5 things to consider when hiring a marketing agency
Here’s a common thread strong business leaders have in common:
They don’t do it alone.
Instead, they choose to have smart people around them.
“The key for us, number one, has always been hiring very smart people.” — Bill Gates, Microsoft
“It’s about hiring people smarter than you…then getting out of their way…so YOU can focus on the bigger vision.” — Richard Branson, Virgin Group
“It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.” — Steve Jobs, Apple
In my last blog post, you learned 5 marketing roles you can outsource to make more money.
Maybe you’re starting to see how this is possible…
That you simply can’t do it all yourself and do it all well…
And how outsourcing is the best way to grow your business without working yourself into the ground.
If you’re ready to follow the advice of these business masterminds…
And you’re considering bringing on a smart marketing agency to bring customers to your door…
This blog post is for you — I’m giving you the honest, inside scoop on what to look for when hiring a marketing agency.
Because I’ve been on BOTH sides of the equation…
As a business owner (back in my finance days) who hired a marketing agency…
And as someone who eats, sleeps, and breathes marketing today. (Trust me, I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly in this industry.)
If you want to make a smart investment (and who doesn’t?) make sure to look for these 5 traits before bringing on a new marketing agency.
Plan for ROI
The only kind of investment worth making in your business is one that makes you money. So be sure your marketing agency has a solid plan to generate revenue.
Many business owners fall into the trap of thinking it’s all about the number of leads who come into your pipeline…so they look for an agency that can get them lots and lots of new leads.
But that’s only half the battle.
Because even a million new leads are worth exactly $0. The only way to generate ROI on your investment is to turn those leads into customers.
The way to do that is with a sales funnel.
When you’re interviewing marketing agencies, make sure they have a plan to take your new leads on a journey to transform them from strangers to friends who will work with you…NOT just throw up a Facebook ad.
Before we work with a new client at Smart Marketing Success, we always do an audit on them. If we create a Facebook ad…
- Where does it strategically go next?
- What systems do you have in place to capture that lead’s information and warm them up in a natural, feel-good way?
- How will you eventually make money on that lead, so you recoup your investment (and then some)?
You want a marketing agency that asks you these sorts of questions.If the only thing they want to talk about is your Facebook ad, buyer beware — they’re missing a big (money-making) part of the puzzle.
Proven track record of success
The best way to tell if a marketing agency will work for you…
…is if they’ve worked for someone else.
Anyone can promise you the moon. You want to make sure they have PROOF that they can deliver on those promises.
Ask for case studies or testimonials from their past clients. Look at the results they’ve generated — would you be happy if they got those results for you?
You also want to ask about the agency’s background. A solid history and education is a good sign that this agency is the real deal who can deliver for you.
How long have they been in business?
How long in the marketing field?
Where did they get their education?
What do they do to keep abreast of new information (because online marketing is a dynamic field that’s changing every day)?
If you’re not familiar with the online marketing field, here are a few of the big names in education (so you know who to listen for!):
- Ryan Deiss / Digital Marketer
- Jeff Walker / Product Launch Formula (PLF) system
- Russell Brunson / Click Funnels
- Stu McLaren / Tribe
- Marie Forleo / B-School
- Social Media Examiner
- Andre Chaperon
Obsessed with analytics
Marketing is part art, part science.
Many marketers focus so much on the art — creating pretty graphics, writing words that sound nice, designing a beautiful website — and don’t spend enough time on the science.
But the science is where the magic happens.
Warning, I’m gonna get nerdy for a second…
The beauty of online marketing is that you get feedback in real-time. By looking at the behaviour of your audience (whether they click an ad, sign up for an offer, open your emails, etc.) you’re getting objective data on whether or not your marketing is “working”.
You want to find an agency that incorporates testing and analysis into their process to ensure your pouring money into ads, emails, and offers that have proven to work.
A good marketing agency can also share data that is incredibly helpful, like:
- How many people need to see your Facebook ad before you get a new lead
- The percentage of leads who sign up for a free high-value call
- How many free calls you need to host before you’ll get a new paying customer
Knowing numbers like these helps you plan your marketing to achieve your goals. This gives you more control, predictability, and freedom in your business. Make sure you hire a marketing agency that can help you do that.
Personality match
It’s my personal opinion that work should be fun. Life’s too short to not enjoy the workday.
When you’re talking to marketing agencies, pay attention to the personalities on the team. Notice who you like chatting with on a personal level, who you get that instant feeling of “Yeah, I could go out for a coffee or a whiskey with this person.”
Working with someone who feels like a friend makes the process a lot more enjoyable. There’s a way to mix business with pleasure…and it starts with choosing the right people.
Look, there are a lot of fish in the sea when it comes to marketing agencies. Don’t settle on someone who you don’t like on a personal level! Trust your gut. The right person is out there and it’s worth it to wait.
Ability to make your life easier
You’re outsourcing to work less, not more. Make sure you get a good feeling that your marketing agency will make things simpler for you…not more complicated.
Albert Einstein has a great quote: “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”
Look for a marketing agency that can explain what they do and how they do it in a way that makes sense. If you start feeling overwhelmed with flowcharts and diagrams and lots of industry jargon, that’s a warning sign.
You want an agency that makes things digestible for you. You want a team that will handle the details and reports back with the information you need, in an easy-to-follow way. You want to feel like they’re dependable so you won’t need to chase them up or ask what’s happening next all the time.
Don’t underestimate this piece! The last thing you need is one more person or team to manage. Make sure you hire an agency that is responsible, organised, and capable of making your life easier.
Bonus: An exotic accent
Marketing agencies run by someone with a mix of Australian and German ancestry is a huge bonus.
Don’t ask me why. It just works 😉
If you’re ready to take the next step in working with a marketing agency, take Smart Marketing Success for a test drive!
We want to make sure we’re a good fit before working together. So we’re offering a free Marketing & Sales Strategy Call to map out a plan for your sales funnel.
It’s a free 30-minute session where we assess the current state of your business, establish your goals, and map out a custom automated action plan to bridge that gap so you can achieve your monthly client goals and grow your business.
You’ll learn how we work, you’ll get to know us on a personal level, and you can see if we feel like the right fit for you. (And if not? That’s okay too. Better for us both to find that out ahead of time.)
Click here to book your free, no obligation, Marketing & Sales Strategy Call.
