Investing in a marketing strategy is arguably one of the most important aspects of building and sustaining a business. Because of this, there are several agencies from which to choose, so the question becomes “how do you choose the right marketing agency?” The best way to choose a marketing agency is to do some research. This article will explore 8 factors that you should consider when choosing a marketing agency – so you can feel good about the team that will be responsible for bolstering your brand and representing it to the world. Keep reading to find out more!
What 8 Tips Should You Consider When Choosing a Marketing Agency?
You put a lot of time, effort, and money into your business, so you want to make sure that your investments are successful. When it comes to choosing a marketing agency, the premise is the same. Here are 8 Things You Should Consider When Choosing a Marketing Agency:
- What Kind of Services Do They Offer?
- What Is Their Reputation?
- Do They Fit Your Budget?
- What is Their Clientele and Portfolio Like?
- How Do They Communicate with Clients?
- Is the Agency an In-House or Outsource Shop?
- Do You Like People You Will Work With?
- Size Doesn’t Always Matter
Let’s explore how these factors can lead you to choose the right marketing agency for your business and what you need to know before signing a contract.
What Kind of Services Do They Offer?
The world is becoming increasingly more digitized, and yet old-school marketing tactics are still just as important. When you begin researching different agencies, one of the most important things you should look for is the kind of services they can offer you. What good would it do you if you chose an agency that can’t deliver the services you need?
Maybe your current needs include a special event you have coming up and you need materials to promote it. At the same time, you’re aware that you will need a new website in about 6 months – can the marketing agency you’re looking at achieving both of these requirements? If so, then you can be confident that the team you have chosen will be able to meet whatever needs you have, now and in the future.
What Is Their Reputation?
How did you learn about the agency? Was it referred to you by a trusted friend or colleague? Did you find them online, but you don’t know much about them? Reputation in the business world is important, and even if they are a small company there should be some reviews or information about them.
Be sure to search their social media, ads, reviews, testimonials, and actual work. Does the information found gives you a good image of how the agency handles their client’s business and do they have a good reputation?
Do They Fit Your Budget?
As with anything concerning your business, budget is always important. A company needs to know that putting money into an agency shows a good return on their finances. Is it a large agency that charges a bit more, but offers more services that make the price reasonable? Or is it a small agency that is charging too much for the limited options they provide?
Before choosing an agency, you should have a good sense of what you need from them and how much you can afford to spend. After determining this, you should also know how the agency charges their clients – is it all upfront, invoices after the service is completed, a monthly retainer? Answering all of these questions can help you better prepare and budget on your end, while also choosing a company that can match your requirements.
What is Their Clientele and Portfolio Like?
Knowing the type of work the agency has done in the past, the type of clients they’ve worked with, and much more is important when deciding on an agency to work with. When you review the portfolio of the agency, you can see what type of businesses they have partnered with, do they work with clients your size? Do they work with businesses in your industry?
You wouldn’t want to pursue an agency only to find that they have not and will not work in your particular industry or that they only work with clients that are larger than you. However, just because an agency you’re interested in doesn’t show clients/work that relates to you, doesn’t mean that they won’t. If you’ve found a company you like, schedule a consultation to see if they could be a fit.
How Do They Communicate with Clients?
Communication is the key to a successful campaign. A marketing agency should always keep its client in the loop. As a future client, you need to ask if they will be communicating with an employee working on your account.
- They will also need to inquire about the policies for doing so during campaigns; e-mail or phone?
- What will the manner of communications usually be?
- Will there be scheduled meetings face to face, face time, or online only, etc…
- Be sure to ask these questions when setting up potential agencies because it could determine whether this company has what it takes!
Is the Agency an In-House or Outsource Shop?
As a company, there are certain things you outsource to make the best of your time and focus, however, you don’t want your marketing agency to do the same. If you choose an agency that outsources their graphic designs, you can run into problems with no direct contact, inability to address time-sensitive concerns, problems with miscommunication, and much more.
Plus, you specifically chose to find a marketing agency to fulfill all of your needs, if they send things outside then what was the point? Be sure to communicate with the agency of your choice that you expect to keep things in-house and if there is ever a reason for outsourcing that it is communicated ahead of time.
Do You Like the People You Will Be Working With?
When you choose an agency, you are establishing and committing to a relationship. Do you find it easy to work with the individuals who will be on your account? Do you share interests outside of your business that makes it easy to work together? You will likely be spending a significant amount of time with the team at your marketing agency so getting along and enjoying their company is a good and important thing to think about.
Try to get to know the agency’s officers and their team before agreeing to a contract. Be sure that your team members and the agency team can spend time together to ensure you all get along in harmony. If something doesn’t feel right or there is already animosity between two individuals, then it’s a good idea to move on.
Size Doesn’t Always Matter
If you have done your research and considered all the previous tips, you are so close to finding your agency! Now, keep one more thing in mind – the size of the company should not make the decision for you. This tip goes both ways: the largest fanciest marketing agency may be too pricey or they won’t be able to provide customer service that is necessary for your business; in the same way, a small agency may not be able to handle your large, annual event or they’re team can offer more personalized focus because of their industry specialty.
Either way, while you should consider their size and whether or not they will be able to handle you and your business, you should also remember that sometimes a small fish in a big pond is better than the most sought-after agency in town.
Making Your Decision
Congratulations! You have now navigated all the important factors that you should consider when choosing a marketing agency for your business. Now it is time to make the decision. Each of these 8 tips will give you a better sense of what you will be getting before you even sign a contract. You can feel confident that the agency which meets all of these standards will be perfect for you.
Related Questions
What Are the Benefits of Having a Marketing Agency?
As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, the time effort, and money you put into your company is important. So, what kind of benefits are there to investing in a marketing agency?
- More experts to work with: with a dedicated marketing agency, your team can spend more time and energy on the other important aspects of your business, leaving the agency to worry about the little things for you.
- Experience: the agency you work with likely has a lot of experience in your industry, you can trust that they have knowledge of certain events and why they may or may not be successful for you.
- Access to more tools and resources: hiring a marketing agency automatically gives you access to a plethora of tools and resources you may not have otherwise.
These benefits, and much more, will make your investment in a marketing agency well worth it.
