What Constitutes a Trustworthy Marketing Agency?
We live in a competitive world with an infinite number of creative teams and businesses. As a business owner, you may be constantly bombarded with offers from a multitude of agencies. How do you know which ones to trust? How do you choose an agency? These are all difficult questions when making one of the most influential decisions for your business -- finding an agency that understands your mission, believes in what you are trying to accomplish, and can envision a strong strategy that will lead to success is what will set you apart from your own competitors. There are multiple ways to know if an agency is a right fit for you, but the first one is trust.
You need trust when picking such an important partner. Your marketing team needs to support you through financial turmoil and work on your business as if it’s their own. Their team can’t just do the minimum, they must go above and beyond for your business. Find a business that has the following:
A Track Record
You need to analyze and read previous reviews of that agency's previous clients. In fact, go so far as to reach out to their past clients and ask them if they would recommend the agency. First-hand information is the best information you can gather. Then, meet with the agency in person and see if your personalities match and if you feel as though they care about and understand your business. Don’t make deals virtually, make them in person. Shake their hand, look them in their eyes, and talk with them. You can tell a lot about an individual and their team by personally meeting them. In this case, first impressions matter. You are going to be spending a lot of time with these people, so you need to click.
Physical Numbers
Arbitrary subjective stories do not tell you much about the agency’s skills, talents, or achievements. Even if previous clients have loved the content this agency has created, it doesn’t necessarily mean they have successfully raised engagement levels, heightened SEO, or increased sales. You need real numbers, real clients, and real results. If they do not have those, then don’t invest in them. Hiring an agency is more than just outsourcing. These are the people who will lead, operate, and manage your entire marketing strategy. If they are making big claims without any data to back them up, your red flag should go up and you should keep looking.
Abundance of Services
An issue that a lot of businesses encounter is needing to hire several agencies to run the different aspects of their marketing objectives. This is way more expensive than hiring one to do it all. Additionally, more outsourcing means more having to explain your vision, making sure they fit, and just spending time you don’t have. Find an agency that will help you with everything. For example, our agency (The Vivid Agency) prides itself in having qualified team members to complete any project your business may have. Here are some services your outsourced agency should offer:
- Videography
- Photography
- Graphic Design
- Google Ads
- Facebook Pixel
- Instagram Ads
- Website Design
- TV Spots
- Blogging
- Brand Narrative and Copywriting
- Email Campaigns
- Website Design
- SEO
- Brand Identity
- Tik Tok Ads
Genuine People
Our final point is to find people who are genuine, real, and honest. Find an agency that has morals and values that match your own. Make sure you can be candid with them and allow them to be candid back. As much as this is a professional field, it is also one that relies on connections and teamwork. If you wouldn’t be able to sit for an hour and have a conversation with the individuals you are hiring, you will never be able to fully trust them to handle your marketing. I have met a lot of people who switch to our services and complain about their previous agencies being distant, annoyed, or even upset when challenged or asked questions as to why they are doing something. You need an agency you can go to with any questions, no matter how simple, complex, or sometimes dumb.
Establishing your marketing strategy is an important decision. Who you hire to implement your marketing strategy is equally, if not more, important.
