How to open your own advertising agency: nuances and business analysis. How I built my advertising business from scratch

It is impossible to imagine any type of business without advertising, so many people think about opening their own agency. The demand for such services has not subsided for a long time. The relevance of the advertising business is difficult to underestimate.

In Russia, as in any other country, many large and small entrepreneurs use the services of such firms. But to have a highly profitable company, it is not enough to create a company and recruit employees. We need to develop, expand the range of services and offer customers really high-quality products.

The advantages include high profitability of the company with proper organization of work. Such services are in great demand, so there are usually no problems finding customers. Also, the advantages include a relatively small investment at the start.

The disadvantages include a lot of competition in the market. At the initial stages of work, you will have to work with small and medium-sized entrepreneurs. The income may be small, but it will allow you to earn a good reputation and portfolio, which will make it possible to find larger clients.

Types of such agencies

Before opening a company, decide on the format. She may be:

  • full cycle agency;
  • design studio (specialize in the development of signs, logos, styles, and so on);
  • narrow-profile agency that specializes in one of the types of advertising;
  • a manufacturing company (manufacturing of business cards, banners, souvenirs, and so on);
  • buyer (advertising on TV, radio and other media).

A firm that provides a full range of services is easier to unwind, but it will also require a large amount of money to open.

Interesting information about this type of business is presented in the following video:

Possible range of services

Now advertising has different forms, ranging from printed materials to banners on the Internet. You need to decide what services you will provide, as the full range may not be affordable for you at the start.

Services include:

  • placement of outdoor advertising, including banners, signs and billboards;
  • production of printing products (leaflets, brochures, business cards, etc.)
  • placement of information in the media;
  • conducting promotions and PR;
  • creating videos and commercials;
  • website promotion;
  • production and distribution of souvenirs and so on.

To make it easier to decide on a direction, you need to study the market in your area. Find out what types of services are most in demand, what services your competitors provide. Remember, in order to interest your customers, you need to offer them something new, something that others do not have.

Registration and required documents

After you have decided on the concept and direction of activity, you need to register a company. For registration, select one of the organizational and legal forms: .

Package required documents depends on the chosen form. You can find out what documents are needed in the office tax office. You also need to pay the state fee:

  • for individual entrepreneurs in the amount of 800 rubles;
  • for LLC in the amount of 6500 rubles.

When registering an LLC, you need to pay half (its minimum amount is 10,000 rubles), and the second half is paid during the first year of the company's operation.

Signing contracts with partners

In most cases, the agency needs to cooperate with production bases. For example, if you will be engaged in printing products, then you need to work with a printing house.

Be careful when looking for partners. Don't settle for the first offer. Study the terms of cooperation in detail, learn about the reputation of the company. This will help in the future to avoid unscrupulous partners who will let you down at the most inopportune moment.

Location selection

The next step is to find an office. The size of the room depends on how many people will work in it. Typically, meetings with clients take place on a neutral territory or on the territory of the customer. Despite this, it is desirable that the office be located near the city center or in a well-developed area.

It should be easy to get to, as the customer may wish to visit you at the office.

Purchase of equipment

When repairs are completed in the selected premises, equipment can be purchased. You must purchase:

  • several computers;
  • a printer;
  • Xerox;
  • scanner;
  • telephone sets for multichannel communication;
  • internet connection devices.

Keep in mind that designers need powerful computers. You also need to take care of installing the necessary software.

Recruitment

When selecting employees, remember that the success of your company depends on the experience and qualifications of the staff. To minimize the risk of bankruptcy, hire staff with experience in advertising. Such employees will be able to perform their work efficiently and on time. In addition, they often have their own clientele that will use the services of your agency.

The number of employees depends on the size of the company and the number of services provided. For a medium company, you need to hire:

  • creative director responsible for developing new ideas;
  • two managers who will be engaged in the search for customers;
  • two designers, one of which is responsible for the development of an advertising product, and the second for layout;
  • directors who will negotiate with customers and sign contracts with them.

But hiring an accountant is inappropriate. Better to ask for help.

It is also desirable that there are several freelancers on the hook. They'll help in-house designers get the job done when there's an emergency.

Advertising and customer search

  • To find customers, you need to create a database potential clients. Decide what industry you would like to work in. For example, your priority is to develop advertising for cafes and restaurants or companies specializing in a particular production.
  • It is necessary to write down the names of companies, their telephone numbers and emails. The manager then contacts them and offers agency services. But keep in mind that customers can be found this way if you offer them something new.
  • Don't forget about the so-called word of mouth. If you do your job efficiently, then customers will tell their partners, colleagues and acquaintances about you.

Potential Problems and Solutions

Many agencies close within a short period of time after opening. The fact is that this type of business has problem areas. But if you approach the right decision possible problems, then your company will be able to work for a long time and bring good income.

The main potential problem is the lack of customers. This is due to the high competition in this business segment. But the problem is quite solvable, you need:

  • choose a catchy company name so that it is easy to remember;
  • after opening the agency, place data about it in city directories, as many potential clients often use it;
  • at the start, work with small and medium-sized entrepreneurs in order to gain experience and a reputation that will make it possible to conclude an agreement with large and prestigious customers.

Startup and operating costs

Investments at the start depend on the size of the company, the number of employees and other factors. Below are the approximate costs:

  • rent of premises - 60 thousand rubles;
  • office renovation - 25 thousand rubles;
  • purchase of furniture - from 25 thousand rubles;
  • Internet and telephone connection - up to 10 thousand rubles;
  • purchase of equipment - from 125 thousand rubles.

After the first month of work, it is necessary to pay salaries to employees:

  • director - 30-40 thousand rubles;
  • designers - 20-25 thousand rubles;
  • managers - 10-12 thousand +% of transactions.

You also need to pay for the services of an accountant (5 thousand rubles), allocate funds for bonuses, pay taxes, telephone, Internet, and purchase consumables.

Project Profitability Calculation

It is quite difficult to calculate how much income your company will bring. This is due to the fact that each agency sets its own markups, but usually at least 40% of the order value is profit. In addition, the profitability is affected by cooperation with partners and their prices for the performance of work.

With an average rhythm of work and the fulfillment of two or three orders per week, the company's income is 200-300 thousand rubles per month. A good firm can reach a profit of up to 600 thousand per month.

Entrepreneurs often come across marketing when they want to advertise their own business project. Some people do smarter by opening an advertising agency. Today we will analyze the advertising business: where to start, how to open from scratch? It is worthwhile to carefully understand the intricacies of this business area and understand how profitable it is.

What do you need to open?

It offers the kind of services that every project on the planet needs. Therefore, it is important to approach by some qualities:

  1. Creativity - in order to be able to distinguish some idea from the sea of ​​others, it is important to be able to stand out yourself. Only having a really unusual view of the problem, you can succeed in advertising.
  2. Patience or resistance to stress - the marketing business passes through a huge variety of different customers, and these customers often like to feel smarter than a competent person, bombarding the company with edits and additions. Some customers also like to “download rights”, expressing dissatisfaction with the work in a not very polite way. Business owners are not the most tactful and pleasant people, so you need to learn how to communicate with this type of people before opening such an agency. In addition, it is important to be able to evaluate people and offer them what they need.
  3. Sociability and confidence - practically based on the previous point, we can say with confidence that the ability not to bend under people, not to hesitate and aggressively offer your ideas is really important in marketing.
  4. Composure and attentiveness - to put it simply, a person involved in advertising must be an excellent manager. Attention to detail and good organization will help you not miss deadlines, organize the activities of the entire agency in the most profitable way, and also not make a mistake with investing in the right items.

Advantages and disadvantages

To make sure that the choice is correct, it is worth looking at the main pros and cons of the sphere we are analyzing. The first thing that can be said for sure is that a properly organized work process of an advertising agency will bring its owner really big income.

Having entered a wide market and gained a positive reputation, you can only sign one contract after another. Along with this, there is also a significant minus - huge competition. There are too many people who want to make big profits and be constantly in demand, and you have to try to stand out from a large selection.

Returning to the merits, it is impossible not to note the size of the starting financial investments in this business- it will take really a little finance to start working. Basically, the money goes to the arrangement of the office and in large quantities for marketing itself. new company.

Even if at the first stages the company works mainly with small entrepreneurs, this brings stable income allowing to expand over time and quickly recoup start-up capital. Summing up, it is worth saying that the most important thing is to concentrate on finding clients and the quality of work, but the small amount of costs allows you to do this.

An example can be downloaded here.

Which agency format is better to choose?

To properly invest, you will have to choose one main direction, gradually expanding services with others. The following formats of advertising agencies are standardly distinguished:

  • Full cycle - complete thinking of the company's marketing strategy, creation of all advertising content and its distribution.
  • Directed - work with individual stages of the company's marketing on permanent basis.
  • Creative - thinking over only the idea and format of marketing.
  • Media buying - establishing communication between the company and the media, advertising distribution.
  • BTL - organization of promotions specifically for the company's products.
  • PR - creation of a full-fledged PR campaign for the organization.
  • Internet-oriented - which is logical, the organization of the company's marketing on the Internet on forums, in in social networks and in other ways, the creation of the company's website and its promotion.
  • Outdoor - thinking over a strategy for organizing exclusively outdoor advertising.

What services should be offered?

The following options are offered as standard:

  1. Planning and placement of outdoor advertising on billboards, signs, posters, etc.
  2. Organization of advertising of the company in the media, that is, mainly on radio and television.
  3. Development of design and printing of polygraphy - leaflets, business cards, etc.
  4. Work with promotions and PR directly to the customer's company.
  5. Creation and promotion of customer sites on the Internet.
  6. Shooting commercials.
  7. Development and production of souvenir products with the customer's company logo.

registration

First you need to register an IP. When registering Individual Entrepreneur the standard OKVED code for the selected area is selected -74.40, which implies advertising activities. To select the following activities, you will have to specify an additional code:

  • advertising photography;
  • development and printing of polygraphy for marketing;
  • advertising research;
  • creation of advertising projects for TV and radio;
  • Public Relations.

After that comes registration with the tax service with the choice of your tax system. All that remains is the preparation of permits from the fire department and the future conclusion of contracts with customers.

The search for partners, by the way, should be carried out thoughtfully, not immediately agreeing to the very first proposals. If there is no need for quick profit, try to understand the proposed requirements and payment in more detail, as well as study the reputation of the partner.

How to choose the right site?

In fact, finding an office space is quite easy. Its size depends solely on the number of employees. Often, it is in this room that meetings between the client and the contractor take place, so the atmosphere in the office should be conducive to a pleasant and fruitful conversation.

It is important to make at least light repairs and purchase comfortable furniture, while the original, but tasteful style of the interior will tell the customer that you will do an excellent job.

The location of the site is not so important, it rather depends on the rent for square meters, and therefore it is better to look for a place in a well-developed in terms of transport, but not in the central area. Of course, a busy avenue is better suited, but the mere presence of a metro station and a car park nearby will be enough.

We buy equipment

When developing a business plan for an advertising agency, it is necessary to separately note the item with the purchase of various furniture and equipment, because it is impossible to do without significant investments. If furniture is still quite obvious, it is not always clear what specific equipment is needed for the office. There is a whole list of mandatory devices:

  1. Computers with all accessories.
  2. Printer, color is better, but black and white is also possible.
  3. Xerox.
  4. Scanner.
  5. telephone bases.
  6. Router.

Remember that you will need a powerful PC to handle heavy graphics or video editors. In addition, they must be installed in advance officially purchased software. From the furniture you will need tables, racks and cabinets, chairs and guest chairs and a sofa.

Recruiting staff

The next thing you need to open your advertising agency is to recruit qualified staff. The reputation of the company depends on their efficiency and qualifications, therefore it is important to conduct a well-prepared interview in order to identify the strong ones.

Even without experience, you can accept people whose qualities are perfect for the activities of the company. It will be lucky if the hired employee already has a list of clients ready for cooperation. Most often recruited people for vacancies:

  • The chief creative director who thinks over the main idea and concept for each advertising project.
  • Client Relations and Relationship Manager.
  • A designer responsible for thinking through the design of the project and its implementation.
  • Marketer responsible for the advertising campaign of the project itself.

Personally, at first, you will be engaged in signing contracts, monitoring activities, as well as basic accounting duties, such as working with calculations of company income and expenses and registration necessary documents. In difficult, in terms of terms, cases, you can simply contact the freelance exchanges to search for one-time assistants. Do not forget about the work of a cleaner, who is also better to hire one-time, but regularly.

Whatever the advertising agency, it remains a business project that must be promoted at first. With the level of competition in this area, full-fledged marketing is needed using outdoor advertising, some media, social networks and sending offers for cooperation via e-mails.

Try to focus on a certain category of entrepreneurs, for example, in the field of catering or selling equipment. How to start doing it? Try to write down the names of various companies opening in your area and their contacts, and then contact and offer services.

Also encourage reviews with discounts or other offers to keep word of mouth working. By the way, a lot also depends on your name and slogan, so think over in advance the main “chip” of the company, which could later become a famous symbol.

We determine the profitability of the project

We will analyze open from scratch in the regional city of Klin marketing agency contextual advertising.

Expense line Amount of expenses, thousand rubles
1 Office rent 50
2 Procurement of necessary equipment and furniture 150
3 Equipment installation and office renovation 30
4 Public Utilities 10
5 Paperwork 5
6 creative director salary 30
7 Salary of two managers 20 + % from the client
8 Salary of two designers 50
9 CEO salary 30
10 cleaner salary 10
11 Internet and telephone connection 10
12 Marketing Campaign 25
13 Unexpected expenses 15
Total: 435

On average, companies receive about 300 thousand rubles on the market if they place at least two small orders per week. Sufficiently successful firms earn 600 thousand per month, which allows them to quickly recoup their initial investments.

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If an aspiring entrepreneur is determined to open an advertising agency from scratch, he needs to know about all the advantages and disadvantages of this business. First of all, it is worth highlighting the quick payback of the initial investment, since with the correct organization of the work of the enterprise, after 3-5 months, you can return the investment and become a plus.

This is easily explained by the very high demand for the services of advertising companies. Even in a difficult economic situation, small businesses and large organizations continue their work, and an increase in consumer demand for their products and services is only possible through professional promotion. Other benefits of this business include:

  • high cost advertising services;
  • the possibility of opening an agency with minimal financial investment;
  • stable income with regular customers;
  • lack of strict geographical framework for the activities of the enterprise.

Advertising business is ideal for creative individuals who can generate creative ideas, because it is this feature that will allow the entrepreneur to create a unique product in demand and find a large number of regular customers.

Owners commercial organizations understand the importance of running effective advertising campaigns, so they allocate solid budgets for this. For this reason, it is extremely important to find a large number of regular customers who will provide the agency with a comfortable existence for a long time. Large investments are not required to start, so entrepreneurs can open their own enterprise with minimal investment without much difficulty.

But, despite the prospects of the business in the field of advertising, this type of activity has a serious drawback - a high level of competition. In order to work successfully in this direction, it is necessary to carefully consider what services the advertising agency will provide and how it can interest the target audience.

Types of advertising agencies

Entrepreneurs should know that the advertising business from scratch should start with choosing the format of the future enterprise and determining the direction of its activities. Conventionally, all agencies can be divided into manufacturing firms and distribution companies. Large organizations successfully combine the production of a specific product (signs, booklets, banners, billboards, etc.) and advertising campaigns. Small businesses tend to specialize in just one thing.

  • Advertising agencies full cycle. Organizations of this type provide their customers with a full range of services in the field of promoting specific products. They analyze the market in a certain area and develop strategies for the implementation of an advertising campaign. Customers are offered all sorts of media services, such as product promotion in the media or via the Internet. Also, these companies have their own production capacity for the manufacture of outdoor advertising and other products with their subsequent placement. For the implementation of complex projects, third-party organizations may be involved (under a subcontract agreement).
  • Specialized RA. Such firms specialize in working with certain audiences or in performing any functions. For example, they can be engaged in the acquisition and delivery of various advertising materials to customers. There are also agencies that operate in various fields: design, promotion of various social events, etc. In fact, such firms perform certain stages of the full cycle of the advertising campaign and mostly work closely with other organizations (for example, it may be an agency for organizing holidays).
  • BTL companies. BTL agencies specialize in organizing and conducting promotional events and various events.
  • media selling companies. They are firms that are engaged in the purchase / sale of advertising space.

How to open an advertising agency from scratch?

Let's consider the main stages.

Business registration

To start a business, you will need to register an enterprise. If you plan to open a small agency, an individual entrepreneur will do. To obtain it, you need to contact the department of the Federal Tax Service and submit an appropriate application.

You should also indicate the OKVED code 74.40 - "Advertising", pay the state duty and open a bank account. You can register your agency as an LLC, which will allow you to cooperate with large organizations. The cost of obtaining permits varies within 1 thousand rubles (for individual entrepreneurs).

Room search

To open your own agency, you need to rent office space. Its size depends on the number of employees who will work in the company. Meetings with customers will mainly take place on neutral territory, but you can organize them at home, so you should provide an appropriate environment for these purposes. The cost of renting a room with an area of ​​30 m? fluctuates within 15 thousand rubles a month. Also, it does not hurt to do a redecoration of the office, which will cost 30 thousand rubles.

Purchase of equipment

To equip an office, an entrepreneur will need to buy upholstered and cabinet furniture, computers and office equipment (printer, scanner, copier). Depending on the number of designers, several powerful PCs must be purchased. Computer equipment for the advertising business must have a professional software that will allow to carry out projects of any complexity. It is also worth taking care of the health of communications, high speed internet and telephone multichannel communication. The cost of equipment for a small agency varies within 130 thousand rubles.

Personnel attraction

In the advertising business, it is extremely important to successfully select staff, because not only the quality of services, but also the success of the agency will depend on their professionalism. It is advisable to hire experienced people. Such specialists have their own client base.

As for designers, they must have the talent and ability to think outside the box. In general, the staff of a small enterprise includes:

  • creative director - 20 thousand rubles;
  • manager - 15 thousand rubles;
  • designer - 20 thousand rubles.

The accounting department of the enterprise can be entrusted to remote employees, for which you will have to allocate about 5 thousand monthly. Total - the cost of staff salaries amount to 60 thousand rubles a month.

advertising agency advertisement

To popularize their own agency, a businessman will need to use various effective advertising channels. These should include:

  • cold calls;
  • advertising in the media;
  • promotion of your own website on the Internet;
  • creation of a thematic community in social networks;
  • outdoor sites.

The account manager should be tasked with finding potential customers. One of the most effective ways to build your own database is to make cold calls. promotional offer must be correctly composed, and the information is presented to people in a compressed form. It is recommended to focus on the uniqueness of services and the benefits of cooperation with your company.

A good result will be given by ads placed in the media and city printed publications. It does not hurt to register the agency in such electronic directories as 4GEO, Double Gis and others. It is also necessary to make a business card site for an advertising agency. This will attract a large number of customers, since the lion's share of information is distributed through global network. It is recommended to create a price list, which will indicate the services and prices for them, and place it on the main page of the site, where, in addition, information about promotions, discounts and other company activities should be published.

Promotion in social networks shows excellent results, so the creation of a thematic public is a must. In it, you need to notify subscribers about the work of the agency and services in order to interest customers in ordering advertising from you. Do not forget about the large number of websites and blogs on the Internet, which are somehow related to the subject of advertising. They need to advertise.

Advertising agency - business plan

Entrepreneurs can sketch out a business plan on their own, which will allow you to determine the size of the initial investment, the amount of required monthly costs and the estimated profit. Initial investment will be:

  • registration of an enterprise - 1 thousand rubles;
  • office rent - 15 thousand rubles;
  • cosmetic repairs of the premises - 30 thousand rubles;
  • purchase of furniture - 40 thousand rubles;
  • Internet and telephony connection - 10 thousand rubles;
  • purchase computer equipment- 130 thousand rubles.

Total - the volume of initial investments will be 226 thousand rubles. Mandatory monthly expenses:

  • rent - 15 thousand rubles;
  • salary of employees - 60 thousand rubles;
  • taxes - 20 thousand rubles.

The total amount of expenses is 95 thousand rubles. Concerning monthly profit advertising agency, then its size depends on the direction of activity, the trade margin and the list of services provided. On average, the income of an advertising organization is about 35-40% of the cost of orders. As practice shows, a small enterprise is able to fulfill several orders weekly, which bring about 250-300 thousand rubles a month. Over time, profits can be significantly higher.

How to compete in the advertising business?

The statistics of the activities of advertising agencies shows that most of them close in the first year of operation, unable to withstand the competition. To stay afloat and develop successfully, entrepreneurs need to properly organize the development strategy of their company.

The first thing to do is to come up with a catchy name for the advertising agency. The client must remember from the first time the company with which he would like to work. If there are no ideas, you can contact a company specializing in naming. The cost of such services varies between 25-40 thousand rubles.

At the initial stage of the agency's work, each client, including small organizations, is dear. For this reason, it is extremely important to create an appropriate impression of yourself. In each city there are directories of enterprises, you need to register in them. This will enable many organizations to contact you for services themselves. To stand out from the competition, the agency must have its own unique products that will allow you to firmly gain a foothold in this niche and satisfy the needs of customers.

Do not want to engage in sales, and production is not for you? Ask how the advertising business works. Perhaps this way of earning is suitable for you.

♦ Capital investments – 700,000 rubles
♦ Payback - up to 1 year

There is a misconception that creative people will never be able to discover profitable business and vice versa, entrepreneurs who are completely devoid of imagination will never launch a creative startup, preferring the old proven methods.

However, there is a field of activity that combines creativity and business, which suits both "physicists" and "lyricists", which is quite easy to start from scratch.

If you do not want to engage in buying and selling, and production is not for you, then ask how to open an advertising agency.

Perhaps this creative and interesting way to make money will suit you.

Advertising business: what is it and how to open it

  • distributes outdoor advertising;
  • promotes the product in the media;
  • conducts PR campaigns, including political ones;
  • advertises its client on the Internet;
  • conducts SMS marketing.

This is what most advertising agencies do.

Domestic businessmen who want to open an advertising business often focus on one thing.

They think for a long time where to start, and in the end they start promoting their client on the Internet (the most promising and inexpensive way of advertising) or organize a PR agency promoting the latest brand, politician or star.

On the one hand, opening a narrow-profile agency is profitable, because you do not need to hire a large staff or rent a giant office.

On the other hand, there is a risk that you will not be able to build a client base, because few people who need advertising will enter into contracts with several agencies to market their product in different ways.

How should an advertising agency work if I decide to open one?


Advertising business owners have two options:

  1. Engage in the promotion of one client in various ways.
  2. Form a base of many clients of varying profitability.

The first option is not very popular in our country, except that we are talking about a political PR campaign (often advertising agencies are created by a specific politician to promote themselves).

But abroad, manufacturing giants prefer that PR people focus only on advertising their brand, not spraying on others.

That is why companies such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi and others know where to start conquering the market of another country: by opening a branch of an advertising agency in this state.

The main thing for you is to start building a client base, and then you will find your bearings: you will be able to catch a big fish, you will only be engaged in its promotion, if not, you can make good money on small clients, the main thing is that you have:

  • advertising space (contracts with the media, websites, etc.);
  • personnel who are able to create impeccable and creative PR products;
  • structures (banners, cubes, etc.);
  • normal technical equipment;
  • partnerships with, which will quickly and efficiently print the products you have created in large quantities.

Without what it is impossible to open an advertising agency?

    Creativity.

    You must be a creative person with a rich imagination.
    If you are a hopeless "physicist", then you will not be able to control the actions of your subordinates.

    Stress resistance.

    In the advertising business, there are different instances.
    Sometimes products have to be redone several times until you please the client.
    Moreover, the customer will not always express his dissatisfaction politely and tolerantly.
    Among entrepreneurs, there are different instances and you need to learn how to find a common language with everyone.

    Be a good psychologist.

    Again, you have to deal with different clients.
    Some will come to you with ready-made ideas, expecting only their high-quality implementation in advertising products, and someone will contact you with the wording “I want this, I don’t know what” and you must quickly assess the client in order to understand what exactly he needs suggest.

    Sociability.

    You will have to communicate a lot with people and if you start to blush in the company of strangers, then it makes sense to think about opening not an advertising agency, but something else.
    Communication is indispensable in this business.

    Be a good manager.

    The advertising business is still a business.
    If you gush with ideas, but are unable to organize the work of staff, calculate income, guess to cut costs where possible, then your agency will quickly burn out.

Of course, the lack of these qualities should not necessarily prevent you from opening an advertising agency.

You can hire people who will have all the necessary qualities for the advertising business.

But still, it is better if the boss sets an example for his subordinates and is well versed in the business he is engaged in, which cannot be said about many unsuccessful businessmen.


If you decide to open an advertising agency from scratch, then you may want to take the advice of professionals who know how to start your business in order to build up a client base as quickly as possible and get the first profit:

  1. Come up with a creative name for your business.
    Customers will pay attention to the name of your company.
    They will understand: if you are not able to come up with an interesting name for your company, then how can you come up with a creative and effective advertising campaign for them.
    The name of the agency should be short, memorable, and easy to match with the products you will be using to promote your business.
  2. Do not rush the day after you decide to open an advertising agency, trying to catch the "big fish".
    Work with small companies doing small orders for them.
    So you will gain experience and learn to better understand the customer.
  3. When offering your services to potential clients, talk about your uniqueness.
    It is impossible, when calling customers, to say the same thing to everyone on the phone: “Hello. Manya's name is Ivan Ivanovich.
    I have decided to open an advertising agency and offer you my services.” Tell me what makes you different from your competitors.
  4. Be sure to study your competitors: advertising campaigns that they spent, their pricing policy what their customers were especially satisfied and dissatisfied with (if possible), etc.
    This will help you avoid common mistakes at work.
  5. Do not forget that the advertising business also needs to be advertised.

How to advertise an advertising agency that you have decided to open?

The most effective ways to promote a new agency are:

    Phone calls.

    You take a directory of enterprises in your city and start methodically calling them, informing them that a unique advertising agency has finally opened in your city that can conduct an effective and original PR campaign from scratch.

    You need to get the email addresses of enterprises in your city and send them letters with a proposal for cooperation.
    Work on the text of the letter in order to hook the client from the first lines, otherwise your message will end up in the basket even before reading.

    Media.

    Banners, cubes, bulletin boards, etc.
    The main thing is that your ad is interesting and attracts attention.

    Don't underestimate their power to spread the information you need.

    Word of mouth radio.

    One happy client will tell another happy client about a great advertising agency that has opened, and you'll quickly build a client base.

Having a website immediately suggests that you are a serious company that you can do business with.

How to open an advertising agency: calendar perspectives


Launching a startup like advertising business, does not require a long preparatory process.

If you decide to open an agency, then you need to take care of the standard steps: registration, finding a suitable office space, recruiting staff, purchasing equipment, and finding clients.

If you quickly implement all of the above and get smart assistants, you can launch a startup from scratch in 5 months, in extreme cases - in six months.

StageJanFebvreMarAprMay
registration
Office search and repair
Purchase of equipment
Recruitment
Search for the first clients
Opening

How to open an advertising agency: the main stages of starting a startup


We have already talked about what needs to be done to open an advertising agency.

And now let's take a closer look at all the stages of launching a startup.

registration

Choose one of the appropriate forms for opening an agency: IP, LLC, CJSC.

The simplest in terms of registration is the first form - IP, but the other two will require cooperation with a qualified lawyer, because it is quite difficult to deal with all the nuances of the procedure on your own.

Choose a form of taxation that will not ruin you at the beginning of the launch of an advertising business, for example, UTII.

room

However, you should not climb to the remote outskirts, since it is unlikely that any of the businessmen will want to travel so far to get acquainted with samples of your products.

If you still decide to save on rent and open an agency too far from the center, then be sure to take care of creating a website to make it easier for your customers to get to know you.

Do not invest too much money in the renovation of the rented premises.

You are not a restaurant, so you should not amaze with the interior.

Neutral-colored walls can be decorated with samples of the most successful products made by your agency.

But the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe room in which you will work depends on how large an advertising agency you decide to open.

If you are targeting a modest business, then at first you can rent 1-2 rooms for an office in one of the office buildings for several employees to work.

Serious agencies need offices with a total area of ​​at least 50-60 square meters.

Staff


The number of employees you need to hire depends on how big of an advertising agency you decide to open.

To start a small agency, you definitely need to hire:

  • two designers, one of whom will be engaged in the manufacture of a creative product, and the other will perform technical work: layout, etc.;
  • a manager whose main task is to attract new customers;
  • cleaning lady - without her, you will drown in the mud.

You will perform the functions of the head of an advertising agency: negotiate with clients, conclude contracts, attach advertising in the media, etc.

If you can handle the bookkeeping on your own, then save on the position of an accountant. Otherwise, you will have to hire an accountant or conclude an agreement with an outsourcing company.

And you can’t do without a programmer, since your main equipment is computers. He can be hired part-time.

QtySalary (in rubles)Total (in rubles)
Total: 74 000 rub.
Designers (technical and creative)2 20 000 40 000
Manager1 15 000 15 000
Cleaning woman1 9 000 9 000
part-time programmer1 10 000 10 000

Equipment


Advertising agency equipment is expensive.

You will definitely need computers, and designers need powerful machines for work, which are very expensive, printing and office equipment, furniture, stationery and more.

The main expenses for office equipment will be as follows:

Item of expensesQtyCost (in rubles)Amount (in rubles)
Total: RUB 500,000
Computers or laptops
4 40 000 160 000
Laser printer
1 10 000 10 000
Scanner
1 10 000 10 000
Xerox
1 30 000 30 000
Large format printing press
1 100 000 100 000
Cutting plotter
1 70 000 70 000
Telephone sets
2 1 000 2 000
tables
4 4 000 16 000
Visitor chairs and office chairs
8 2 000 16 000
Plumbing for the bathroom
10 000 10 000
Other 76 000 76 000

How to open an advertising agency and how much does it cost?


People who are interested in the topic of how to open an advertising agency are worried about the question “How much money will have to be invested in starting this startup?”.

Those who hoped for minimal spending will be disappointed.

As you can see, you need a decent capital investment in order to open an advertising agency.

If you were unable to collect the required amount on your own, then it makes sense to think about attracting a partner who would take on part of the costs.

After all, you expect not only one-time, but also monthly investments:

We offer you to watch a video about what you need,

If you open an advertising agency, how quickly will the costs pay off?

Another way is personal visits of the head or manager to organizations that need advertising.

You set the prices for your services yourself, focusing on the price level and financial capabilities of the inhabitants of your region.

You can work in the lower, middle or higher price category.

  • script - 10–20,000 rubles;
  • company logo - 20–30,000 rubles;
  • banner layout - 5–8,000 rubles;
  • layout in the media - 10–15,000 rubles;
  • original layout for corporate edition- 20–30,000 rubles;
  • souvenir products - from 1,000 rubles;
  • a full-fledged PR campaign - from 100,000 rubles. etc.

In addition to orders from clients, you will receive a percentage of advertising in the media (this should be done only after agreement with the client).

A good income is 400–500,000 rubles per month.

It is very realistic to have such an income if you manage to acquire at least ten regular customers, do not ignore small orders and constantly work to expand your customer base.

The main thing is that the income of your business should not be lower than 200,000 rubles per month (after all, this is the amount that your monthly expenses make up), otherwise you will work at a loss, which means the meaning open an advertising agency is lost.

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Advertising in Russia today is one of the most popular areas of business. Creative, bold and non-trivial personalities who understand fashion trends and human souls enter this industry. Despite the fact that the lion's share of the work of advertisers is to perform complex calculations, many of them fail to open an advertising agency from scratch, as unforeseen problems arise that were not suspected at the very beginning.

Let's try to figure out together what an advertising agency is, why you need it and how to build a successful advertising business with minimal investment.

  • universal;
  • highly specialized.

In the first case, the word "universal" means that the organization provides a wide range of advertising services, and can also affect the sphere of PR or marketing, in general, whatever the client's heart desires.

In the second - the organization is engaged only in the activities of one of the few advertising areas, and this is the main profile of its activities. Such an organization could be:

  • creative agencies;
  • organizing the purchase of time or space in the media;
  • working for an audience of a certain age, status, etc.;
  • specializing in a specific industry (for example, medicine or IT technologies);
  • preferring to work with a specific type of advertising (television, radio, outdoor, etc.).
  1. The organization has advertising space and is engaged in issuing them for rent.
  2. The organization manufactures various structures containing advertising, such as billboards, stands, etc.
  3. The agency distributes advertising in the network (develops Internet pages, promotes resources).
  4. Implements a wide range of advertising opportunities;
  5. Promotes goods and services of the client company.

In addition to the types listed above, there are all kinds of mixed varieties, but we have listed the main ones. You can open any of them either from scratch or with an investment of capital. Of course, the second method seems better, but in fact, without the proper skills, you can fall in both cases, which means you can lose not only the effort expended, but also the capital.

What role do advertising agencies play in the development of modern business?

In fact, maintaining an advertising agency is quite costly. That is why not every firm can afford to include this unit in the organization system. In fact, it is like having another independent organization on the basis of the organization. That is why the work of third-party advertising organizations is so relevant and attractive, because it employs employees with a creative outlook on things, a special mindset, who can look into the soul of not just one person, but an entire segment of the population at once. In addition to advertising work to promote products, a business also needs outside PR support in order to build not only active sales but also a strong reputation.

The advertising process is based on the definition and work with target audience- the mentioned segment of society, potentially consuming the product of the customer company, by disseminating information about the product, generating interest in it and increasing the level of final popularity.

The feasibility of opening an advertising agency and the difficulties encountered

Even if you have a seemingly perfect plan for creating an advertising agency in your head, pay attention to the statistics. Every day a new advertising agency opens in Russia, the organizers of which believe in success. However, after a year, at best two or three, most of them fail and close forever. The reason for such a high percentage of defeats in the advertising field can be as follows.

  1. Serious competition. The field of advertising business is not so new today. In addition to the giants of advertising, whose work is no longer carried out at the regional, but at the federal level, each more or less large city already has its own advertising leader and companies claiming to take his place. They all exist for many years and it is not an easy task to overcome them, as well as newcomers to the advertising world similar to you.
  2. Location of the future agency. Simply put, the size of the city in which you are eager to start a business. It is completely unprofitable to open an agency in cities of various regions that do not reach at least 1 million inhabitants, because otherwise there is already a “king of the hill” there, and the main income will still come to him, due to the small number of orders and the experience of the aforementioned leader in the field of advertising. After all, the customer argues like this: “why pay the same price to an unknown company when you can turn to a contractor with 10 years of experience?”.
  3. Complete lack of investment. Of course, start and develop successful business may with complete zero however, this deprives the enterprise of any advantage. Your advertisement for own enterprise, can be so creative that it will make potential customers run to the office and not notice that it is located in the farthest corner of the building and there is no air conditioning inside. However, only geniuses or lucky ones can immediately impress the audience. If you are not one of them, the lack of even minimum investment bad for business.
  4. Lack of established customer base. It often happens that an advertising agency is opened by people who worked "for an uncle" in such an organization. They might not be satisfied with the conditions, underestimated talent, low salary, so they packed their things, took away the accumulated client base with whom they worked and went on a free voyage. This is almost a utopian case, because usually things are the other way around: there is no experience, no base of people, but only a great desire to create in the world of advertising.
  5. The triviality of the advertising produced. This difficulty is not technical in nature, but rather creative. The fact is that the consumer is fed up with advertising of all kinds, it is difficult to surprise him. Only a real creative advertiser will be able to awaken the imagination of people and get attention.
  1. Presence of a starting (small) customer base or potential customers makes a big difference. One satisfied organization will pass the news on to another and gradually the list of customers will grow to an acceptable level and the agency will be in relative safety.
  2. Low competition. This option is utopian, but there are cities with a fairly large population and the absence of decent advertising agencies. In 2015-2017, they perfectly fit this description of the city of Crimea, which was recently annexed to Russia. No one was interested in business on the peninsula until huge masses of people from Donetsk moved there, and those who moved from the mainland closer to the heat. The advertising niche is still unoccupied in some cities and you can compete for it.
  3. Size locality . Who in their right mind would open an advertising agency in towns, villages and small towns? That's right, no one, due to the lack of advertising customers, and as a result - profits. But if the location of the organization being opened is a large city, the chances of success are significantly increased.
  4. Having a creative team. All activities of any enterprise depend on the team, its professionalism and literacy. This also applies to the advertising agency. It is simply impossible to open such an organization without creative geniuses. It will do if there are only two people, but if there is not one, the business will burn out.

Having considered all the dangers and opportunities of opening an advertising business, let's talk more specifically about what investments and actions will need to be made to achieve success.

Video - What you need to start an advertising agency

Putting together a team

As already mentioned, the team is almost the most important aspect for the favorable growth and development of an advertising organization. If everyone necessary people will be in place, the appearance of customers and the first profit will not be long in coming.

The composition of the team may not be complete at first, but ideally you should have the following people:

  • designer (preferably two);
  • creative person;
  • organizational manager;
  • director.

For which aspects of the activity each of the employees is responsible, see the table below.

Table 1. Responsibilities of advertising agency employees

creativeDesignerOrganizational Affairs ManagerDirector
  • listening to the wishes of customers and developing a set of ideas.
  • visualization of ideas proposed by creatives by hand and in graphic editors.
  • finds ways to reproduce advertising products or services (for example, concludes contracts with printing houses).
  • responsible for process control;
  • allocation of funding;
  • determines the ways of further development, etc.

Each of the listed employees needs to be paid a salary, so remember all the criteria under which an investment in hiring staff will pay off:

  • in the presence of a specialized basic or at least additional education;
  • sociability;
  • ability to work in a team;
  • ability to prioritize tasks.

Intuitively, you can choose for positions a few abnormal people who speak about their field of activity with a breath. Such people will not disappear themselves, and will not let your common cause disappear.

In addition to a permanent team, it is necessary to build up a base of temporary employees over time, working in all kinds of projects, distributing leaflets, demonstrating the company's product to consumers, etc. The selection of participants is carried out as a result of the casting, at which without fail the main responsible person is the director.

Necessary props and premises for the first time

The office doesn't have to be big. Zoning the workspace of employees and refusing to allocate a separate office to the director of the agency can solve the problem.

In principle, the period of formation, as well as the subsequent long life, an advertising agency can easily spend in a small office. It is desirable that it be divided into two or three, ideally four rooms, serving the following purposes:

  • a room with a projector for presentations and negotiations;
  • director's office;
  • designers office;
  • office of other employees.

In addition, it would be great to have a warehouse in which to store props prepared for use at various promotions and events.

If there is not enough money to rent a four-room office, it is more rational to save money not on the departments for employees, but on the director's room, since it is he who is interested in making things work out.

According to the recommendations, the square footage of the premises should not be less than 40 units. The ideal rental price is no more than 30 thousand rubles, but we all understand that such a price today is possible only in small towns in the regions. A tactically advantageous office location is the central or business district of the city, where the business environment reigns. Thus, you place the agency right in front of potential customers and the cost of renting the premises pays off by itself.

Profitable advertising activity and specialization of the agency

Depending on the prevailing business situation in the city where the agency is located, the main type of advertising activity is selected. So, for example, if the bulk business enterprises conducts business within the region, pay attention to radio and television advertising, if only within the city, it is most reasonable to limit yourself to the development of promotions and outdoor advertising.

According to statistics, the advertising segment is in the greatest demand in advertising agencies. BTL, which stands for "below the line". This part of the advertising process means direct marketing - all non-traditional ways to influence the consumer here and now, for example, promotions, events, and so on. The advantage of BTL is in low cost and accurate spontaneous impact on the buyer. It is this activity that will bring the advertising agency a solid percentage of the total income.

Segment advertising ATL(above the line), which contains massive traditional ways of influencing the audience, is much more expensive and is used only by large business organizations. Medium and small enterprises from ATL funds prefer only outdoor advertising that they can afford.

According to the latest trends, the main creative efforts of the agency staff should be focused on:

  • work with mailing letters by e-mail;
  • organization of trade events and corporate events (fairs, exhibitions, conferences, corporate parties, etc.);
  • Viral marketing;
  • PR-work with the target audience of the customer company;
  • Promotions;
  • Online advertising (including SEO).

Agency start up costs

So we come to the very important aspect- the costs that will have to be mastered in order to organize a successful advertising agency. Let's consider each direction in turn.

Agency Registration

Consider the cost table for self-registration societies with limited liability.

Table 2. Costs for self-registration of an LLC

Cost itemapproximate cost
Costs for authorized capital societiesThe minimum that can be the authorized capital starts at around 10 thousand. The contribution is obligatory in the form of money; replacing capital with property of the same value is prohibited by law.
Investments in the organization of the legal addressThe average cost of this procedure is 5 thousand rubles, but can reach up to 20 thousand.
The cost of notary servicesThis column implies payment for the work of a notary, in 2017 its cost reaches a maximum of 1.3 thousand rubles.
Payment of state duty due to registration of LLCThe state duty is 4 thousand rubles and is paid without fail.
Custom print productionThe cost of the service is no more than 1 thousand rubles.
Organization of a bank accountThe price for opening a current account is no more than 2 thousand rubles

In this table, we have presented you with the maximum possible amounts that some entrepreneurs spend on organizing an LLC, however, do not be alarmed, on average the amount never exceeds 20 thousand rubles.

Learn all about how to open entity independently, from our articles. In the publications "" and "" you will find detailed step by step instructions on opening a legal entity, a list of required documents and their samples for download.

Office rent

As mentioned above, the cost of renting an office will differ depending on the size of the city where the agency is located. We present a table containing information on prices for renting offices with a size of 40 square meters, for one month, in business districts some cities for 2017.

Table 3. Prices for renting offices from 40 m² per month

Average rental amount including utility bills get about 35 thousand. If we are talking about Moscow - much more, but for now we will calculate options for smaller cities.

Employee salaries

Calculate the minimum wage for the minimum number of employees. So, since the team we calculated has at least four people, each of them should receive a salary - about 10 thousand rubles, otherwise they simply won’t want to come to work with you. In addition to salary, employees receive a percentage of closed deals, therefore, monthly payments per person at first amount to about 15 thousand rubles, which means for all - 60 thousand.

An employee's salary is a waste that cannot be saved

Office furnishing

In addition to renting an office, you need to spend some money on the purchase of equipment, such as:

  • tables;
  • chairs;
  • projector (optional)
  • phone;
  • 1-2 computers (minimum).

All of the items listed above will do for the first time in a used condition, since you need to open an agency with a minimum of costs. If desired, all the items described above can be collected in the amount of 100 thousand rubles, since the agency simply cannot do without productive equipment for designers.

Agency advertising

The agency's own advertising will consist primarily in the creation of a website. It's good if one of your employees has web development skills, but if not, it will take about 10-25 thousand rubles at least to create a simple website based on well-known platforms, including the purchase of a domain.

the total cost

Let's calculate the resulting costs:

  • about 20 thousand will be spent on registering the agency as a limited liability company;
  • 35,000 was spent on renting premises in a strategically advantageous area of ​​the city;
  • for payment wages employees in the first month will need 60 thousand;
  • for office furnishing necessary equipment 100 thousand will leave;
  • agency advertising will cost about 25 thousand rubles.

In total, we got 240 thousand rubles. Even an ordinary store employee can accumulate such an amount in a few years if he dreams of opening his own agency, that is, the amount does not seem large. In the conditions of modern realities, this amount fits the description “from scratch”, since it is impossible to imagine lower costs. They can be reduced only in the following cases:

  • if office equipment is borrowed from friends for free;
  • members of the organization have web development skills;
  • with incredible luck.

In all other cases, before opening your own advertising business, you will have to work hard and accumulate the required amount.

What to expect

Now let's discuss what you should expect at first when opening an advertising agency. First of all, you need to remember one thing Golden Rule, which sounds like "don't miss a single client." Even the most successful advertising venture won't get dozens of orders from day one. Prices for the first orders should be set low if you expect that the customer will not run away and tell his friends about you. Yes, at first you can’t make money on it, but you can gain fame and develop an image that is much more valuable than momentary profit.

It is beneficial to work with young firms that are leaving the shadow and entering the market arena. No matter how small and insignificant it may seem, such work will allow you to gain experience in developing a brand book, logo and advertising in the media.

Often, the agency will receive requests to place video ads on various services, such as YouTube. It will not be expensive for the client to pay for such work, just as it is easy for you to perform it. Orders for outdoor banner advertising will be popular. When processing such orders, the agency will technical development, design and conclusion of contracts for the lease of space.

At first, promotions will bring big profits, since the development of even a small-scale event will amount to 25 thousand rubles of net profit.

The services of designers are valued the most, so at the initial stage they will be in minimal demand, but as the popularity of the organization increases, the situation will change, and they will start to bring money.

Video - How to open an advertising agency in the region

Summing up

As you can see, the seemingly impossible business of starting your own advertising agency with minimal cost not at all so unattainable. It is important to prepare for hard work and give all your strength to achieve your goals. The main thing is to clearly calculate your every step and make a minimum of mistakes.