Once you’ve decided to hire a marketing agency, there are several things you should decide on even before approaching potential partners.
Here are some of the questions you should ask as you start your search for a marketing agency to work with:
What Do You Want to Accomplish with an Agency?
Before shopping around, do your homework, write out a plan, and prepare for your initial meeting with a clear vision of what you want to see from the relationship. Do you want more sales? More leads? Better marketing collateral? A new website? Knowing what you want to achieve will help you avoid paying for things you don’t need. An experienced agency will present you with tactics and tools that have worked well for companies similar to yours in the past and their creative approach to implementation. However, too many factors guarantee that your audience will respond the way you want them to. This is why you seldom see guarantees offered by marketing agencies.
What Services Does an Agency Provide?
Not all agencies are the same; some provide a full range of marketing services; others specialise in industries like hospitality or tech. Companies focus on a particular marketing area like search engine marketing as opposed, or maybe they do more print work. Researching several different companies is critical. Also, check with them if you need a service they don’t provide. Sometimes, they may have trusted partners to which they can refer you.
Research, Their Previous Clients
Take a look at the marketing firm’s website and see if they have a Clients or Portfolio section – most do. After all, they’re proud of the work they’ve done. Also, it doesn’t hurt to check their reviews on Yelp or look up the company on Google to see how business owners like you have experienced their services. After all, some companies have more experience marketing certain businesses like restaurants; it might help to go with a company with expertise in your industry.
Where Will, the Ideas, Come From?
Do you have ideas in mind already, or do you want the agency to generate creative ideas for you? Be clear about what you expect your marketing firm to do.
Are You Good with Deadlines?
To meet deadlines, your marketing firm depends on you. As the business owner, your marketing firm depends on you to answer questions, provide insights, review material, and timely approvals.
How Much Training Do You Want Them to Provide to Your Team?
While an agency can set up a social media account for you, do you want them to run, or are you comfortable doing that yourself? Be aware of your needs and expectations and communicate them to your prospective marketing firm.
Do You Want Them to Work with Your Existing Team?
Do you already have established relationships with people such as your graphic designer, web administrator or others that you want to continue using? Ask your prospective marketing firm about their willingness to work collaboratively. Some agencies are very open, while others prefer to work with their people.
Will You Get Along with Their Team?
You’re going to have to work with the agency’s people on a monthly, weekly, or daily basis, so you want to make sure your personalities are compatible; otherwise, there are likely issues down the road. Be sure to ask some character or cultural fit interview questions before hiring a marketing agency.
This list should give you some ideas to consider before starting your search. Working with a marketing agency can let you grow your business while concentrating on your company’s business. You want to make sure you’re in good hands, so do the time to do your homework.
