencies. It can cost up to $150,000 for a simple rebranding. If you're on a shoestring budget, this can kill your company's cashflow. 

2) There is no guarantee of quality. 

Let me tell you a story about a branding agency I used to work at and our client, a singer. I worked at the agency and did about 70 percent of the work. My boss, being the boss, did the other 30 percent. Every other day, the pop star would love the articles and PR I'd do for him. 

When it came to my boss's side of the issue, on the other hand, it was a friggin' nightmare. My boss was a bit of a womanizer, and to a point, he thought with the wrong head. When he got a new girlfriend, it quickly meant he'd go AWOL for weeks at a time. When he wouldn't go AWOL, he'd cut corners to the point of people gawping at how bad things looked. 

Eventually, things came to a head after my boss decided to use a stock photo of someone who was NOT the pop star on the star's website. The client went ballistic and called me asking where my boss was. I hadn't been able to contact him in over a month. My boss went dark, then resurfaced with a pregnant woman in tow a month later. 

Both me and the pop star ended up quitting that agency due to the fiasco. The kicker? We both worked with my boss because we wanted to stay local to our state and felt that would guarantee a more personable experience in work and work quality. 

What I'm saying is that agencies like my former employer's exist everywhere. Just because they're near you doesn't mean they're any good. So, if you do hire local, please vet them. You'll be glad you did. 

Facebook offers both paid and organic (free) ways to generate leads.

One of the powerful things about Facebook is the ability to specifically target the audience’s interests and behaviours. This means the audience sees more relevant, interesting content, and businesses can reach people who have a good chance of being genuinely interested in their product or service. Therefore it’s a sound way to generate targeted, relevant leads. 

We always recommend beginning with a clear objective in mind. In the case of Facebook Lead Generation, consider how you’re going to track your leads. For example, do you want them to subscribe to an email list? Or to provide a phone number for you to contact? Or perhaps you just want them to like your Facebook page so you can continue communicating with them. Another option is to have them message you, so you can have a direct conversation. Once you know how you’re acquiring leads, consider the following options. 

Free

There are a few ‘free’ options: 

1. Facebook page profile - ensure your page promotes your preferred method of engagement. For example, include a link to the lead form on your website, or an invitation to message you. 
2. Facebook page post - one of the basic ways of generating leads is to post something to your own Facebook page. This could include a link to a form on your website, or simply an invitation to like your page. As a follow-up, for anyone who likes a page post but does not already like your page, invite them to like your page. 
3. Facebook post on another page - identify other pages that have a similar audience to those you’re targeting, and engage with their page. Interact as your page (rather than as your personal profile) to generate business interest. 
4. Participating in Facebook Groups - provide value to group members and they’re likely to want to find out more from you. This is where it’s important to ensure your page profile includes links to gather leads, so when they are looking for more information it’s easy and convenient to find. 
5. Hosting a Facebook event - create an event on Facebook and invite people to attend (either in person or online). 
6. Facebook stories - use the temporary video feature to achieve wider reach and invite viewers to find out more.

Paid

Facebook ads - As you may have heard, it can be challenging to reach a large volume of people when you’re posting organically on Facebook. By paying for Facebook promotions, you’re guaranteed to reach a certain number of people.

Some of the formats include:

1. Boosted post (paying to boost one of your existing page posts)
2. Paid ad - create an ad specifically for Facebook
3. Instagram ad - create an ad specifically for Instagram 
4. Messenger ad - your ad will appear in the Messenger app

Paid ads can tie into your organic activity. For example, once you’ve built a following or an audience that has engaged with the content mentioned in the above ‘free’ section, you can then build a custom audience on Facebook targeted at those people - or people who ‘look like’ them. 

Facebook lead generation is a deep topic and I’ve only skimmed the surface! If you’d like to know more, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.