1. What services do they offer?
When researching a reliable marketing agency, you want to understand everything each potential agency offers. So, it is essential to look at any packages or deals they are offering in order to gain an idea of what you and your small business needs to grow. These packages may contain bundles of services such as web design, content creation, and photography. Individually, these categories can stack up relatively quickly on an itemized bill but a reputable marketing agency will try to create a bundle pack- so you, as a customer, get your money’s worth. Also, it is crucial to recognize if they offer every service known to man because these agencies just want money in most scenarios. Always pick an agency that focuses on quality over quantity!
2. How are they monitoring performance?
As you begin to invest in your small business, you will want to see some numbers to the madness. Data is an integral part of growth. Numbers, stats, and ratios determine the positives and negatives in what your customers like and dislike. Marketing agencies can monitor what is going well and what isn’t through a chart of data. For example, Instagram is a popular social media platform, easy to communicate and engage customers. A marketing agency will analyze your follower-to-like ratio to determine what’s working, what’s not working and how to maintain a constant flow of growth. Agencies can also do this by looking at how many people visited your website and how long they stay on the site.
3. Can you see a portfolio of their current work?
Selecting a marketing agency can be difficult but it all comes down to what style is right for you and your small business. Every business has a specific style, such as contemporary, modern, futuristic, etc. Portfolios help you understand how an agency creates content, how unique their logos are, and the diversification of their website creation. If a marketing agency refuses to show you current projects they are working on, it is better to take your business somewhere else, especially if you are creating your small business. There needs to be authenticity for your small business to stand out from all competition. If a marketing agency is stealing logos and using content from another company, you will be wasting time and money.
4. Who is on your team and will be your main contact?
At this point, you may be in the final stages of picking an agency and you are now setting up meetings to talk to agents. Typically in this meeting, there will be the owner of the agency and one director from each service the agency offers. Sometimes, it can be tricky to know who you should touch base from most often, but whoever is in charge of the agency or in control of your project. Of course, the agency is made up of a team and the team is on the clock to work for you and your small business. But, you may have some questions that a financial advisor can’t answer when it comes to graphic design. Hence, it is important to ask “who is on my team?” or “who will I be contacting?” at the very beginning of project proposals so no time is wasted for both parties.
5. Will you have access to all accounts linked to your business?
This question is super important as your agency works on your small business and is now associated with your business. You have faithfully put your business’ image in their hands. As a client, you should have full access to each account the agency makes for you and your business, whether it’s to your website or social media accounts. Agencies who worked hard to build platforms for their clients would rather have you be proud and share the growth you have created together rather than fully taking it away from you. This is certainly a question you want to ask upfront to ensure that these accounts end up in your hands if any services are terminated.