There are thousands of searches on the internet every second. However, your business will not appear among the searches if you are not utilizing the right tools. And for that to happen, you need to work with reputable marketing agencies to promote and optimize your website among other things.
However, if you don’t do your due diligence when hiring a marketing firm, you’ll be wasting resources and not seeing any results. Avoid the following mistakes when choosing a marketing agency for your business.
8 Mistakes Businesses Make When Choosing a Marketing Agency
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Besides wasting money, choosing the wrong agency will have your business perform worse than before. So make sure to avoid these mistakes when selecting a marketing firm.
1. Not Comparing Several Agencies
If you are in the market for a new marketing agency, you must look at several firms, a minimum of three, before hiring. We believe asking for recommendations is wise, but don’t just take their words, do your research. And don’t go for the expensive firms thinking they will give you value.
When comparing several marketing firms, look at quotes, objectives, and deliverables. Check previous reviews on their websites and other consumer organizations to see whether they deliver as promised.
Ask to look at their portfolio to see how they execute their marketing strategies, the assigned team’s credentials, and the agency’s size. It would be best to consider other factors such as customer service and communication.
2. Failure to Hold Face-to-Face Meetings
After comparing your agencies and finding three that meet your criteria, you must ensure a face-to-face meeting. However, many businesses make the mistake of communicating via email or video calls only, which may result in you failing to spot some crucial details in their office space, such as insufficient workforce or resources.
So, always allocate face-to-face meetings with the agencies for more discussions, which is best done in their offices. Please have the meeting at the office, to give you an idea of their team and size. Face-to-face conversations place you in a better position to read their body language and use your intuition.
3. Failure to Ask the Right Questions
When choosing an agency, you must schedule a face-to-face meeting or a video call and ask the most pertinent questions. Many businesses assume that the contracted agencies know what is expected of them. So before your appointment, prepare a minimum of 10 questions. Here are some ideas you can pick up:
- How many years have you been in operations?
- What are some of your success cases?
- How do you know your strategies have been effective?
- What are your short-term and long-term marketing strategies?
- What is your SEO strategy?
- What happens if you don’t meet the objectives after the assigned period?
4. Failing to Verify Previous Work
Many businesses mistake believing the marketing agency’s words without doing a follow-up, especially if they are on a tight schedule. However, this is usually when you should go through everything with open eyes, as a simple mistake will set you back.
Therefore, when choosing a marketing firm, look at its failures and successes. Ask to talk to existing and previous clients to understand their experience and satisfaction. This will help you gauge whether they can handle your needs.
5. Failure to Set Objectives
When hiring a marketing agency, many businesses mistake putting their budget at the forefront. Although it’s okay to consider your budget when hiring an agency, it may restrict them when executing their marketing strategies, so don’t hold your purse too tight.
That said, you must have major objectives you want to achieve, including the number of clients in a month. And ensure that your agency also presents you with its goals, including ads and content creation. And will set the tone for marketing your brand, of which now your marketing budget plays a significant role. It would be best to set the budget after you’ve discussed your objectives for the best outcome.
6. Focusing on Big Names
There are many marketing agencies; some are more well-known than others. And when choosing a marketing agency, many businesses make the mistake of selecting well-known firms, believing they can meet their needs. However, working with a big marketing agency means paying a hefty sum.
Many businesses don’t know that some small marketing agencies are ten times better than those with big names. So if your business is not that big, work with smaller marketing firms, and not only do they zero in on your problems and fix them, they will give you their undivided attention. So take your time, and sample several smaller marketing agencies before making your decision.
7. Not Knowing How SEO Works
Before hiring a marketing agency, it would be wise to understand what they will do for your business. So read up about different marketing strategies, such as SEO strategies, ad campaigns, and tools used to implement these plans. This will put you in a better position to structure the questions you’ll ask during the interview.
After hiring an agency, there ought to be weekly and monthly report meetings to brief you on the success of their marketing strategies. Knowing the basics ensures you understand what they are talking about and not just nodding your head.
8. Choosing Based on Proximity
Yes, having your marketing firm near your company is beneficial as it will ensure you work closely with each and develop a long-working relationship. However, it would help if you didn’t let location determine your choice of partner. A good marketing firm will make the time to meet irrespective of their location.
Therefore, when choosing an agency, don’t limit your search to your business proximity. Widen your search, and you may land on a goldmine.
Final Thoughts
Marketing agencies help put your business on the map and make it easy for clients to find you. So, avoid the mistakes discussed above when choosing an agency if you want your business to succeed. Above all, have clear goals and objectives for them to work with.
