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Cut through the noise to find the signal.
Finding the right marketing agency was never an easy task, with market saturation, it’s becoming even more difficult.
You’ve seen it before; marketers post a 6-digit figure of revenue that they’ve made for a business through marketing alone.
You think to yourself – that’s amazing ROI! You consider it, even though the results were for a toy website selling fluffy bunnies during Easter.
Surely, it can still work for your massage therapy business? If you’ve been through this before, you’re not alone.
Let’s be clear though – marketing agencies get a bad rap because of the product or the medium;
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Either the market isn’t ready for the product or the product is terrible.
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The channel used isn’t the right way to get through to the target audience.
Aside from this, the other & most obvious reason is that some agencies are no good.
Due to the saturation within the marketing industry, it’s become even harder to know which marketing agency is right for you. Finding the right agency for an SME can make all the difference to your bottom line and reputation.
Finding the right marketing agency for your business;
1. Create a brief
This is super important. Make sure you list down the following;
Deliverables, timeframes, assets/collateral available (high quality), any previous marketing efforts with data, channels you’d like to use, relevant landing pages, websites/microsites, brand guidelines, and target audience.
The last point is the most important to really get the best result from any marketing effort – unless you’re paying an agency for market research to find your target audience.
2. Find the right channel
Let’s be honest, you’re more likely to find the right agency through your LinkedIn network than through a WhatsApp broadcast. There are some Facebook groups that are also good. This is probably the best way to ensure you’re on your way to finding the right marketing agency.
LinkedIn also has a service finder, use the hashtag #findapro in your request post to get a wider reach.
If you’re in the UK, you can post a request on our service finder to connect with the right agency.
To find out more about how our marketplace works, click here.
3. Check ratings & reviews
Trustpilot, Facebook, G2, Google, etc – there are lots of sites to check reviews for agencies.
Consider the context of negative reviews too. In our experience, businesses that have used marketing agencies & didn’t understand the process well enough are not the best sources of objective information.
Be careful of directory listing sites that recommend specific agencies as many aren’t objective enough – they may just show you agencies that can afford to buy a placement.
4. set realistic expectations
Many agencies tend to easily say ‘yes’ to land a client and think that they’ll figure it out on the way but the best agency is the one that’s the most honest with you.
Ask the agency if they can make any guarantees. A guarantee is always a red flag! A good agency will be honest with you so don’t be afraid to question their knowledge.
Do a little research, ask people, get some proof of results from other business in your industry.
This way, you won’t be upset when you don’t get 1,000,000% ROI.
5. Find an agency that knows your industry
If you can reach out to someone in your industry and get a recommendation, this is an option to consider. You can at least be safe in the knowledge that the marketing agency understands your industry well and they’ll definitely know where to make a start.
Agencies do tend to take on industries that they want to be in but have little to no knowledge of. There’s nothing wrong with giving them a chance but it can hurt your business – months of ad budget may be wasted just for them to learn your industry/audience targeting.
Also, language, messaging and nuances aren’t picked up overnight.
Remember, no matter what anyone tells you;
There isn’t a one size fits all solution to finding the right marketing agency. There isn’t an agency in the world that can accommodate every type of business.
