Coming to the realization that there is more to marketing your business than just putting up a website and praying that customers flock to you is a major step. Deciding to hire a marketing agency, can be an even bigger (more daunting) step. Where do you start? How much is it going to cost? Just what do you mean by marketing? These are all questions that often crop up when looking at hiring a marketing agency.
Luckily, we are here to help ensure you ask the right questions from the beginning. Asking the following essential questions when hiring a marketing agency will allow you to find an agency that will represent you and help you reach your goals in a way that resonates with your core values and marketing plans.
How do you plan on marketing my business? This may seem a bit silly, but in truth it’s important to know what your marketing agency’s plan is for you. You’ll want the marketing agency to play to both your strengths and theirs. As we’ve mentioned before, a relationship with your marketing agency is essential; and that couldn’t be truer as you ask questions. The last thing you want is to spend your precious marketing budget on print ads when you are an eCommerce-only business. Knowing ahead of time how the marketing agency is going to market your business is vital.
How are you going to measure success? Having ways to measure all your marketing efforts is key to knowing if you are succeeding in your goals. Your marketing agency should have tools in place to help measure how activities are performing. These tools will help you adjust quickly and move on from something that may not be hitting the mark or allow your team to put more time and effort into something that is outperforming original projections.
What do you need from me? This is a great question to ask and to keep top of mind as you move through your marketing discussions. Do you have a logo? Do you have photography that you want used in your marketing? What about advertising copy/content? Product descriptions and photos if you are promoting a new item? Social media credentials? Website information? The list of needs that your marketing agency might require could be long. It’s good to ask this question and keep a list of needs so you don’t get wires crossed on deadline day.
What do I get to keep? A good marketing agency will want to make sure you have the materials needed to expand on your latest marketing campaign. However, you’ll want to determine who owns them, you or the marketing agency? Having high resolution imagery and logos will be essential for you to continue your marketing efforts beyond your latest campaign. If, down the road, you end up parting ways with your marketing agency, it will be important to know if you will be sent all working files or just the end product. This can be a deal breaker that is often not discussed until the working relationship between a business and their marketing agency has dissolved. By this time, it is too late to find out that you don’t actually own your owning marketing and your agency does.
While this isn't an exhaustive list by any standard, it should be enough to get the ball rolling in your search for a marketing agency. Having a list of questions and knowing what to ask is extremely helpful as you build your relationship with a marketing agency and in choosing one that is the right fit for your business.