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Only the Best Marketing Agencies Will Have the Answer to This Question

Before we get into it, let’s take a step back. One hop this time. Right foot two stomps. 

Okay. Seriously though, let’s think. Take that step back, minus the Cha Cha Slide moves, and ask yourself, “Why are you looking to hire a marketing agency?” 

Different people may have different answers to this question, but at the root of them all lies this simple truth – you want to grow your business. Doing so requires setting and then achieving business goals. That’s where the marketing magic comes in and that’s why it’s crucial to interview and narrow it down to only the best marketing agencies. That’s also why you need to ask the agencies you’re interviewing, “How are you going to help me reach my business goals?”

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First and foremost, for an agency to hit and reach the goals you have for your business, you need to have those goals established. If you’re a marketing director, you want to know what your marketing goals and KPIs are. If KPIs are something that you need to engage an agency to help with, that’s fine, but just know that you should definitely have a clear set of goals laid out before you get started.  

Any marketing agency that you start engaging and having conversations with should also be asking you about your goals. The best marketing agencies always will. If the agency isn’t asking you about your goals, then there’s already something off. Giant red flag number one. Big warning sign. Alarms should be going off in your head. You get the point. Make sure that the agency is truly driven to help you achieve what it is that you’re after. What process do they have in place? What have they done in the past to help similar companies, whether in the same or other industries, get the kind of results you’re after? That’s called foreshadowing right there and it can provide valuable insight as to if the agency has a proven way to repeat their success. 

One big thing companies on both sides of the engagement miss out on is ensuring that goals and/or KPIs are realistic. Both parties need to know exactly what they’re getting into. It’s like dating. You have to be on the same page before you commit. Otherwise, it’s a recipe for disaster and it’s not going to work out. Hello headache and heartbreak city. 

If a marketing agency is “yes-ing” you to death, not going in-depth or getting into the nitty-gritty, that’s another red flag because it probably means they don’t have the answers. It’s an agency’s job to ensure that there are agreed-upon KPIs and proper strategies in place to focus on hitting your metrics, by whatever means they have within their arsenal. The best marketing agency should be focused on fostering results that jive with your stated KPIs, ensuring that you can focus on running your business. 

The best marketing agency should be doing that leg work upfront during the onboarding process. That’s why we sit down with our potential new clients and talk about what we will be able to do and what we might be out of scope. There should be total transparency and a complete understanding between a client and agency when establishing KPIs and determining what’s realistic and measurable. 

If there’s even a sense of slight doubt, ask the agency to define how they attack challenges to ensure a comfort level with their answer. Agencies vary from one another in how they tackle challenges, so an agency’s answer has to speak to you and your business. 

To find an agency who’s answers resonate with your goals and values, you kind of need to know which questions to ask them. We did the dirty work and created a free guide,  “8 Questions Marketing Directors Should Ask When Interviewing Agencies,”  to arm you with the tools you need to make the best decision and find the best marketing agency for your business. We got you.

 

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You’re paying good money to your marketing agency each month. Are you sure you’re getting your money’s worth? If you’re not 100% certain, it’s time to get a second opinion.

*This is free. A consultation with DSM costs nothing. We want your trust and we want your business. We aim to show you just how much better your marketing can be with a true set of experts at the controls. DSM does not utilize sleazy sales tactics or even salespeople. We only have experts that prove our value and get results.

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