5 Questions to Ask Your Marketing Agency
When you decide to engage with an outside marketing agency, it can be difficult to know what questions to ask, or what to prioritize – especially if you don’t have an in-house marketing lead to turn to for advice. Here are a few questions that will help you vet out the right candidates for the job, and ensure you’re getting the most out of the engagement once you do hire a marketing firm!
DO YOU HAVE EXPERIENCE IN MY INDUSTRY?
No agency can be an expert in every industry – if they claim they are, that’s typically a red flag! Instead, many will specialize in a few key industries, allowing them to allocate their time, resources, and expertise appropriately. When choosing an agency, it’s always helpful to ask if they have experience in your industry specifically. If the answer is yes, great! If the answer is no, make sure they at least have the bandwidth and flexibility to learn quickly. There’s nothing worse than an agency who doesn’t understand their client’s product/service! It’s also possible that while they don’t have experience in your industry, they do have a proven track record of helping similarly sized or structured companies succeed. If that’s the case, chances are they could do the same for you!
HOW DO YOU MEASURE SUCCESS?
There’s a common misconception that it’s difficult to understand the return on investment for marketing services. As long as you establish your key performance indicators (KPIs) early on, it will help you assess whether you’re hitting your goals, or missing the mark. Some examples of good KPIs could be click-through rates, subscribers, social media engagement, page ranking, etc. Whatever KPIs you’re using to determine success internally, make sure that your outside agency is using the same ones and reporting on progress regularly. That will keep you both on the same page during your engagement with them.
HOW DO YOU COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR CLIENTS?
Communication is one of the most important factors when dealing with outside marketing agencies. Poor communication can lead to missed deadlines, misaligned expectations, and general dissatisfaction on both sides. Make sure that you choose an agency that prioritizes clear, streamlined communication. Regular touch-base calls, reliable reporting of analytics, and transparency are all things you should prioritize when choosing an agency. Be sure to ask your prospective vendors what their methods of communication are from the onset, and be clear in what you expect from a client perspective.
WILL I OWN ALL DELIVERABLES UPON COMPLETION?
Although it’s rare (and unethical in most cases), there are some agencies that will attempt to withhold ownership of certain deliverables, such as videos, websites, social media accounts, etc. after completion. In order to avoid this issue, make sure you get it in writing that any work you pay for is yours in the end – no strings or additional costs attached. Always better to be safe than sorry!
HOW MANY EDITS/REVISIONS ARE INCLUDED IN THE SCOPE?
For deliverables that require client feedback and multiple iterations, you’ll want to know how many rounds of edits / revisions will be provided. Keep in mind your budget, timeline, and the number of stakeholders that will be weighing in on each revision, as this will affect the realistic number of revisions that will be provided. Be respectful of your vendor’s time and talent and don’t assume infinite iterations are automatically included in the scope. Be clear on the scope upfront to avoid any conflict and be sure to inquire how you’d be charged for any additional iterations. It’s important to discuss this with the agency before engaging in a project. That way, if you do need to exceed the original scope of work you’re not blindsided by additional fees.
There’s always going to be a level of trust required when outsourcing a marketing team, but asking the right questions before signing a contract will protect your business from unforeseen challenges. If you’re interested in outsourcing your marketing services and want to discuss further, contact Purdy Marketing Co. to see how we can help!
