When and why should aerospace or aviation companies hire an outside marketing firm? Often times it comes down to the desire for change, help or improvement, and sometimes all three.

If you find that one or more of these 7 scenarios describe you and your situation — it may be time to seek external support from a professional marketing firm.

1. New business

If you are starting a new aerospace or aviation business and need a complete marketing program, including a strategic plan and execution, support from an external team may be the best option. You’ll have multiple marketing professionals with diverse talents supporting you, and a knowledgeable account manager by your side to provide objective advice and support to drive sales while you focus on running the business. By developing a plan, your external partners should have the marketing program up and running quickly and professionally, delivering you a roadmap to take the effort forward. At this point you may transition the work to an in-house marketing coordinator who requires occasional help — or opt for turnkey support from your agency.

2. New leadership

As a newly hired or promoted marketing executive, you may come into the position and determine that it’s time for a change. The current staff may be overworked or lack the skills necessary to meet new requirements or support your vision, leading you to clean house internally, bring in a new agency, or both. If you want to make a mark on the organization and impress your new boss, it’s important to get results quickly. In this case, hiring an external team to augment or replace internal resources is often the best approach.

3. New market or product

Entering a new market and launching new products is serious business that requires specialized expertise and a significant investment of time and effort. The world is watching and you need a home run. This one is a no-brainer. Bring in a professional team to ensure a smart strategy, plan, and flawless execution.

4. New ideas

Perhaps you work for a large company with a big agency that doesn’t understand aerospace or give you the attention you deserve. Or maybe you work for a smaller company and have a long-time agency relationship. You like the people, but the work and ideas are stale. These are all valid reasons to re-evaluate the status quo and find a professional marketing firm that better meets your needs and expectations. You may not need to use them for everything, but the fresh thinking could be invaluable.

5. New start

Marketing is not a core competency at your firm, and hiring top-notch talent is difficult. Outsourcing everything may be a more effective and cost-effective approach.

6. Your internal team is overworked and overwhelmed

They may be failing to deliver leads to the sales department, or leaving you frustrated by stale creative and concerned about your competition. You may even be an individual contributor who is stretched too thin and aspires to do better work. In these situations, bringing in outside help to augment existing resources may be the right option for you.

7. You don’t have an in-house team

Perhaps you’ve built your business with little marketing, but you recognize that a focused effort is now required to achieve business results. We commonly hear from people who say that they have a great product or service, but lack brand awareness among enough of the right people. Others tell us they have a successful, growing business, but their image hasn’t kept pace. For many people we speak with, taking their business to the next level starts with an agency engagement.

Today’s blog is an excerpt of a more complete . For more information, including what factors are important to consider when considering an outside agency, the pros and cons of outsourcing to an external firm, and answers to other frequently asked questions, .