How To Choose a Marketing Agency: Five Questions To Ask.

You’re looking for a marketing agency and the only thing that’s clear so far is that there is no shortage of marketing agencies. Great. So, how do you pick? How do you measure their strengths relative to what you need? Do you even know what you need?

Some agencies have emerged as a direct consequence of digitisation. Subsequently, many agencies were traditional in their offerings but have adapted. Many are built to service large clients, whereas some service small or medium-sized businesses. Several offer a solution to one piece of the marketing puzzle. Whereas others have the resources to help with many. Unfortunately, some agencies report using vague metrics (ahem “awareness”) whilst the good ones focus on tangible results – website traffic, ticket sales, revenue growth…

Whether it be starting a campaign from scratch, changing-up a relationship with an existing agency or simply looking for some guidance on how to best propel your brand, it’s vital to approach conversations with an idea of what you’re evaluating.

Here are 5 questions to ask to help make that assessment:

1) Who will be managing my account and executing the work?

An in-house team? A network of freelancers? Offshore workers? All of these arrangements can work well, just make sure you know what they are and if they’re right for you.

2) What do I need to do to get up to speed?

Often campaigns require a fair amount of client input to garner results. This means daily communication, provision of spokespeople, imagery, briefs and other information, and more. Ask how on-boarding will work. Experienced agencies should have established processes to get everyone up to speed quickly.

3) How do you manage client communication?

As a client, you should anticipate 10% of your budget going towards the administration required to manage your project. Any more and you’re missing out on ROI-producting execution time, energy and spend. Make sure you feel confident in the agency’s processes for setting timelines, executing work, gathering feedback and reporting.

4) What makes a great agency so good to work with?

Interviewing a potential agency is like interviewing a potential employee – there needs to be a great cultural fit for the collaboration to work. A good relationship can not only make the campaign more enjoyable but can result in exceptional outcomes and a long and fruitful relationship far beyond the immediate campaign parameters.

5) Which KPI’s do you typically focus on and how will reporting work?

The agency you choose should understand who reports will be seen by, which results matter to you and how you’d like to see them presented. Henceforth, it’s a good idea to have a frank discussion about who the hidden stakeholders are and who will ultimately decide whether a marketing spend is worth it. A good agency will know that reports should talk quality (not only quantity) and provide thorough insight into the full marketing funnel where needed.

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