Not all businesses are the same and when it comes to marketing your business, not everyone can afford to have an in-house marketing team to cover all elements of marketing and communications.
Outsourcing to a marketing agency can be a great solution, but it comes with its own set of challenges. You want to make sure you’re choosing an agency that is the right fit for your business, have the skills and experience to execute your marketing strategy effectively, and can deliver on its promises.
Here are the top 7 things to ask when looking for a marketing agency:
What are their areas of expertise?
Different marketing agencies specialise in different areas, from social media management and email marketing to SEO and content creation. Determine what your business needs and find an agency that has experience in those areas.
What is their track record?
A good agency should have a portfolio of successful campaigns they’ve executed for other businesses. Look for case studies or testimonials that demonstrate their ability to deliver results, better still, ask if you can talk directly to their customers.
How do they measure success?
The agency should be able to provide you with metrics that they use to measure the success of their campaigns. Don’t get distracted by their creative genius – what did their past work deliver?
What is their process for developing a marketing strategy?
The agency should have a structured process for developing a marketing strategy. This should include a discovery phase to learn about your business, target audience, and competition, as well as a plan for execution.
What is their communication style?
Communication is key when working with an agency. Find out how they will communicate with you throughout the project, and how often you can expect updates.
How do they handle project management?
This is really key. A good agency should have a project manager who will be your point of contact and ensure that the project stays on track.
Will they challenge you?
There is a danger that in wanting to keep you happy that the agency will simply do what you ask. This might be good for your ego but isn’t good for your business. Look for those that are willing to challenge you.
Cost and making sure there are no surprises?
Make sure the agency provides you with a detailed quote that outlines all of the costs associated with the project. And how will they manage project creep (you changing what you want maybe on a daily basis) you need to agree clearly from the start how this will manage and what day rates area.
Marketing at the core of your business
When outsourcing to a marketing agency, it’s a good idea to make them an extension of your team. You want to make sure they understand your business and your culture so that they can communicate and deliver in a way that fits who you are and how your organisation works.
Regardless of whether your marketing is in-house or outsourced if you don’t believe it marketing – have to tell you – then it ain’t gonna work. Don’t employ people to argue the merits of marketing with you as you are wasting both your and their time.
Marketing is not just about ‘pretty things’ or only about promoting your products or services. It’s also about building brand awareness, establishing credibility, and fostering relationships with customers. Why else would all major brands invest so heavily in this.
In-house or outsourced, to really make a difference everyone from the CEO to your sales team needs to understand your marketing strategy and how it will impact your business. Only then can you be sure that it receives the attention and resources it needs to deliver and help you WIN.
Christopher Wellbelove DL 