Three Ways to Tell if a Marketing Agency is the Right Fit for You

You’ve reached the point where you just can’t take it anymore. Your to-do list is bulging at the seams and you don’t know how you’re going to get through the next marketing campaign without suffering a nervous breakdown.

You know it’s time to outsource, but you’re worried. Your job is on the line–you’re putting results in the hands of an outside company. You have to be sure it’s a good fit.

Here are some tips to help ease some of your anxiety and get stuff done!

When you start looking for social media management and content marketing services, you’re going to be swimming in a sea of choices. It seems like there are hundreds of companies out there promising you that they can handle your social media and content marketing needs. The truth is, some will — and some won’t. But how can you tell the difference?

I’m going to be the first to admit – we aren’t the right marketing firm for everyone. Just like finding the right partner in life, or even selecting the right pair of jeans (ugh) —  it won’t always be a good match.  If you’re at a point where you need to outsource, and want to be sure it’s the right fit, here are three things to consider.

1. They share the same philosophy about marketing and marketing results.

   Before I shifted my specialty to inbound marketing, and specifically content marketing, I took any copywriting work I could find. Nine times out of 10, if the client had a wildly different expectation about what would work – and what wouldn’t – in marketing, they’d be disappointed.

   The same goes for you. The marketing company that you outsource to needs to share the same values and expectations. For example, what does establishing a social media presence look like? What results should you expect?

   Tip: During your initial consultation, ask the marketing company what results mean to them.

2. They have experience in your general field or industry.

   When you reach out to outsource, chances are you’re in a position where you need the provider to hit the ground running. You don’t have a lot of time to teach a vendor the ins and outs of your industry. This is much easier if they have worked within the industry, or have clients that are in the same field. I’m not talking about a direct competitor – that wouldn’t be ethical – but if you’re a commercial real estate company and you see that a marketing firm has worked in real estate, or with a CRE company in another state, it’s a safe bet they will understand your needs–and your target audience.

3. They are fun to work with.

   Okay, this might be the last on your list, but it’s amazing the difference in your experience when you find a marketing company that is fun to work with. What is fun to you? That sort of depends on your personality and approach to work. But if you share the same philosophy on marketing, and they have worked in your industry before, chances are you’ll enjoy the process of creating a social media and content process together. And it will seem so much less like WORK!

You have a lot of choices when you need to outsource marketing tasks. But if you find an agency that meets these three criteria, you will all enjoy it a lot more – and get better results.

What do you look for when researching a marketing agency to work with?