When it comes to choosing a marketing agency to help out your business, there are a number of things you will want to consider to ensure they are the right fit. From your budget to location and communication, different marketing agencies can work for different reasons. For example, some may operate a remote business with the integration of remote workers, whereas some will have in-house teams who provide in-person, consistent services.
When it’s the right time to consider an agency, here are some things you will need to discuss and finalise before jumping into any type of contract.
Things to look out for when choosing a marketing agency
- Clear communication and efficiency
- High quality case studies
- Positive client reviews and feedback
- Fair prices
- They understand your company goals
- Have a clear plan or strategy
- Personable
- Proven expertise and relevant skills
- Values which are in line with yours
How to choose an agency
Whether you have a construction background, clothing line or car dealership, there could be several reasons why you’re considering a marketing agency. Perhaps your pages aren’t ranking well on Google, you don’t have time to produce content, or your website is running poorly; hiring a marketing agency to take these tasks off your hands can be hugely beneficial.
When searching for a local or nationwide agency, you will see many companies pop up, all of which will offer similar services, but will of course operate differently. Before you invest in any agency, here are some top things to consider:
Defining your goals and objectives
Before you get started, you must have a clear understanding of your marketing goals in order to tell the professionals what you want and decide how these goals will be met. Defining your goals and objectives will also help you measure the success of your marketing efforts and make informed decisions in the future.
You will want to consider the overall objectives of your business and what you want to achieve. Some common goals include increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic, generating leads or boosting engagement.
Research and analysis
Before investing in anything, you will need to do some deep diving into a selection of different agencies. This will help you find out things that you do want and don’t want, and is also an opportunity to gather information such as quotes, company brochures, case studies and reviews.
Budget and cost
You will be amazed at how drastically different costs can be when it comes to marketing agencies. And one of the first things you should mention, or they will ask will is what is your budget?
If this is your first time looking into a marketing agency, you might not know what your budget should be, but some primary research will help, as you can compare different quotes and find out what’s common amongst the market. You can also Google questions such as the average cost of a marketing agency, or ask around in your industry or peers.
Communication and teamwork
When contacting some agencies, it is important to ask them how they communicate with their clients and how their teams work. For example, will you have a designated project manager, how often will they contact you, and what will their updates cover?
Whilst some companies prefer their agency to just get on with the tasks, you might still want to oversee a lot of work or proofread content before it goes live. Setting these boundaries with an agency is important, as this will ensure you have a constant stream of communication, have a clear understanding of projects and both ends of the project are on the same lines.
Services they offer
One of the most important things when choosing a marketing agency is to ensure that they actually offer the services you’re looking for. Not all agencies will offer the full package when it comes to a marketing campaign, some will have a key focus on SEO and search marketing, whilst others will be content and branding-based.
Make sure to opt for an agency that offers the right services which meet your targets and goals. For example, if you’re looking to invest in Google Ads, you will want to approach an agency that offers PPC and ad campaigns.
