When searching for a marketing agency to work with, there are five key criteria your organization needs to consider.
If the agency doesn’t score a “10” in each of these categories, continue looking, or risk making a very costly error.
1. Is the agency experienced in your business vertical?
Having the necessary experience creates immediate synergy.
The marketing firm should understand the uniqueness of your industry, eliminating the need to educate them. In addition, they may already know your competitors, understand what motivates your prospects and be aware of who your top prospects should be.
It should also have key contacts in the media as well as trade organizations, making it easier to obtain press coverage and speaking engagements.
Bottom line, it must come to the table with experience, pragmatic ideas, and the knowledge necessary to grow your business.
2. Does it have critical thinkers who have the ability to create a balanced and targeted strategic plan?
Planning is everything. And it must be robust, well-grounded and focused on your success.
The right marketing agency should ensure your organization is incorporating the proper contemporary tools to meet your specific goals.
3. Does it have the experience and capability to combine and execute the right tactics together?
Leveraging the right tactics for your audience, which comes from experience, will create a symphony in the marketplace.
Be cautious of any marketing agency that touts any specific marketing tools such as PR, social media, trade shows, etc. as silver bullets of success. There are no silver bullets, only carefully crafted plans using the right tactics to create a winning strategy.
4. Does it have creative moxie?
Do the ads, brochures, social posts or other marketing materials it has created for other organizations amuse or excite you?
No matter how knowledgeable they are, if a marketing agency cannot light your fire of excitement and interest, they won’t light the fire of excitement and interest for your prospects either.
5. Can it prove it will be successful?
Don’t let your prospective marketing firm simply show you a few testimonials from other clients as proof of past achievements. Ask the agency to share analytics and metrics it will use to measure the success of your marketing dollars.
Many tools are available to make real-time marketing changes where necessary to maximize success. Ensure your agency of choice employs those tools.
Consider using these 5 criteria when choosing a marketing firm. You’ll be well on your way to a successful business relationship that will be a great asset for both your organization and your newly found marketing partner.