Before working with external marketing agencies, SEO companies or website managers, there are some important questions to ask.
You need to make sure they are the right supplier for you.
So we have put together some questions for you to use as a checklist during your investigations into possible marketing partners.
The list of questions below are what we would recommend asking to make sure the quality, consistency and dedication is there. Note these down…
Is a TEAM working on my projects or just an account manager?
If just one person is working on all your projects alone, they can easily get snowed under. Remember you will not be their only client. So how much can they fit in during a day? It's obviously fine to have an account manager in charge of all your projects but they shouldn't be doing EVERYTHING. There should be other specialists in the agency to support her/him. Designers should be doing the designing, producers should be doing the video etc.
What type of customer am I compared to your others?
The problem with a lot of agencies is they often have one or two clients who pay a lot more than all their other clients. What happens here is that the majority of their time will be spent keeping these larger clients happy and if you are not one of them, you will be 'squeezed in' every now and again. You need to be a priority to your agency.
How many clients do you have at the moment and how many staff do you have?
Again, this helps find out how much of a priority you are and how much work on your projects can they squeeze into a day. Its easy to judge. If they only have four people in the office but they have 100 clients, none of their clients are going to get a lot of quality time.
Can you include video in our marketing?
Video has become a huge part of digital marketing as attention spans dwindle. Video is the best tool for increasing conversions. Make sure your marketing agency has an in-house camera crew you can utilise for your projects.
Do you mix online AND offline marketing in campaigns?
Yes the world is a digital one now but without fail, any campaign that uses both online AND offline marketing ALWAYS reaps more rewards. Be weary of people who say one or the other doesn't work. That just says they are doing one wrong or targeting the wrong audience.
Is all your work done in-house?
A lot of agencies use freelancers, which isn't too much of a problem, it just depends what jobs the freelancers are doing. Agencies should really only use freelancers for occasional specialist work.
Will I get DAILY phone calls and updates?
If they are not contacting you daily, you have no proof they are doing anything. Communication is usually the reason why relationships break down with agencies (even if they are getting you results) so make sure you choose a company that has communication as a priority.
Will reports each month just be generated numbers?
Often traffic reports are generated from software at the touch of a button and sent to the client without context. However, these numbers are often meaningless without context. Do they also explain in reports what they have physically done that month?
Why are we on a contract commitment of more than 6 months?
Unless you have been given a significant discount in return for long term commitment, there is no reason to be on a contract for that long. Around 3 months is fair (as that often is how long it takes to get real results).
Do you have Google reviews?
A good agency would have a handful of detailed five star reviews you can read to check out their relationships with clients. Having no reviews is a red flag.
Do you have an office or studio we can meet you at?
Go and see them. Meet their team. You can quickly get the sense of a company in their own environment rather than just listening to a sales person who came to you.
There are a million other questions to ask but these should help you understand how hard they will work on your projects, the quality of your projects and turnaround speed of projects.
