In today’s competitive marketing landscape, you need to find a partner agency that is a perfect fit with your business’s needs. You may have encountered some popular agencies being hired by big companies, and you are thinking that your business is still not big enough to hire one.
There are a bunch of factors to contemplate before you hire an agency. Marketing agencies come in all forms and sizes so you need to know the goals that you want to achieve first before sealing the deal. So in this blog, we will be discussing several elements to consider as you choose a marketing agency.
Marketing agencies serve as most companies’ fairy-godmother when it comes to executing their marketing campaign ideas. The agencies’ staff are all committed to making their clients’ dream campaign a reality. They are passionate about what they do as they apply their expertise to your brand.
But first, here’s something that you need to do. Align what your brand needs to have first. Do you want a full-blown marketing campaign? Do you only want to throw an event? Do you want to expand your presence online? It’s really up to you and your team first.
If you are having a hard time assessing what your brand needs, you should simply do a competitive analysis. Set a benchmark, observe what your competitor is doing, see where they are excelling and what they need to work harder on. By doing so, you can easily evaluate what your company needs to improve on.
Now that you evaluated your needs, the next step for you to do is to look for a marketing agency. But you should keep in mind that there are several types of agencies that specialize in certain fields, here are some of the common marketing agencies niches:
After knowing the service you want to seek, finding the right partner marketing agency is the next step you should do. This is how you can find them:
In today’s modern world, there isn’t a single thing that you can’t find online with a single google search. Take advantage of modern technology and google “marketing agencies” as a start. Then you can tweak it, add a relevant keyword of the marketing agency niche.
Browse by their website and social media pages. Look for their previous works, former client testimonials or reviews. By doing so, you can assess if they will be a good fit for you and your plans.
Word-of-Mouth
Never underestimate the power of word-of-mouth. Asking your network (i.e. colleagues, friends in the industry) for some agencies that they can recommend is another way for you to find one. This could be even a better option because you or a team member knows personally their previous client, and you might have a better chance of getting a more authentic testimonial.
Here is something to keep in mind while taking notes of your prospects.
Any agency can say that they can make your ideas come to life, but will they deliver? Ask them about their previous projects, and relevant statistics (audience reach, ROI, among others) You can reach out to them and ask them for these data that will help you decide.
After evaluating your goals, and having marketing agency prospects, the next thing that comes into consideration is budget. When planning marketing efforts for your company, your team usually allocates a certain amount of budget. Some allocate a huge chunk, while some don’t.
Do consider this factor as hiring a marketing agency is also an investment you need to do to reach your company’s goals.
Most of the time, marketing agencies provide a quotation of their services. That’s why it is important for you to let the marketing agency know how much budget you plan on spending so that they can work with the budget you have, and set your expectations for your allocated budget.
If you’re a little tight on the budget, take boutique agencies into consideration. They are capable of doing the job for lesser cost. (See our article on: “Why Choosing a Creative Boutique Agency instead of a Large Ad Company?”)
There’s no right size of an agency before you know that they can deliver your goals. Choosing an agency must be about its strengths and competencies that fit both your needs and budget. A big agency may not be a good fit for your brand as their expertise and your goals don’t align with what you need at the moment.
Pick an agency that puts you first, has full attention to your brand and will help it thrive.
Over the recent years, there has been a rise in boutique agencies due to the demands of smaller-scale businesses with a limited budget. Companies can outsource easily if they have a project or two that they need an extra helping hand for. Boutique agencies are becoming more and more competent and can even create output that exceeds your expectations.
Just remember that whether you opt for a big agency or a small boutique one, a good agency must know how to listen to what you want, they must understand your targeted audiences and can add on possible suggestions to further elevate the project.
The relationship starts between you, and your potential marketing agency in your first discovery call. Just like any other relationship, you can immediately feel if it is going somewhere or not.
From a marketing agency’s point of view, it is very important for an agency to build relationships with its clients. It can be achieved by doing a great job that exceeds a clients’ expectations, keeping a reasonable rate of service, and most importantly, the agency is working harmoniously with a client’s brand and team.
This is why building a good foundation of a relationship is important between you and the marketing agency you will choose. Make sure that you have a clear line of communication between you two as you work on the project together.
After assessing and putting these 5 factors into consideration, do not hesitate to reach out to several marketing agencies, until you find the best one for your project.
In line with this, consider Reel Reve boutique agency for your next big project! Together, let’s make your dream campaign come to life!
Let’s talk more about your dream project. Reach us out here.
