Running a business is no small feat, and sometimes we all need a little help. Hiring a marketing agency can be very beneficial for the growth and success of your business, regardless of your size, industry, or the niche your brand inhabits. From designing and implementing a branding strategy to search engine optimization, advertising, content creation, digital marketing, lead generation, social media marketing, email marketing, website and logo design, public relations, and more, a marketing agency offers the expertise and industry experience to optimize your visibility, appropriately convey your brand, and showcase your product offerings.
Your choice of marketing agency is also critical – and can be as important as your selection of business partner, financier, employees, or manufacturer/supplier (depending on the nature of the business you operate).
The marketing provider you choose must be able to understand your brand and business and your vision and goals, as well as your audience and target customers. They must be a good fit for you and complement your brand’s personality.
A great choice of marketing agency for your brand can:
· Improve your brand
· boost your capabilities
· enhance your creativity
· support your team
· alleviate your workload
· drive engagement
· trigger sales
· increase your ROI
Your Role…
As a business owner/manager, there are certain things you need to do in terms of finding, choosing, and hiring the right marketing provider.
· Understand what you need and the scope of work your business requires. Do you need a provider of comprehensive services or one specialized in a certain niche (e.g. an SEO expert or a branding agency)?
· Define your brand, business, and its goals inside-out and be guided from there. Are you looking for a one-off advertising campaign to launch and promote a new product, or a long-term campaign to boost your organic results in search engine results? Do you need a public relations strategy or immediate crisis communications?
· Pricing is another important consideration. Does the provider you’re considering hiring offer affordable solutions that align with your budget? Is the cost of services backed up by quality solutions? You do get what you pay for to an extent – but some providers charge astronomical fees simply because they can, and the right provider for you may deliver better quality solutions and results for a much lower price than its competitors.
· Know who your target audience is and ensure your provider is familiar with this target market and which channels are best positioned to reach them.
· Narrow your options to create a shortlist of marketing providers that you wish to explore more closely. Consider peer recommendations; industry experience and expertise; client reviews and testimonials; industry awards and commendations; portfolio; location (if relevant to you); and size, specialization, and service capability.
· Make contact and speak either over the phone, via Zoom, or in person. Get a feel for their authenticity, transparency, proactivity, genuine interest, integrity and overall communication quality.
Read on for some top tips on choosing a marketing agency that is the right fit for your brand, business, customers, and goals.
In a Nutshell: Choosing a Marketing Agency – What to Look For
Select the right marketing company for you based on its:
· Ability and willingness to understand your business & goals
· Versatility and solutions offerings
· A creative, innovative approach
· Scalability and potential for its solutions to grow with your needs
· Tailored solutions as opposed to a fit-for-all, cookie-cutter approach
· Ease of communication and “speaking the same language”
· Personalization and a human touch in your interactions with your marketing team.
· A methodical, organized approach to your strategy
· Industry knowledge and prior work with clients in your niche
· Transparency in terms of fees as well as work delivered. (e.g. your SEO provider should provide detailed reports – ideally weekly – to demonstrate work undertaken on your behalf and results achieved.)
Conclusion
You should take a considered approach to choosing your marketing agency; after all, they will, in many ways, be a partner in your business in terms of making things happen for you. The right agency will manage all aspects of advertising and marketing your business as appropriate for the type of business you operate, your stakeholders, and your customers. This frees your time so that you can focus on your core responsibility – which is the actual running of your business.
A poor choice of marketing partner for your business can be an anchor to your growth and success. The right choice, on the other hand, will help you aim for – and ultimately even reach – the stratosphere in terms of your brand.
Choose wisely.
