Whether you’ve taken a hit from lockdown this year and require a promotional push to get new customers, or you’re a long-standing business in need of a fresh approach to lead generation, a marketing agency can help you reach your goals. However, choosing the right agency to work with is a challenge, due to the sheer number of providers available. Sadly, there is no fool-proof way to do this, but asking the following three questions during the vetting process will inform your decision making.
1) How Do You Report Your Results?
One of the first things you should ask a prospective agency is how transparent they are with their analytics. You need to know what data you will receive, and how frequently you will receive it. The more open an agency is with its reporting, the more enlightened you will be – which sets you both up for success. Hiring an agency that shares meaningful data freely will create the right environment for a fruitful partnership.
When it comes to agency reporting, it is prudent to regard PowerPoint presentations featuring generic bullet points and graphs as useless. This data is vulnerable to distortion and selectivity. Instead, request an online customer dashboard that you can access round the clock, with information extracted from an API and other similar connectors. If an agency doesn't want you to see everything that's going on, you’ve got to ask yourself why.
2) Can You Give An Overview Of Your Different Services?
Whatever your business model, you will get better sales results if you market yourself across multiple channels. For this reason, you should hire an agency that utilises a wide range of sales and marketing methods, platforms, and technologies, and can adapt their approach to your customer demographic to get the best exposure. Otherwise, you will have to spend more of your marketing budget outsourcing different services to other agencies, and you may end up stuck with an agency whose main approach isn’t the best one for your target market.
Of course, most agencies that offer a range of services still have areas of specialism. Ideally, the agency you opt for should specialise in what you require – be it SEO, social media marketing, business coaching, web design, content writing, or ecommerce. Be cautious of agencies that claim to offer many services, but only provide project examples showcasing their expertise in a few of them.
3) Are There Certain Types Of Businesses That You Usually Serve?
It might seem logical to hire a marketing agency that focuses on your particular type of business. Familiarity with your industry is a plus. However, if you hire an agency based solely on this, it is likely that you will end up with similar messaging to others in your industry. In contrast, an agency that serves a broader spectrum of clients will have a less entrenched perspective – and will not take a cookie-cutter approach.
Most successful and established agencies expand their customer base over time, and end up serving a wide variety of sectors, even if their roots are in a particular area. Select an agency that demonstrates the ability to develop innovative strategies and execute them effectively, regardless of which industry they serve. That is far more valuable than just having experience of working with other businesses like yours. Their team might know less on the first day than a niche agency’s team, however they will have more drive and creativity to contribute.
Next Steps
Ultimately, the agency you hire should be a versatile, competent partner that produces tangible, real-world results. At JDR, we are happy to address any of your questions about our services, working methods or experience. Just get in touch with our advisors to learn more.
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