You've chosen to outsource your marketing and are opting to engage a marketing agency. However, how do you choose the agency that truly fits your needs and your question? It's not an easy task, we can tell you. With these tips, selecting a marketing agency will become much easier, including eight questions you should definitely ask during the selection process.
What type of marketing agency am I looking for?
The first step is to discover what type of agency suits you. To do this, you start by describing your needs. In our whitepaper 'Online Marketing for B2B Companies,' you can find an overview of the activities of the marketing activities of a contemporary company. From this, you can gain inspiration to formulate your own needs. Then you can ask yourself the question: 'What happens if we do nothing? Where will we be in a year?' By searching for the real need in this way, you will quickly find out if you, for example:
- Want more social presence.
- Need to further develop your positioning.
- Desire international recognition.
- Want to run robust B2B lead campaigns.
- Want leads through your website.
- Need better visibility with potential customers.
Off to find agencies
You have your question clearly defined, and it's time to go on a discovery journey. You'll see that if you're not careful, you can quickly get entangled in the tangle of agencies: B2B inbound marketing agencies, online marketing agencies, branding agencies, advertising agencies, social media agencies, marketing consultants, strategic marketing agencies, and so on. Don't get overwhelmed. You have your question clearly defined, and you know what you're looking for, right? If you're a B2B company, you can ignore B2C agencies. If you want to work on your brand and positioning first, choose an agency with more experience in branding. Also, consider what type of agency you're looking for; a local company that speaks your language, or an agency that has earned its stripes internationally? A prestigious office or a smaller agency with shorter lines and a lower hourly rate?
From longlist to shortlist
My advice is to start with your network. Inquire with similar companies about how they have structured their marketing strategy. Post a call on LinkedIn or within a networking association. Then, take a look on the internet and research which parties appeal to you. From all potential marketing agencies, create a longlist. Make sure there are no more than ten agencies on it. Through desk research, investigate whether these agencies - based on your needs list - pass your initial screening. Look at the offerings and search for references. This scavenger hunt naturally leads to a manageable shortlist of a maximum of five agencies.
Depending on the exact number on your shortlist, you can choose to invite agencies for personal meetings, organize a round of calls first, or schedule short online introductions. Here, you'll try to find out what type of agency it is, how these agencies achieve the marketing goals of clients, and of course, whether there's a connection.
Making a choice for a marketing agency
Ultimately, invite about two or three agencies for a personal meeting or presentation. Personally, I always recommend visiting the agencies. This way, you get an immediate sense of the agency's DNA, the team, etc. During this appointment, you delve deeper into the subject, ask for examples, the way they work, etc. Below are a few crucial questions that you should not forget to ask during this meeting.
What questions should you not forget to ask?
- Can you give me three examples of similar cases and their results?
- Can I contact these references?
- Can I meet the team that will potentially work for/with me?
- What does the process and your approach look like?
- How do you evaluate the work?
- What marketing tools do you use? Do these tools have consequences for my company in terms of costs and work process setup?
- Who is my contact person if the assignment is given, and where is the control?
- And of course, what should I consider in terms of costs, and what cost structure do you use?
Based on these tips and questions, we trust that you will make a well-considered choice for a marketing agency.
