9 Benefits to Expect From a Creative Services Partner

With the large volume of creative assets now required to effectively reach target customers across various platforms, it’s hardly surprising that the value of independently provided creative services has skyrocketed in the past few years. In 2021, the creative services market was worth USD 2,966.25 million—a number that’s expected to grow to USD 5,353.24 million by 2030.

Your service provider should offer more than the “bare basics” of good graphic design to help you win customers in 2024 and beyond. With so much competition for eyeballs, they should be a strong strategic partner.

But choosing the right creative agency can be challenging. Without a clear understanding of what to look for, it can be difficult to determine which agency best matches your needs and goals.

Don’t stress. With this comprehensive guide to the current state of the creative industry and the benefits your creative services provider should bring to the table, you’ll be ready to give your competitors a run for their money.

The Creative Services Industry in a Nutshell

A developing trend in the creative services industry is the growing number of freelance workers and people tapping into the gig economy.

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly accelerated the growth of the freelance workforce. For example, before the pandemic, there was a shortage of full-time freelancers in the U.S. The pandemic dramatically changed the landscape, resulting in a 90% increase in full-time freelancers and a 130% increase in side giggers.

The growth in creative design jobs is driven by companies’ attempts to keep up with the need for much higher volumes of creative. Around 60% of businesses now hire external graphic designers, and more than 90% of companies now use formats like video as part of their creative marketing efforts.

This explosive growth in the industry means that there are many options to choose from when you’re looking for a creative agency. Some are better suited to smaller businesses; others are ideal for enterprise-level companies. It’s important to understand what a particular service provider can realistically deliver.

Creative Services vs. Traditional Creative Agencies

When you Google “creative services,” the companies you'll find are most likely to be traditional creative agencies. Agencies can be a great choice, but they may also have limited capabilities, which could make it hard to deliver the work you brief in.

A true creative service, on the other hand, is a different animal, providing benefits traditional creative agencies simply can’t. This table outlines the key differences.

	Traditional creative agencies	Creative services
Range of services	Often have a specific focus, e.g., graphic design, animation, or video production.	Offer a broader range of services including graphics, brand identity, video production, web design, etc.
Flexibility and adaptability	May follow a fixed process and service model. Some lack the agility to quickly pivot to meet changing trends and demands.	Greater flexibility in switching between different types of creative and adapting to changing needs and conditions.
Cost structure	Typically, quote on a “per job” basis. May charge higher rates due to overhead costs associated with physical office space and staff.	Usually offer a subscription model. Reduced overheads from operating primarily online can make this a more cost-effective option, especially for larger businesses requiring a steady stream of creative assets.
Communication and collaboration	Good agencies prioritize clear communication and collaboration with their customers and service providers. Some may, however, lack access to subject-matter experts and specialists.	Clear communication prioritized. Typically involves collaboration with a diverse network of freelancers and specialists, allowing for access to a wider range of talent and expertise.
Turnaround time and scale	Turnaround times tend to be long. Internal processes and workflows may slow down asset delivery. Agencies often have a hard time scaling creative quickly and cost-effectively.	Often capable of lightning-fast turnaround times thanks to streamlined workflows and adaptable processes. Scaling is made easier thanks to agile models (e.g. a Creative-as-a-Service model).
Geographic reach	Many work with customers worldwide, but some prefer to focus on specific markets or areas.	Larger organizations often have experience working with companies worldwide. Globally distributed teams and experience make localization of content easier.
Technology and skills	May lag behind in adopting new tech and creative tools, or may be reluctant to switch from a “tried and tested” creative process.	Larger services embrace technology and digital platforms, leveraging AI, automation and collaboration tools for maximum efficiency and creativity.

As the table above shows, working with a creative service is often quite different from working with a traditional creative agency. But even within creative service organizations, there are still differences worth exploring.

The Superside Approach to Creative Services

At Superside, we‘ve developed a unique approach to the design services we offer our customers.

Our AI-enhanced, Creative-as-a-Service (CaaS) model sets us apart from traditional creative agencies and freelancers by addressing many of their limitations. If high costs and slow turnaround times are giving you grey hair, you’ll be glad to hear that we provide a more efficient, scalable solution for businesses seeking high-quality creative work fast.

Customers get access to a wide range of design services on demand and without the typical constraints associated with conventional creative service providers. With a single monthly subscription, you can select the number of monthly credits you’re likely to use, tapping into a wide variety of creative services. When you don’t brief anything in, unused credits roll over, so no dollar is ever wasted.

The CaaS model also offers Superside customers the flexibility to experiment with new strategies and adapt to changing trends. This could involve exploring innovative approaches to campaigns or leveraging emerging technologies such as augmented reality. With a globally distributed team of top talent, you’re also tapping into the world’s best creative skills.

The Top 9 Benefits to Expect from Creative Services

1. Collaboration with top creative experts

If you’re hiring an external creative agency, you want to work with the best. The team should add major value to your projects through their deep expertise, specialized industry knowledge and willingness to collaborate to make your vision a reality.

Superside has the top 1% of global creative talent and over 700 team members working across 57 countries and 13 timezones. A good team will also be able to take a concept and run with it, delivering fresh, innovative ideas that capture your target audience’s attention.

2. Driving customer engagement and satisfaction

Your creative agency should have a proven track record of increasing customer engagement and satisfaction. They should be skilled at creating compelling content and visuals and know which levers to pull to drive engagement and interaction with your brand.

Look out for experience with UX/UI design, a strong background in ad creative, social media experience, and knowledge of how to support and deepen your brand identity via your website and other channels.

Companies offering the best services will also have a pulse on the latest trends, deep insight into market segments and a proven record of delivering creative that resonates with target customers on an emotional level.

Here at Superside, we make it our mission to drive engagement and customer satisfaction. Our Brio case study is a good example of how we’ve achieved 100% customer satisfaction by creating a complete design package for a customer.

We’re lucky to have collaborated with more than 450 forward-thinking customers to create engaging and compelling creative work that resonates with their target audiences.

Brio

3. Cost-effective creativity

Many businesses can’t afford the high cost of hiring an internal creative team or partnering with a traditional creative agency. A good creative agency should be able to help manage costs effectively while still delivering high-quality creative work that aligns with your business objectives.

Something to factor into your cost calculations is that creative services companies give you access to a much wider range of talent. So, instead of hiring a design specialist with expertise in only one area (e.g., motion graphics or web design), you get access to a whole suite of creative talent and styles without the overhead costs associated with full-time employees. Make sure you pick a creative service that lets you easily switch between asset types and formats to get the full benefit.

When evaluating service providers, look for key capabilities that can contribute to a high return on investment (ROI). These include the ability to scale content production according to your changing needs, work efficiently and meet deadlines consistently, and deliver top-quality designs that effectively communicate your brand message.

Because of Superside’s unique CaaS model, we can deliver high-quality design at a much lower cost than traditional agencies. For example, while working on a social media campaign for Imperfect Foods, we dropped the creative production costs by $250,000.

We also delivered a 50% lower cost per asset for Amazon and have experience bringing down the costs of brand relaunches by tens of thousands of dollars.

Amazon Home

4. Bolstering brand identity

The best creative companies will have extensive experience developing highly effective brand identities, messages and strategies. They should also be wizards at developing all your brand assets so that you have a strong visual brand identity across platforms.

When selecting a service provider, it’s essential to choose one with a proven track record of successfully upholding a unified brand vision, regardless of the type of asset being created.

Additionally, a creative team with experience developing brand guidelines and adapting brands to stay relevant in the face of new trends and challenges can provide even greater value to your business. This expertise ensures that your brand remains consistent yet flexible, allowing you to communicate your message effectively and connect with your target audience in an ever-changing landscape.

At Superside, we pride ourselves on being able to match and improve existing brand assets. Our experience with everything from brand development to custom branding solutions means we’re experts at creating branding experiences that are a true reflection of the company’s identity.

Check out these stunning brand-consistent visuals we rolled out for Amsive to get a sense of what we could do for you.

Amsive

5. Better ad performance

Advertising is one of the most critical areas where exceptional creative work can make a significant impact. When choosing a creative agency, select one that deeply understands how to boost engagement and deliver high conversion rates, no matter the creative tasks they need to deliver.

A top-tier creative agency will achieve these goals by crafting high-quality designs and demonstrating a keen understanding of what will resonate with your target audience. They should also be agile and adaptable, able to quickly iterate and adjust their approach based on the insights gained from trials and A/B testing.

Superside has a strong track record of enhancing ad performance for customers, with an average lift of 65%. Our expertise in creating engaging social media ads has also yielded remarkable results for brands. For example, we drove a 5,124% increase in views on TikTok for Suzanne Kalan in just three weeks and a 200% uptick in CTR for Kins.

6. Increased sales and conversions

A skilled creative services provider should deeply understand sales and conversion strategies. Persuasive messaging, visually appealing designs and compelling storytelling are all critical factors in engaging, converting and retaining customers.

A good creative agency can help you generate an emotional connection with your target audience, which can quickly turn target customers into loyal brand ambassadors. They’ll also understand how to shift that connection into a conversion through clear, compelling CTAs.

Superside’s in-depth approach to designing high-converting creative ensures our customers see a high return on investment with every campaign. For PointCard, for example, we helped drive a 240% increase in CTR and a 275% boost in conversions.

7. Faster turnaround times

Speed is one of the most compelling reasons for marketing teams to invest in good creative partners. Unlike traditional creative agencies, an in-house team or freelancers, creative services teams typically have the resources to deliver assets fast. Most also have the networks in place to tap into specialized knowledge, so customers can get fast turnarounds regardless of the type of creative they need.

Superside’s unique CaaS model allows us to produce creative 20X faster than in-house teams. In fact, we turn assets around in as little as 12-48 hours. For example, we boosted Vlocity’s design capacity by 10X when partnering on a recent project, allowing them to deliver assets for their partner (Salesforce) 70% faster than they could alone.

Savings in design production

$80k

Increase in design capacity

10X

Average NPS

94

8. Enhanced scalability

The subscription-based model offers businesses a more adaptable solution compared to traditional fixed contracts for specific asset types.

By ramping up or down production and switching between different types of creative assets, businesses can quickly respond to emerging trends, adapt to market changes and capitalize on time-sensitive opportunities, such as seasonal demand spikes. This agility is particularly valuable for companies with limited in-house creative resources, as it enables them to access the creative support they need without overwhelming their existing teams or compromising on quality.

A skilled creative agency can also design versatile assets for use across multiple campaigns, channels and purposes. By developing digital marketing assets that can be easily modified and repurposed, the creative services team can enable customers to maintain a consistent brand identity while staying fresh and relevant. This approach saves time and resources, ensures seamless integration into future campaigns and empowers businesses to get the most mileage out of their creative work.

Superside’s flexible, always-on model means we can quickly scale our creative outputs to meet your business needs, whether that’s kicking off a new project in under 30 minutes or rapidly boosting Bolt’s creative output by over 600%.

CREATIVE OUTPUT INCREASE

600%

TIME TO COMPLETE

1 month

NUMBER OF DEDICATED CREATIVES

18

9. AI-powered creativity

Finally, if your chosen creative services partner isn’t already using AI to produce marketing collateral, they could slow you down. In 2024, a good agency can leverage the latest AI tools and the power of human imagination to produce remarkable results.

AI technology empowers creative service providers to automate repetitive tasks, generate personalized content at scale, rapidly research consumer preferences and boost the effectiveness of creative campaigns.

At Superside, we embrace AI and constantly push the boundaries to help our talented creatives achieve even more with the help of design tools. For example, with AI by our side, our creative team helped pet insurance group IPG save 90% design time while generating more than 750 unique images for their internal merchandise collection.

Design time saved

90%

Total saved

$15k-$20k

Unique images generated

750+

Redefine Your Brand’s Potential With Superside’s Creative Services

These nine benefits serve as a great starting point for deciding whether a particular creative partner can meet your briefs and goals. The key is finding a flexible, scalable team with the expertise to execute your digital marketing ideas flawlessly.

With Superside’s CaaS model, the world really is your oyster. Our unique creative approach empowers you to dream big and develop the materials you need to deliver your marketing strategy. Book a free demo for more on why we’re a cut above the rest.