Outsourcing your organisation’s lead generation to an external marketing agency can be an intimidating task. However, for SMEs looking to grow their reach, hiring outside marketing expertise can be the fastest way to take their business to the next level.
But what should you be looking for when partnering with a marketing agency?
Before taking the leap, read on for information on how to set your business goals and expectations, evaluate the right marketing agency for your specific needs, and more.
For businesses with small teams, limited budgets, or limited marketing expertise, partnering with an external marketing agency can deliver immediate expert insight, and an increased ROI on marketing spend.
As well as that, hiring an external marketing company also allows you to:
When it comes to wanting what’s best for your business, of course you want any potential partner to have the same mentality. However, before choosing any marketing company, you first need to understand what it is that your business actually needs.
Do you need to:
Being specific is also key here – do you intend on gaining X number of leads, grow your foot traffic by X%, or drive X number of sales in X amount of time?
Only once you have a clear vision of your business needs and ideal outcomes, can you then begin choosing a marketing agency that’s able to help you in achieving these objectives.
Once you’ve identified your ideal marketing outcomes, this will allow you to make a shortlist of suitable marketing companies.
Ultimately, the right marketing partner offers what you need as a service ¬– in short, there’s no point in hiring a digital marketing agency if the goal is to grow brand recognition in your local area with traditional media (e.g., radio advertising, flyers, brochures, direct mail, etc).
This is where a ‘traditional’ marketing accompany is the ideal choice.
Finding the right fit for your specific needs usually means laying the groundwork and doing your research in the beginning. To do this, it’s best to create a formal ‘Request for Proposal’ (RFP) – this allows you to collect important information about specific agencies so you can select the one that best meets your criteria.
In the RFP, clearly describe your requests, outline your project and goals, and include any questions you want your potential marketing partner to answer – about their marketing approach, pricing and fee structures, timelines, contract terms, etc.
The more thorough your search process is, the better your chances will be in finding the right marketing partner for your business.