Did you know that the most successful businesses typically spend between 5-20% of their annual revenue on marketing?
So if you’re guilty of saying you’ve been “burnt by a previous marketing agency” or that you “didn’t see the results you wanted”, while there may have been legitimate concerns over their strategy or delivery, were you actually investing the money needed to generate a good return on investment? Because more often than not, businesses are spending a fraction of that – while still expecting results.
Of course, that’s a large chunk of your annual budget, so if you do commit to outsourcing your marketing, you need to be working with people who know what they’re doing and truly want to see you succeed.
So how do you know if a marketing agency is the right fit for your business?
What are your goals and are they aligned?
To get the very best out of any marketing agency, you need to be very clear on what your goals are. Where do you want to be in two, five or even 10 years’ time? And are you being realistic about how much you need to spend to meet them?
If you’re looking for a long-term working partnership, you need to be in it for the long-haul, and not be thinking about dropping everything a few months in. Many clients come to us having done virtually no marketing previously, so it can take time just to get the basics in place – such as collating data, reviewing the website and generating branded assets. Only once the foundations are built can the full campaigns be launched.
Once you’ve determined what your goals are, it’s time to start looking for potential marketing agencies, whittling this down to a select few before reaching out to them. Agencies are a dime a dozen, so be specific on what you need. For instance, if your goals are to improve your online presence, then you’ll need an agency that specialises in web design and development. But if another of your goals is to increase traffic to your website, then you may also need an agency who deliver other services such as search engine optimisation, pay-per-click advertising, content marketing and social media.
When talking to agencies, make sure they are not only asking the right questions, but that they are also challenging your assumptions and your current strategy. It might be that you’ve done something for years because “we always have done” – but is that a good enough reason? An agency should be able to find holes in your current activity and suggest opportunities you can embrace to find more success.
Sector experience
When it comes to your business, nobody knows it like you – and it’s important to remember that the marketing agency you bring on are experts in their field too.
Any marketing agency worth its salt will pride itself on its ability to adapt to different industries and businesses. This means that you don’t necessarily need to find a marketing agency that specialises in logistics and transport management for example. You just need to find a good agency.
Of course, depending on your business, what you offer may be so niche that you feel you do need experts who are au fait with your industry from the off, but if you’re keen to roll out unique campaigns that make you stand out, how will you know they’re not just recycling campaigns from one of your competitors – which doesn’t do you or them any favours?
That’s why here at Flamingo, we only work with one client per industry, so you know you’re getting tailored marketing campaigns created specifically for you.
What you should look out for is proof of results and an agency’s credibility. Check for case studies, testimonials and Google reviews to gauge the range of industries they work with and see how they’ve managed to deliver for their existing clients.
Cultural fit
When partnering with a marketing agency, there’s one key component that needs to be considered above all. No, not the price or the size of the team (although you will want to keep tabs on these things).
No, the single biggest factor that’s going to dictate whether your pairing is successful is simply how well your values and attitudes align. Are you a good fit? We’ve all got different personalities, ways of working, and tolerances for certain behaviours. So working with a business where you struggle to see eye to eye is going to be a problem from the start.
In our experience, clients often come to us having worked with a marketing agency before, feeling aggrieved and struggling to trust someone new. However, that’s why we will always be upfront about our strategies, you’ll get to meet our team members so you know exactly who to go to for answers, and we ensure we’re always on the case, actioning what’s been agreed and communicating well.
A lot of this comes down to the fact that we don’t see ourselves as a marketing agency. We see ourselves as your outsourced marketing department.
And there are a lot of differences.
| With a marketing agency | With Flamingo Marketing Strategies Ltd. |
|---|---|
| You end up with an Account Manager and they’re you’re only contact | Your main contact is the Managing Director who has oversight of all projects, and you’re introduced to the whole team so there’s always someone who can help you |
| You know that you’re one of many clients, so you’ll never be a priority | You are one of a small number of clients, so get a very personal service |
| They might be working with your competitors and reusing their campaigns | You are the only client in your industry, so all campaigns are unique and tailored to you |
| Your emails aren’t responded to and your calls go unreturned | You get speedy replies and can always get through to someone in the team |
| You keep paying the bills as they churn out the same monthly activity, even if yours results aren’t improving | Alongside agreed core activity, you get the flexibility to run new campaigns which can change month-on-month as needed |
| You get told what you want to hear to get you onboard, but end up being underwhelmed | You get great, tailored advice for your business – but if it’s not the best fit or we feel you need someone more specialist, we’ll tell you |
We also have another blog on choosing to recruit in-house or outsource which you can read here.
Remember, we want you to win too.
A good marketing agency will want to work closely with you and your team – with regular check-ins to ensure content, messaging and future strategy are constantly aligned with your goals and the culture of the business.
If you’re keen to speak to a marketing partner who is determined to see you succeed, take the first steps and book in a free 60-minute strategy call.
This no-obligation call will give you the chance to tell us more about your business and goals, and give us the opportunity to provide some free advice and discuss what we could do if you were to work with us more long-term.
Watch this quick video to find out more: