Has your business reached the point where it’s time to outsource your marketing needs? Has the speed of change in the digital landscape and the rise of AI capabilities pushed you past your depth of experience? Whatever your reason, you are not alone. Over sixty percent of businesses polled said they used an outside agency to support their marketing strategies. Why, might you ask? Because agencies have the crucial marketing experience and ability to execute your top marketing goals. Agencies can focus on targeted support and can keep up as the markets continue to change. If you are ready to make the move on partnering with an agency, we have the intel you need to inform your choice.
What to Know Before You Go
Agencies can support you on various levels, but like any relationship, it works best when everyone is on the same page. Spending time identifying what your company needs and potential constraints is invaluable for both you and your potential agency. While there can be many things to consider, three things you should have clarity on before moving forward with an agency are what you want, what you need, and what you can spend.
What You Want: Are you looking to fully or partially outsource your marketing needs? What are you focusing on- lead generation, brand awareness, CRO (conversion rate optimization)? What are the KPIs that you think will determine success? What channels do you want to focus on for top audience impact?
What You Need: Are you looking for help to create a year-long campaign strategy? Do you need help with a specific event for your company? Are your marketing needs seasonal, one-time, or reoccurring?
What You Can Spend: What can you reasonably afford? While this one can seem like a no-brainer, spending time analyzing your annual marketing budget is a great way to frame what you can and can’t say yes to once you meet with an agency.
What to Look for Once You’re There
With your project objectives and constraints in place, you are ready to evaluate the agencies you meet with. When meeting with agencies, consider the following to determine if an agency is compatible with your business’s needs.
Brand and Business Alignment. After sharing your goals and vision, an agency can tailor a plan to suit your needs. There is no one-size-fits-all package for marketing. A good agency will listen first, and then ask thoughtful questions about your business, audience, goals, and challenges. Then, they can show you how their past work aligns with your current needs, clearly explain pricing, and set realistic goals with KPIs tied to your desired outcomes.
Experience and Structure. Just like you wouldn’t go to a dentist to fix your broken foot, you don’t want to choose an agency that doesn’t have the experience you need. Agencies can provide examples from their portfolio of work for you to examine. A good agency will be able to explain how they manage campaigns- from ideation to analyzation- in terms you can understand. A second factor to consider is the agency’s structure- how is the company run? Is there a clear organizational structure? Defined roles and responsibilities? If the work seems great, but the organization is on fire, the lack of structure will eventually affect the relationship and work between your businesses.
Data Driven with Clear Communication. A good agency stays on top of performance analytics and shares the data with clients in a timely manner. To avoid confusion and unnecessary complexities, reports should follow a regular cadence and be translated into terms that make sense to you. Analytics provide insights for what is (or isn’t) working, what customers prefer, and help to make informed decisions. The agency should be able to utilize metrics to explain what success looks like and know when to pivot to keep your campaign moving in the right direction.
What to Ask Before You Leave
There are hosts of questions you can ask to gain insight into an agency and whether it’s the right fit for your needs. Finding out who you would be working with, what past clients have to say, and how the company handles setbacks are three easy questions you can ask before you walk out the door.
Who will be managing my account? Is a junior partner taking on the work? What does the supervision structure look like if they are? What experience does this person have? What is their specialty? How often will we communicate? Knowing the “who” gives insight into how the agency is run, what you should expect, and whether it will be the right fit for your needs.
Can you share references? Can you provide client testimonials, examples in the industry my business falls into, or channels I need support in? The agency’s portfolio can indicate what they are capable of and the quality of work they provide. Past and current clients expose how others have experienced working with them. Both are important in discovering if the agency is one you would like to work with.
What happens if a project doesn’t meet a deadline? What if a campaign has low conversion? What if we don’t see the growth you projected? While this is never a fun topic to discuss, it’s always insightful when you ask. How the agency perceives setbacks and failure tells you a lot about their communication strategy, transparency, and experience.
What to Avoid at All Cost
When you are meeting with agencies, pay attention to red flags that pop up. It can be as simple as your gut saying “no,” or a tangible example like below. Either way, if a red flag shows up before you start working together- take heed, it can be an indicator of future problems to come.
“We can solve your problem in 30 Days” and other gimmicks. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. There are fruitful small adjustments, but long-term growth requires a longer timeline than a short-term fix can provide.
Internal Marketing Falls Flat. If their own marketing isn’t up to par, how will they be able to market your business well?
Vague or incomplete proposals or pricing. Clean, clear, and complete- three C’s that won’t steer you wrong. If an agency lacks clarity in what they propose, you can guarantee that will carry over into what they deliver.
When it comes to partnering with a marketing agency, JSK Marketing is ready to provide the experience, transparency, and tailored approach your company needs. From start to finish, we want to help your business bridge the gap between company and consumer.
