Look at the company’s expertise, calibre and culture. Does the team communicate well, work in tandem and demonstrate an understanding and care for what it is they do too? Check out any potential marketing partner’s references, and see what similar businesses say about them. Pay close attention to marketing companies who have little to even no work and portfolio on their website.
Key points
Choosing the right marketing agency for your business can be confusing! There are a lot of agencies with different specialisations and experiences who are all fighting for your attention. How do you choose the one that’s right for you? Unfortunately, there is no miracle answer to your marketing questions and challenges. You may need to try a few different engagements before you realise exactly what you want or don’t want in an agency. Ultimately, choosing the right agency means setting realistic expectations and collaborating closely with the marketing agency team that has the right skills and agility to help you get you where you want to go, in the right time, and with the right budget.
Digital marketing as a service
Did you know that as of Jan 2020, 59% of the global population are internet users? That’s over 4.5 billion people online and a 7% jump from this time last year. With more and more people having access to and relying on the internet to influence their everyday decisions, more digital marketing firms are popping up around the world.
From big global brands to fledgling SMEs, digital marketing agencies provide companies the services. These span SEO content, Pay-per-click marketing and Social media ads. This is to scale and generate profit. It is all while letting business owners focus on what’s best: the growth of their brand.
Be clear as to what you require too
As needs can vary from business to business, it is important to identify and understand where you are as a company. This should help guide your marketing requirements, and it can give you a realistic idea of the support you can provide for your partner agency. Take into consideration the size of your company, or your internal team setup. For example, do you have a sales team to address leads that come in? Or is your team large enough to handle a higher volume of leads from marketing efforts? You may also need to think about your market geography and its competitive landscape, to give you an idea of what you need to do to stand out. Are you entering a new market where no one knows about you? Are you playing in a highly competitive space?
Overall
Setting KPIs is important when partnering with an agency. This is all because it sets expectations and demands accountability. So before you go into that meeting with your would-be agency team, consider giving them the things that you expect. Do you have a target number of leads per month? At what cost? Is there a specific sales figure you’re trying to hit? Know what your goals are, but also make sure that your investment matches the goal you are trying to achieve. Both sides can then agree on the level of agility and commitment for the duration of the partnership.
Doing this also allows your agency to better tailor their strategy and services. This is all to meet your performance indicators. It also allows them to help you come up with more realistic projections based on your available resources. For example, while many of our clients give us exact target figures, as a performance marketing agency, we try to help manage their expectations by in turn projecting what’s possible, but at the same time we consistently aim for positive return on investment.
