Many companies have in place a marketing person or team. Others have no in-house marketing to speak of.
Whether as a complementary piece or a whole-hearted effort, a marketing firm can be of great value. But a marketing partner must be the right fit. It is all well and good to bring in outside resources, but it is quite another in selecting the right one. A mesh of personalities and style is an absolute must. Also of vital importance is picking the marketing firm that can provide the right skillset that best benefits your company.
Asking three questions can help a company hit a home run when it comes to picking the marketing firm that will pay off in the end.
#1 – Do you get who we are?
If a marketing company can’t get a grip on what you do, then they’re not right for you. You can find out how much they know in a couple of ways. If you’re meeting face to face, flat-out ask them. Yes indeed, just come right out and ask them if they know what your company does, who your own target audience is, and what they can do to push your marketing to the next level. If their representatives dance around the topic, you should tactfully tell them to dance right out the door. Another tell-tale sign whether a company is right or wrong for you is its presentation. A neatly packaged and glitzy dog-and-pony show may look like a lot of effort when into it, but don’t give in to style over substance. You want steak not sizzle. Be specific when delving into what they can offer you. If you get a shaky vibe from them, that feeling is going to linger even when you start doing business with them. The last thing you need right now is ‘what-ifs’ and second-guesses in your head. You need them to be part of your team so marketers need to show a clear understanding of who you are and what you do.
#2 – How will we measure success with whatever plans are put in place?
Brand awareness can be measured by things like social media presence, foot traffic, and new business. You need to ask your potential new partners how they intend on reaching those goals and in turn how they will read the numbers. It’s also good idea to put some sort of schedule in place, one which everyone involved can get together to go over the numbers – maybe 30-, 90-, 180-day reviews. The group that assembles for those reviews needs to know what has gone on and what the next steps are. And the marketers better prepared to explain the numbers, too. To a company president who is more focused on contracts, a quick interpretation of click-through percentages may appear unimpressive. It’s up to the marketers to explain how, hopefully, your click-throughs are above the average results.
#3 – If you are going to handle social media, who handles creative?
A marketing firm should have a firm grasp on all the latest trends in advertising especially social media – the tried-and-true Facebook and Twitter plus the hot (relatively) newer platforms like Pinterest, Instagram, and Snapchat. If your outside source is going to handle the posts and feeds, then it is best to determine right off the start who is handling the creativity behind it all. An in-house team will certainly have the reins on brand style but may need some guidance on how it best fits into a social media campaign. An outside entity will likely require a go-to person in your company to approve and critique it all. Somewhere in between rests the person who puts all the vision and ideas together. If you do decide to turn over creative to the outside source, make sure it’s on paper how much extra you’re going to pay and what the expectations are. At the same time, the outside marketers must allow your voice to be heard on creative issues. They may hire the person who does the work, but you are hiring them and you are putting your life’s work into their hands.
All in all, as stated at various points here, both sides have to view it as a partnership. You will sink or swim together so both parties must feel a vested interest.
If you’re looking at a marketing firm to assist you, be sure that they’ll feel a responsibility to seeing things through and doing its utmost to find you success. If you’re getting a vibe that they’re just in it for themselves or just to have your company’s logo on their website, it’s not the right fit.
As with a great deal of things in business, go with your gut.
By: Mark Pavelich President Ceo The Mark Consulting & Marketing
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