The business world is very competitive. Today, companies are investing heavily in marketing. The market is very dynamic and businesses must do all it takes to adapt. Digital marketing has become a very important aspect that contributes to success. Do you know why? I will tell you. Some decades back, marketing for products used to be really hard. If part of the target audience could not have access to television, radio, and print media, they could not get the intended information at the required time. These means of communication are still relevant today. Nevertheless, there are so many changes in the market lately. Today, the number of individuals with digital devices such as smartphones and tablets has significantly increased. It can take seconds for people to receive or send information irrespective of their geographical location.
How does this affect the marketing of products? Well, recent studies show people spent a lot of time on the internet, especially in such platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter among others. This makes it necessary for businesses to look for potential clients where they are–on the internet. Besides, whenever people want to make new purchases, the first places they turn to for information is on search engines such as Google. Obviously, your online presence as a business is very important. Digital marketers enhance their online presence. Besides, with the help of the SEO team, they help improve your ranking in search engines. There are so many marketing agencies out there. But like in many aspects of life, the choice you make determines the success of you are going to have. The following are the basic questions you need to ask a marketing agency before you decide to hire:
Can you describe your perfect client?
This is a good question to start with before the agency tries to establish what you want. The purpose of this question is to determine whether your perfect match. Your needs and the sweet spot of the marketer should always have a good fit. Generally, the marketing agency specializes in specific fields. You need to work with the agency that has specialized specifically in what you need to have the best experience. If your needs do not match with their sweet spot, you are not likely to get the best attention that you need and this will definitely compromise quality.
What is your long-term business plan?
You need to establish the stability of the agency. It is vital to have a marketing agency that you can stick to relatively long unless you have a short-run marketing target. Basically, online marketing aspects need sustained testing as well as data evaluation for a start and for continuous improvement. Hiring a marketer in the middle of the project means you are going to take some steps backward to make significant steps forward. This is not something you want and you need to prepare from the start for stability. The most important thing to do in this regard is to ensure the agency has a solid plan. Do not go for a marketer whose target is to simply snag an in-house project somewhere. You need an agency with a sensible and concrete plan.
In case I hire you, what will be your top 10 priorities?
Marketing requires concerted effort and you need to work with a marketer who is up to the task. The purpose of asking this question is to establish whether the agency has a suitable process for marketing campaigns and management. As we outlined earlier, online campaigns are very complicated and require a lot of effort. An online campaign has many dynamic aspects and if the agency has a clear knowledge of the platform, there should be a proven mechanism of realizing results.
We do not mean that you need to know all the basics of particular activities, but rather you need to ensure the agency has all it takes to get things going positively. And by the way, good marketing agencies will be more than willing to share with you the details of their strategies and to clearly explain them. Failure to explain, or getting confused along the way is a red flag you should pay attention to.
Can you please get me a model month-end report
Transparency should be the driving force of your working relationship, and that is what this question is meant to gauge. An effective and open marketer will update you of the progress made in the campaign as well as the performance indicators established at the beginning. For this reason, the report needs to concentrate on key performance indicators and show relevant details to ascertain the work done. However, the report should not be so detailed to the extent that you cannot understand it.
Can you please get me the contact information of a past client you have worked for in a similar project?
A good marketing agency should have a track record and that is why this question is very important. What is the marketer is reluctant to provide such information? Well, this could be an indication that nothing significant has been achieved for similar projects. This dangerous and you need to rethink. While it does not mean the agency is shady, it shows the fit is not correct. You should focus on achievements made on similar projects with the same goals. You can even ask for specific results of a certain client worked for. By so doing, you will be able to determine the correspondences to the referral’s promotion and allows you to weigh the results against what the client is saying. Good marketers like Search Media gladly refer new customers to their past clients.
A marketing agency can help you attain your marketing objectives. However, you need to make a good decision while hiring. If you make the best choice, you will have the best results. I this blog, we have discussed some basic questions you need to ask a marketing agency before hiring. Let us get your thoughts on this subject by commenting below. Thank you!
