Master Marketers: What to Look for in a Marketing Agent (Or Firm)

Marketing is one of the most important parts of running a business. You can have the best products in the world and still fail if you don’t get them in front of the right people.

Unfortunately, picking the perfect marketing agent can be more difficult than actually running your company.  Pick the wrong one and you can end up sending entirely the wrong message to potential customers.

Check out our guide below to learn how to pick a top-notch marketing firm for your company.

Know What Kind of Marketing Agent You Need

There are as many types of marketing agencies as there are industries. Before you start soliciting bids make sure you know the type of marketing you’re looking for.

It’s the marketer’s job to put your business and product in front of the people who need it. How they do that is going to vary wildly depending on the industry you’re in and the scale you’re looking for.

Digital marketing has been huge for the last decade but it may not be the best fit for your business.

Let Them Sell Themselves

Marketing firms that don’t practice what they preach aren’t a great option. Their purpose is to get your message and product in front of customers.

See how well they do that themselves. A marketing agency or firm that doesn’t use the techniques they’re recommending to you better be able to explain why.

It could be that they don’t apply for their industry. It could also be that they’re working solely off of buzzwords, the latest trends, and the things they’re ‘supposed’ to push.

Ask For References

Any service provider that’s unwilling to supply references is unlikely to provide quality services. There are exceptions, but as a rule, they should be happy to put you in touch with past clients.

Online review sites are a great place to start. They give you an idea of what past customers thought about their services and how they did overall.

Check the Numbers

Always ask potential marketing firms for data to back up their claims. Things like marketing qualified leads, customer acquisition cost, and ROI.

Do they say they can get you on page one of Google? Make them explain how they’ve done it before and what techniques they’ll use to do it now.

Take a Look at Their Corporate Culture

The best marketing agent in the world still might not be a good fit for your company. Someone with extensive experience working for an oil company may have a culture clash with an environmentally focused organization.

Find out what their goals are and how they achieve them. See if they took the traditional college path or are self-taught.

Check out their website and see how they choose to represent themselves. If you look at a site like the one for Maynard Marketing you see that they know their SEO and can effectively optimize your site.

Don’t Be Afraid to Say No

One of the most difficult things about picking a marketing agent is finding one and realizing they aren’t The One. Never be afraid to tell a potential marketing firm that they aren’t a good fit, even if they seem like really good people.

For more information about the most effective modern marketing techniques, check out our other articles here.